By Rachel Peck

The team here at Eclipse Media Group, like so many others, is settling in fully to remote working and practicing social distancing – due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In both our personal and professional lives, we are all in uncharted territory. How many of us have actionable plans in place in case of a global pandemic? However, as PR agencies, it’s our responsibility to always be ready to adapt and learn. So for the next few weeks, we’ll be educating ourselves on best practices and learning from other agencies on how they’re handling the COVID-19 crisis. Here are a few webinars and workshops available:

COVID-19: How Businesses and PR Agencies are Handling the Crisis
Host: CommPRO
Date/Time: Thursday, March 19 | 1 p.m. ET
Cost: Free
This free webinar will feature insights from seven public relations and communications agencies, including The Institute for Public Relations and Peppercomm. This session will discuss what PR agencies and businesses are doing to fight against COVID-19 and the confusion many are feeling.

Thoughts on Overcoming this Crisis – in PR, in the Economy, in Life​​​​​​
Host: Michael Smart PR
Date/Time: Thursday, March 19 | 1 p.m. ET
Cost: Free
PR coach Michael Smart shares long-term advice and encouragement for handling the disruption to your work and life, with special emphasis on handling the looming economic slowdown. Topics include how media will be reacting to non-crisis news and pitches in the coming weeks, lessons learned from the last two recessions and what you can begin applying now to fortify your business or career, as well as tips for approaching adversity in your work and life to help you emerge from it stronger.

Best Practices for Brand Communications in Times of Uncertainty
Host: Cision
Date/Time: Thursday, March 19 | 2 p.m. CST, 3 p.m. ET
Cost: Free
Cision is hosting a free webinar with a panel of experts from across different industries to hear best practices and tips for crisis communications – specifically COVID-19. This webinar will also feature a live Q&A. Topics will include an analysis of the current media landscape, tips on how brands should communicate during a crisis, including how to craft your response and answers to questions on how to handle the COVID-19 crisis.

Social Distancing: Managing Social Media When You’re Not (Physically) In The Office
Host: Social Media Today | Twitter Chat
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 24 | 12 p.m. EDT
Cost: Free
As many will be working remotely and practicing social distancing, there is still a need for some work-life stability and genuine social contact. With that in mind, Social Media Today will be increasing the frequency of its #SMTLive Twitter chats from bi-weekly to weekly. Starting next week, they’ll be live on Twitter every Tuesday from noon – 1 p.m. ET for the foreseeable future.

Communicating about COVID-19 — Navigating a New and Uncertain Crisis
Host: PRNews
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 25 | 1 p.m. ET
Cost: Free
As communications professionals and their communities grapple with the outbreak of COVID-19, the virus’s lack of history, coupled with its rapid transmission, has created a landscape rife with misinformation and panic. People are craving accurate information from reliable sources and, knowing how conversations can circulate online, communicators need to stay abreast of misinformation. Speakers from Yonder, PRNEWS, Finn Partners, City of Miami Beach and UT Southwestern Medicenter will lead this webinar on how to speak about COVID-19 in a helpful way, without inciting panic.

Crisis Communications Virtual Conference
Host: Ragan and PR Daily
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 31 | 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. ET
Cost: $695
COVID-19 will leave a lasting impact on how we communicate and work. Join Ragan Communications and PR Daily for this hands-on conference which will arm you with the tools, templates and know-how to bring your crisis communications playbook up to speed, in this new era of pandemic PR. Join top crisis experts from ScottsMiracle-Gro, Discover, the Institute for Crisis Management and more to learn how to harness today’s technology to respond when rapid actions and decisions are a must. This conference will give you the insights you need to counter the “first viral virus” in the social media era.

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