Listening to people and communities

In this video, Nathan and Alex discuss the importance of listening to employees and communities and bringing cultural sensitivity to your work.

Nathan shares approaches that facilitate listening: Integrated impact assessments can help you think about how your project might impact different groups, especially considering protected characteristics; focus groups and online forums can help capture feedback to inform decision making.

Alex reflects on the importance of asking yourself whether you’re the right person to take on a certain project. He also mentions critiques of Human-Centred Design and the ways it has supported White Supremacy. Further reading on that is listed below.

Now you’ve heard from the course team, reflect on these questions:

• How does listening play a role in supporting innovation for you?
• How do you decide whether you are the right fit for a project? -How do you decide when to bring in others?

Further resources:

1. Darin Buzon. Design Thinking is a Rebrand for White Supremacy, FLAT Journal.

2. UK Research and Innovation, 2020. Addressing under-representation and active participation This article has a helpful section on engagement and collective deliberation which are about listening to communities.