Who...me?
If you have a problem you need to solve or a thing you need to design, this foundational course is for you <3
If your work involves or touches people (99.9% sure it does), the practice of listening to understand and also to understand how you're listening is invaluable.
Why this?
We've been taught to listen as a means to getting information from a "user," but what if that's not really the point? What if the that model of gathering feedback propagates toxic power dynamics, and takes us even further away from effective solutions?
...what if the point of "customer interviews" is to learn as much as you can about your relationship to the problem and the people you're trying to serve, and your power in relation to both of those things?
Ruh roh, have we been doing it all wrong this whole time?
Fret not, at least not yet, and not without a purpose or a plan for action ;)
For those reasons, in this course, we're inviting you to take a closer look at the relationship between the listener and the speaker, and equipping you with tools to increase equity and understanding in that relationship. After all, relationship are the most powerful vehicles for equity :)!
Ok...then what?
~Meta-empathy is itself a vehicle for equity, as it is a tool to help shine a light on problematic power dynamics (say that three times fast), to make relationships themselves more equitable, and consequently, to create and strengthen communities :)!
~Learning to practice meta-empathy enables you to better understand the people you're serving, the problems they have, and the relationship you have to both of those things
~This understanding is critical to your ability to serve the people you're designing for by creating truly helpful solutions
So what will we do?
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!!!Coaching bonus alert!!!
A personal touch, tlc, clarification, and encouragement can make all the difference. Inside the course, you'll have the opportunity to purchase one-on-one coaching time in order to maximize your learning and growing and help apply the course content specifically to your situation :)!
Your Instructor
Dr. Christine Ortiz is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for innovation through equity-centered design. She has launched k-12 microschools, consulted for schools in the US and internationally, designed and coached entrepreneurs, coordinated a national competition for innovative school models, and designed and taught graduate-level courses on redesigning schools at the Stanford d.School and Harvard University. Her current venture is Equity Meets Design, a think/do tank merging the consciousness of equity work with the power of design methodologies.
Christine spent her teenage years creating the national Truth tobacco prevention campaign and consulting with states and other countries interested in implementing the model. The first in her family to have a college degree, Christine has a BS from MIT, Masters in Education and Non-Profit Management and a Doctorate in Education Leadership from Harvard University. In all her endeavors, she has been motivated to address the barriers innovators face when tackling complex equity-based social issues.