https://www.meetup.com/netsquaredlondon/events/269501126/ With a catastrophic reduction in the F2F contact many charities are going to have with their beneficiaries over the coming months, the direction towards digital services is a clear route that many will take. However, as we do this it is essential we take into account the negative impact the lack of F2F will have on beneficiaries and staff members alike. Designing digital services that meet the need for meaningful human connection should to be a priority for us all. Led by the team at the relational design studio, Deepr, this interactive workshop will jumpstart a process where we learn and share: - what we know already about achieving human connection in digital and F2F services - how we can begin to apply this to the new digital services we're urgently designing and developing - opportunities for us to work together to embed meaningful human connection in live projects

1. Human connection
in a time of social
distancing
Meetup – April 7 2020

2. Intros
Holly Matt Zahra
Share slides Sharing
Monitoring responses & qns
12.05 / 5: HM

3. We design services, cultures
and systems that optimise
for relational wellbeing.*
Say hello@deepr.cc
* ‘Relational wellbeing’ is a term we use to deal with the ambiguity of
‘human connection’. When we use the term human connection,
we’re referring to an interaction of some kind that can result in a
benefit to relational wellbeing.

4. Housekeeping & format
Heads up: we're recording!
The way we’re working
● In the open
● Radical transparency
● Everything’s in alpha
The tools we’re using today:
● Zoom – etiquette (video on, mute audio)
● Google form for responses, thoughts, questions
(we'll be responding to it periodically)
● This Google deck (follow along with us)

5. 1-min Check-in
[Stop sharing screen] Warm mugs*
● Please switch your Zoom view to ‘gallery’
(so you can see a grid of people on your screen)
● Raise your mug/cup and hold with both hands
(so as to feel the warmth)
● Look around the group. Who’s here?
(30 seconds)
● Come back to the mug and the warmth
(The End)
*If you don’t have a warm mug - don’t worry, simply put
your hands together for a firm, warm handshake :-)

6. The context
During this Covid-19 pandemic, many
charities are rapidly moving their IRL
services into a digital space.
12.10 / 5: MM

7. The problem
There is a risk that the relational
benefits of services charities provide will
be lost. This can negatively impact on
the wellbeing of their beneficiaries.

8. The opportunity
How can we rapidly ensure that charities’
digital services are optimised for
relational wellbeing?
We’re looking at:
● Services with the primary goal of boosting relational wellbeing
(e.g counselling)
● Services those that have different primary goals
(e.g giving legal advice) but which might also incidentally boost
the relational wellbeing of beneficiaries.

9. Heads Up
We're funded by Catalyst to do this work, including supporting
charities as they develop digital services.
Please drop us a line if you would like our support at
hello@deepr.cc
We're also keen to work with designers and other digital
professionals as we do this.
We want to pool the wisdom & insight of the sector,
then codify it into something actionable.

10. Why we are all here
We’re here to:
● Start a process where we design in public
(and in real time, with you, if you’re willing)
● Share with you our current learning
(and hear your responses, challenges and insights)
● Get an understanding of the problems charities
are facing in terms of relational wellbeing
(and see if we can help)
● Leave you with three tools you can apply tomorrow
(if you choose to)
● Why are you here?

11. Let’s warm up
We’ll pop you into groups of 5 in a mo.
Introduce yourself and share your answer to this question:
How has Covid-19 impacted your sense of human connection?
We’ll have 10 mins to do this - so you have 2 minutes each
12.20 / 10 MM

12. Exercise 1:
Human connection in services
Reflect on the following questions.
● What tech for good services successfully develop
human connection?
● How specifically do they do that?
Go to this Google form & type down your responses.
Take 3 minutes to do this.
12.30 / 5 MM

13. Exercise 1:
Human connection in services
Let’s hear from Zahra.
What came up in the form?
12.35 / 5 ZD

14. The background to this work
Time for Matt to share…
Please pop your comments, thoughts & questions
into the Zoom chat :)
12.45 / 10 MM

16. ● Dr Susan Pinker - The Village Effect
● Human connection = physical + mental wellbeing

19. ● Acknowledged equality
● Autonomy with responsibility
● High degree of presence / system 2
attention

20. Imagine for a moment...
..all the smiles, all the chit
chat, all the cups of tea
and all the biscuits. All
the relational wellbeing
developed every day by
almost 200k charities in
the UK
The tap has been turned
off

21. Our nuggets thus far
Some very early findings of some things we’ve found
that promote relational wellbeing.
We’re going to try a few out in a mo…
Just so that this has been said:
- Speak to your users about their needs
- Prototype the smallest version of your service with your
users at each stage (even each component of the service)
- Make changes based upon your learning
13.00 / 5 MM

22. Top down. Bottom up.
Two approaches to developing relational wellbeing
within services:
1. Top down - from our rational, mammalian brain.
(e.g. two way feedback in services gives a high degree
of equality to an interaction)
1. Bottom up - from our nervous system bringing visceral,
physiological reactions in people.
(e.g. holding a warm mug of tea)

23. Our nuggets so far
● Physical warmth & touch by proxy
(hot drink, self-hug, hand on heart, eye gazing, hand
holding, mutual silence)
● Synchronous activity
(singing, dancing, clapping and breathing together in
synch)
● Asynchronous human connection
(voice messages, reciprocity, tone of voice, meeting
expectations, real names / faces)
● Managed vulnerability
(the right level of sharing, radical transparency,

24. Bonus nuggets
● Peer Power (Engaging your beneficiaries as peers with you
and with other beneficiaries - e.g. Groundforce and Enrol
Yourself)
● Connection starts with you
(Your internal culture will manifest with your beneficiaries.
Take time to develop that with whole person check-ins and
3 Golden Rules)

25. Our nuggets so far 3

26. Nugget Feedback
● What came up on the Zoom chat?
13.05 / 5 ZD

27. Let’s try two…
Holly to demo, everyone to follow
Stop screen share

28. Self-hug
Holly to demo, everyone to follow

29. Self-hug
Thumbs up, thumbs down?
How did that feel for you?
[Matt screengrab]

30. Synchronous breathing
Holly to demo, everyone to follow

31. Breathing together
Thumbs up, thumbs down?
How did that feel for you?
[Matt screengrab]

32. Exercise 2:
Individual reflection & response
What have we missed?
What have you come here to learn or share that you
haven't?
What are your needs?
What's happening in your world right now that could
benefit from this work? What are the problems you're
interested and exploring?
What issues to you foresee?
What are the challenges & barriers in your work to
building more human connection into digital services?
13.10 / 5 MM

33. Exercise 2
Please enter your responses in this Google form
You’ll have 5 minutes to do this.

34. Exercise 2
What came up on the form?.

35. Key takeaways
Here are some meaningful first steps to act on from tomorrow.
1. Whole person check-ins
(with colleagues, with beneficiaries)
1. Silence in a digital space emphasises a sense of togetherness.
1. When sharing information via a web tool, consider leaving
voice notes as well as text. Low fidelity is fine.
13.25 / 2 MM

36. Get in touch if
● You work for a charity and need our help
● You are a designer or digital professional
and want to collaborate
● You want to attend some of our Catalyst training on human
connection in remote working charities
Please let us know using the same Google form
● More of us will report back in 14 days (priming / vagus)
● We’ll now break you into your groups in case you want to
follow up there for around 20 mins
13.27 / 3 MM

37. Thank you
_🙏🏽_
Meetup – April 7 2020