The European Marine Board Communications Panel (EMBCP) were well represented at the recent EMSEA 2015 conference (European Marine Science Educators Association), 28 September – 1 October at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Crete. The focus of EMSEA 2015 was how Ocean Literacy is being incorporated into formal and informal education and shaping the way forward for Ocean Literacy in Europe and beyond. As part of the conference, the EMBCP ran a marine science communication workshop. Titled ‘Speed Course in Marine Science Communication’, the workshop was targeted at young marine scientists that are tasked with communication activities that they have often not been trained for. The aim of the workshop was to lay the foundations for science communications expertise and specifically dealt with the following four challenges: organizing public events, dealing with the media, the use of social media and citizen science projects.