Humansolutions Bulletin - December 2nd 2020

A much-needed resource in these pressurised times. Keeping pressures within manageable limits is a very demanding undertaking in these modern challenging times. This manual provides important practical guidance eon managing pressure and keeping stress at bay. Essential reading for all busy practitioners and managers. Available for purchase here or here

In the previous tip I talked about how distractions can get in the way of effective communication, but in this one I want to look at how distracting someone can be a helpful thing to do in certain circumstances. It is a technique well known to many parents: to distract their child when they are misbehaving, getting upset or otherwise being demanding. But few people recognize that it can also work well with adults (provided that it is not done in a patronizing way). It can be useful when someone is anxious and/or fixated on a particular concern, depressed or agitated. It has to be done tactfully and sensitively, but it can make a very positive difference in the right…

The Poverty2Solutions journey began over three years ago. Three grassroots organisations led by people with lived experience of poverty (ATD Fourth World, Dole Animators and Thrive Teesside) teamed up with Dr Ruth Patrick from the University of York and graphic designer Dan Farley to share and merge their expertise. Our aspiration is to ensure that the voice of lived experience is taken seriously and can inform decisions that have an impact on the lives of people in low-income communities. Click here to read more

Standing at my desk this summer, it had just turned 10 am, and I realized that I’d already: Heard from an old friend, engaged with three team members on two continents, read 28 blogs across the spectrum AND found out about the weather and the news around the world. Half my life ago, in a similar morning spent in a similar office, not one of those things would have been true. The incoming (and our ability to create more outgoing) is probably the single biggest shift that computers have created in our work lives. Sometimes, we subscribe or go and fetch the information, and sometimes it comes to us, unbidden and unfiltered. But it’s there and it’s compounding. Click here…

2020 has been a strange year. In many ways, the pandemic has brought us closer together. At the beginning, we stood united. And since the nation was forced into giving home working a try, many of us have been invited into the homes of colleagues, gaining a unique and privileged insight into the personal lives hiding within our professional networks. But in other ways the crisis has divided the nation. The three different tiers are a rather crass example of that, but there is other ‘othering’ at play, too. While most agree the health of the nation is the prerogative, there are split opinions in terms of what aspect of health to prioritise – physical versus mental, versus economic. These…

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