Speak to the human

Acteon
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Speak to the human

How can organisations best engage their people? How do you create connections between colleagues, motivation behind a shared purpose, and a sense of belonging? And how do you equip and motivate people to take the positive actions that help them and their organisation to flourish? Join host Acteon's Sarah Abramson on the Speak to the Human podcast, as she speaks with leaders, creatives and researchers, exploring how they've created meaningful engagement and connection for people in their work.  Acteon is a communication and learning agency, harnessing behavioural insights to help organisations connect with their people and deliver positive change.

  1. Anna Ploszajski on when stories are the missing element

    JUN 24

    Anna Ploszajski on when stories are the missing element

    How do we find and tell stories that capture imagination and shape how we share ideas? And what happens when you try using storytelling in unexpected areas – like academic science? Anna Ploszajski, founder of Storyology, is challenging conventions and helping people communicate with miles more impact. Anna Ploszajski is a materials scientist. She’s also a storyteller, author, podcaster, business founder, stand-up comedian, trumpeter, channel swimmer and more.  She’s clearly willing to think differently, and to resist confining herself (or anything else) into a single neat box. She makes connections. And she has a sort of infectious curiosity. As a result, she’s a compelling communicator, with a talent for catching the imagination and making sense of complicated ideas. Through her own experiences as a researcher, Anna realised how much opportunity there is for improving communication in academic science, including through storytelling techniques, and has founded ‘Storyology’ to help upskill scientists in communication and storytelling. She’s breaking down unhelpful conventions, and helping people to benefit from the impact of communicating much more effectively – which has massive potential within academia, and is something we can all learn from, whatever sphere we’re working in. Anna’s a really fun, eloquent and thought-provoking interviewee, with (as you’d expect) loads of stories and insights to share.  In this conversation, we explore: What led Anna to think differently about science communication, including her journey through stand-up comedy.What the barriers can be for ‘experts’ – whether in academic or business – to improve their communication, and how to start to challenge those barriers. How storytelling can help us rethink and share ideas.Examples of how Anna uses stories in materials science, including drawing on her own experiences to bring things to life.How to develop a ‘story’ – including exploring structure, story arcs, characters and more.How to get started with using stories in any form of communication Resources Storyology website - https://www.storyology.co.uk/Storyology podcast - https://www.storyology.co.uk/podcastAnna’s book ‘Handmade’ - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Handmade-Scientists-Search-Meaning-through/dp/1472971086/Speak to the human is a podcast by Acteon a communication and learning agency that harnesses behavioural insights to help organisations connect with their people and deliver positive change. Find out more at acteoncommunication.com.

    1h 6m
  2. Lesley Woods on finding human connection under pressure

    MAY 30

    Lesley Woods on finding human connection under pressure

    In pressured situations, human connection is more needed than ever. Military leader and media strategist Lesley Woods excels at forging those connections. In this episode, she shares her experiences of reaching across divides to build bonds, crafting communications to tell the stories of her military colleagues, and how she has learned the leadership skill of lifting up those around her. Lesley Woods is a military leader and media strategist, leading communications for the MoD, as well as a serving senior officer in the Royal Air Force reserves. As you’ll hear, her career has taken her around the world, and into situations which range from the life threatening to the life affirming, from hostile to humanitarian. She has seen and experienced first-hand how humans respond under extreme pressure. In this conversation Lesley shares: Her insights into how to build bridges across cultures and language differences, how to comfort people when they fear for their lives, how to encourage personal messages from people who might not want to let their guard down, and how to help yourself and others get their emotional reactions under control.Different ways to tell stories, including combining words and images, and how stories and messages are formulated and crafted.Learning to tell your own story, including Lesley’s practice of keeping a notebook to jot down thoughts and reflections as they happen.Growing as a leader, to gain the confidence to lift up those around you and spot those times when you can support less experienced colleagues or people to take an opportunity.This is a window into a world most of us haven’t experienced, but which sheds light on the same human connections that we’re all familiar with. Speak to the human is a podcast by Acteon a communication and learning agency that harnesses behavioural insights to help organisations connect with their people and deliver positive change. Find out more at acteoncommunication.com.

    50 min
  3. Richard Etienne on noticing the real person

    APR 29

    Richard Etienne on noticing the real person

    Richard Etienne is a filmmaker and founder of The Introvert Space.  His career has been shaped by a genuine passion for telling the stories of other people, and a curiosity about human nature. He was the official videographer at 10 Downing Street for the UK Prime Minister Theresa May, and for the Commonwealth Heads of Government, interviewing numerous heads of state. Despite working in these circles, he brings a calm humility, care, and an eye for noticing the details that reveal the human side of anyone. We discuss what introversion means, why our culture and workplaces commonly celebrate and reward extroversion, and what might be lost when it’s only loudest voices in the room that get heard. In this conversation, we explore: Film-making as a form of storytelling and communication.Richard’s own trajectory, from being a job seeker to working in 10 Downing Street.How he works with leaders to bring out personality and authenticity in films.The perspective from behind the camera.His work with The Introvert Space to help organisations be more inclusive in gaining perspectives from everyone, and gain diverse input from different personality types.Tips for how to include introverts more in meetings.How to make ‘networking’ a more comfortable experience.Links The Introvert Space™ page: Resources for introverts and inclusive workplaces https://theintrovertspace.com/YouTube Shorts: Bite-sized tips for introverts to thrive at work (including "How to network with confidence”) https://www.youtube.com/@theintrovertspaceEmail: richard@theintrovertspace.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-introvert-space/Speak to the human is a podcast by Acteon a communication and learning agency that harnesses behavioural insights to help organisations connect with their people and deliver positive change. Find out more at acteoncommunication.com.

    1h 10m
  4. Hannah Williams on visual communication

    APR 9

    Hannah Williams on visual communication

    Illustration is a powerful and engaging form of communication – and visual expression reveals a lot about how we think. Hannah Williams is a live illustrator, and founder of her own business, Scribble Inc. She uses visual storytelling to create illustrations as people speak – a skill that she uses to create illustrations at events and workshops. Hannah’s ability to capture the key ideas from a presentation and turn them into a visual record obviously takes artistic skill – but as you’ll hear, it goes much deeper than that, revealing how we process and communicate ideas. We talk about:  How Hannah realised her skill has value for helping people share ideas, and how she has turned this into a business.What she’s learned from being a ‘fly on the wall’ at so many different events.How visualisation can reveal different understandings of apparently shared ideas between people – when you think you’ve understood something in the same way but looking at a visual representation helps you realise there are different meanings.What happens when things don’t work out how you expect, and a ‘mistake’ or ‘failure’ can lead to a better alternative. Hannah’s tips for how we could all use these types of skills in ways that are easy to do.Check out the Scribble Inc. website: https://scribbleinc.co.uk/  Check out Scribble Inc. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scribbleincltd/  Speak to the human is a podcast by Acteon a communication and learning agency that harnesses behavioural insights to help organisations connect with their people and deliver positive change. Find out more at acteoncommunication.com.

    1h 3m
  5. Owen Rose on behaviours and habits

    MAR 25

    Owen Rose on behaviours and habits

    What do we mean by ‘speak to the human’?   In this episode, Sarah  takes the mic inhouse to chat with Acteon partner Owen Rose, exploring a ‘human-centred’ approach – why it matters, what it means, and how to do it.  Leading change or communicating effectively depends on connecting with the people we’re trying to engage with. And to do that well, we need to try to understand what shapes their responses, motivations and behaviours.   We talk about:  How ‘training’ and ‘learning’ in workplaces have changed over time, and what this means for how to engage people and embed changes into people’s daily work. Why effective communication and engagement is about finding ways to connect with people on an emotional level. How ideas and approaches from behavioural science can be used in practice to address organisational challenges.   Why it’s best not to assume we humans make rational choices all the time. What we mean by ‘habits’, and how simple habit-forming can be used to shift small behaviours across large groups of people. The vital insights ‘discovery’ and bringing together different perspectives at the start of a project can provide on things that might otherwise be wrongly assumed or missed. How to make the case for doing things differently, and why culture is pivotal in achieving change. Why the ideas and people that get the most ‘cut through’ are those that have the most compelling messages and stories – and attach those messages to current and relevant needs. Speak to the human is a podcast by Acteon a communication and learning agency that harnesses behavioural insights to help organisations connect with their people and deliver positive change. Find out more at acteoncommunication.com.

    1h 2m
  6. Ruth Steinholtz on culture and values

    FEB 18

    Ruth Steinholtz on culture and values

    How does the culture of an organisation affect its ability to survive and thrive? And how is that culture is really created and experienced by colleagues? Ruth Steinholtz helps organisations to build a better understanding of their existing culture, and to evolve values-driven leadership towards ethical practices, focused on more successful outcomes for the long-term business strategy.  Ruth is an expert in business ethics and culture. She is an author and speaker and leads her own consultancy business, AreteWork, helping organisations to develop insights into their cultures and how to nurture sustainable, ethical practices which are based on genuine values.   In this conversation, we discuss:   How, in order to succeed over the long term, organisations need to navigate culture change. What values-driven leadership means. How an organisation can harness values in order to thrive.  The methods Ruth uses to reveal insights into the real culture - the lived experience of people at all levels of an organisation. Ruth’s background, and how she got into this area of work, including developing the approach of working with ethics ambassadors. We also talk, later in the podcast, about Ruth’s passion for cycling. She draws thought-provoking lessons about culture and values that we can learn from professional cycling.  Speak to the human is a podcast by Acteon a communication and learning agency that harnesses behavioural insights to help organisations connect with their people and deliver positive change. Find out more at acteoncommunication.com.

    56 min
  7. Heather Urquhart on overcoming fear of failure

    12/17/2024

    Heather Urquhart on overcoming fear of failure

    Why are we afraid of mistakes, and seek to avoid risks? How do we challenge ourselves outside of our comfort zones? Improviser Heather Urquhart helps us explore our innate fear of failure, and the value of being more open to creative risk. Heather is a talented actor and musician, and uses her skills not only to entertain, but also to open up people’s thinking, their willingness to try new things, to develop ideas, and to get comfortable with mistakes.  She is a regular improv actor in Showstoppers, the West End improvised musical, and runs her own company, AndAlso Improv (https://andalsoimprov.com/), leading improv workshops and classes. She works with teams and leaders in organisations, bringing them a completely different way of exploring risk, trust, control and creativity – and to have fun at the same time.  We talk too how improvisers learn to tune in so closely to their fellow performers as well as adapting to different team or leader roles in the moment. There’s something we can all learn from that kind of collaboration.  In the episode, we cover: How Heather uses improv to help people open up and think differently.Why embracing mistakes is important, and often lead to something better than you’d planned.How improvisers tune in to and support each other, adapting their roles in the moment.What we can learn about listening, giving people space and support, building trust and enabling people to speak up.Using ‘yes and…’ as a positive way to build ideas and collaboration.Why everyone is creative, if they practice. And some tips for how to do this!Episode resources Find Heather at AndAlsoImprov: https://andalsoimprov.com/   Her Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherurquhartimproviser/  Find Showstoppers The Musical: https://showstopperthemusical.com/  Speak to the human is a podcast by Acteon a communication and learning agency that harnesses behavioural insights to help organisations connect with their people and deliver positive change. Find out more at acteoncommunication.com.

    54 min
  8. Eleanor Gooding on managing redundancies in a human-centred way

    12/05/2024

    Eleanor Gooding on managing redundancies in a human-centred way

    How could employers make the painful process of redundancies more sympathetic, thoughtful, supportive, and well… human? Eleanor Gooding shares how she was able to build on foundational work on culture, values and a ‘People Manifesto’, to stay human-centred while managing restructuring and redundancies. In this episode, we’re joined by Eleanor Gooding, People & Culture Director at Boost Drinks. We’re tackling the topic of redundancies and how to manage them well by keeping humans at the heart of everything. We hear from Eleanor about the innovative and valuable work she did to nurture a positive culture at Boost, including implementing a People Manifesto. She explains how this foundational work was vitally important when the company was bought out and redundancies were made. Obviously going through redundancies is incredibly difficult, both for people being made redundant, but also for leaders and managers. But Eleanor and her leadership colleagues found a way to approach the whole process in a way that was sympathetic, considered and supportive, keeping humans at the centre. She shares valuable insights and advice on a topic that is tricky and emotional, and often one that people avoid talking or thinking about very much. We cover:  How to develop a positive culture in your organisation. What a People Manifesto is, how to implement one, and why implementing one can be beneficial to the whole organisation. Why doing the work on values and culture is important for managing difficult situations well. How to manage redundancies well by keeping humans at the heart of everything.The importance of asking 'why wouldn't we do it?'. Resources: Find Eleanor on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-gooding/ Speak to the human is a podcast by Acteon a communication and learning agency that harnesses behavioural insights to help organisations connect with their people and deliver positive change. Find out more at acteoncommunication.com.

    1h 2m
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About

How can organisations best engage their people? How do you create connections between colleagues, motivation behind a shared purpose, and a sense of belonging? And how do you equip and motivate people to take the positive actions that help them and their organisation to flourish? Join host Acteon's Sarah Abramson on the Speak to the Human podcast, as she speaks with leaders, creatives and researchers, exploring how they've created meaningful engagement and connection for people in their work.  Acteon is a communication and learning agency, harnessing behavioural insights to help organisations connect with their people and deliver positive change.

Information

  • Creator
    Acteon
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Speak to the human
  • Show Website
    Speak to the human

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