Listening Deeply for Better Inclusion
By Marnie Freeman
Through the recent Darzi Review of the NHS and Grenfell Tower Inquiry, we are reminded of the importance of listening to our communities – properly. Listening to and integrating the ideas of the people whom organisations are seeking to serve.
The Grenfell Inquiry is a tragic reminder of what happens when there is a complete failure to listen to tenants about their homes, their genuine concerns and recommendations for doing things differently. Lord Darzi’s Review of the NHS also emphasises the importance of listening to patients, forming partnerships with them and local authorities to improve the quality of care in their communities The recommendations in both are clear: listen to residents’ needs, build on community strengths and develop services that reflect their realities.
If Public Services have meandered away from listening to the communities they serve, Neighbourly Lab can help guide them back, ensuring that decision making is anchored in the voices and lived experiences of those who will be impacted. At Neighbourly Lab, supporting organisations in meeting, understanding and including their communities is at the heart of what we do. What makes us different is our unique approach and attitude: we blend technical nous with creative curiosity and the warmth of a labrador puppy. We ask great questions, gather stories and genuinely hear what matters to people based on their experiences.
We connect with those residents who’ll remark, often with a chuckle, “I’ve never done something like this before”, and “I can’t believe you want to know what I think!”
Organisations often label these individuals as ‘hard to reach’ which they aren’t.
We make the effort to look for them in the right places and approach them with warmth and positivity – whatever the topic of conversation may be. We connect with people in a variety of community places and spaces – finding them where they are most comfortable, such as; drop-ins, convenience stores, hair salons, support groups, warm hubs, and hobby sessions to name a few places. Just this week we found people through a grassroots football club, an arts group for learning disabilities, and through a specialist women’s group. We listened deeply to their wealth of experiences and learned plenty.
Once we have listened, the process of truly understanding what we’ve heard begins. We figure out how lived experience, service delivery and policy changes can be combined to shape more effective communities. Whilst this part of our process is more strategic, people’s voices are never lost, we keep them central to storytelling and decision-making.
Services and interventions designed with feedback, gathered with problems that have surfaced, can only make for better, more sustainable community infrastructure.
Don’t take our word for it, ask the community!