Equal Reality

How is the Metaverse impacting healthcare workers, hospitals and corporate training?

We are in the final stages of production for our collaboration with Mayo Clinic on Diversity and Inclusion in Nursing.

A 4 part experience, titled "A day in the lifetime", that share the experience of discriminations and bias faced by different under represent groups working as nurses in hospital. It also provides a change to practice allied behavior when confronted with these experiences from patients or colleagues.

This experiences was co-designed with people with lived experience, and has been developed for the flatscreen web-browser, and virtual reality for the Oculus Rift and Pico Neo.

Mayo Clinic has order 100 Pico Neo headsets to implement this training, and co-owns this experience with us. We are looking forward to seeing its final production version, and having it rolled out to hospitals around the US and beyond.

I will be sharing more updates as this progress, so watch this space!

Big shout out to everyone who has been involved so far, this might just be the most exciting project we have done yet.

How is the Metaverse impacting healthcare workers, hospitals and cooperate training?

At Equal Reality are in the final stages of a year long production for our collaboration with Mayo Clinic on Diversity and Inclusion in Nursing.

A 4 part experience, titled "A day in the lifetime", that share the experience of discriminations and bias faced by different under represent groups working as nurses in hospital. It also provides a change to practice allied behavior when confronted with these experiences from patients or colleagues.

This experiences was co-designed with people with lived experience, and has been developed for the flatscreen web-browser, and virtual reality for the Oculus Rift and Pico Neo.

Mayo Clinic has order 100 Pico Neo headsets to implement this training, and co-owns this experience with us. We are looking forward to seeing its final production version, and having it rolled out to hospitals around the US and beyond.

I will be sharing more updates as this progress, so watch this space!

Big shout out to everyone who has been involved so far, this might just be the most exciting project we have done yet.

This year has been the most incredible year for Equal Reality and we want to thank everyone who has been a part of our journey this year for making it so.

Rick and Brennan took some time this week to write up about what has happened this year, and there are numerus very exciting things.

Starting off the year with a debut on Australian national TV, as Channel 10 featured Brennan in the season finale of the feel good docuseries on Australian innovation 'Advancing Australia'.

Our year exploded from there, working with the biggest and largest number of clients to date, closing deals in the works for years, building some incredible partnerships with existing partners, creating new innovations, technologies and making some big moves into new markets, notably healthcare with Mayo clinic who recently bought 100 headsets to run our training.

https://partner.equalreality.com/news/2021-year-of-partnerships

We are thankful for thriving through what has been hard years for everyone, and are looking forward to what is to come in 2022.

We are very proud to have a team made up of such incredible individuals, include the wonderful Leonie Sanderson heading our co-design.

Health consumers Queensland has a great story about what its like working with Leonie. https://www.hcq.org.au/heres-to-leonie-our-youth-engagement-superstar/

Saying “It has been a career highlight working alongside Leonie" and we couldn't agree more.

"Equal Reality’s innovative approach to HR training services is sorely needed, with traditional approaches struggling to make ground. In contrast, the VR programs have demonstrated great success, with 99.2% of users understanding how it feels to be on the receiving end of discrimination. In all areas of life, empathy is a necessity, so if VR is the best way to awaken empathy in people, we hope Equal Reality continues to find great success."

Thanks Capser Magazine for the write-up.

The season finale for Advancing Australia airs 6pm Saturday, and I'm very excited to see how it all comes together.

Hosted by Guy Pearce, Advancing Australia is a docuseries of "Thirty-six incredible Australian stories of ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things to make our country a better place. With cutting-edge innovations they are proving that we can all do better, together...
This is uplifting television, and it’s exactly what we all need right now. Advancing Australia introduces us to Australian heroes who have overcome obstacles to drive change. Together, they are Advancing Australia, and showing us how we can all play a part in making Australia a great place to live… for all Australians."

Its an honor to have our work at Equal Reality recognized like this, and I hope you can watch it.
Watch here: https://10play.com.au/advancing-australia

--
Big shout out to The Ageing Revolution, Real Serious Games, Bengar Films, Utano Consulting Services, The QLD XR Hub and everyone on our team at Equal Reality

This year has been our biggest year yet for Equal Reality, and we are only half way through! The last few months have seen some of the worlds biggest organizations engage us, and put their money where their mouth is to start making change in diversity and inclusion.

Our tech has made some huge leaps, with more to come.

We have now worked with over 10% of the top 50 fortune 500 companies.

We have seen a huge interest in healthcare. Today we signed a joint-product partnership with one of America's largest healthcare providers! Which might be the most exciting thing we have ever done.

On top of all this, we are excited to be a finalist in , a global competition enabling young leaders to step forward and address the greatest crises facing humanity and our planet.

From over 3700 organizations across 80 countries, Equal Reality has been selected as a finalist for XTC 2021.

Also, a reminder that Advance Australia, the doco series featuring us on Australian Channel 10 is coming out Saturday 19th, 6pm.

Huge thanks to The Ageing Revolution, who have been fundamental in our recent success and mwah.live who have been a key partner in our US D&I strategies.

Final Thoughts on Unpacking Bias developed with ViacomCBS
People wanted this to be scaled out to drive Inclusion. They said:

"I think this should be a required activity for every ViacomCBS employee at all levels to participate in. There are Davids and Michaels at the company - and they should learn how they make others feel since they may not be aware"

"Keep these kind of trainings coming - I think they're really helpful"

"Encourage others to take this session...very impactful"

"I hope this session (or one like it) becomes required watching for all employees"

"We need to start being more mindful of EVERYONE"

"I think encouraging managers to get to know their teams a bit more on a deeper level. This gives individuals the chance to get to know their supervisors but also learn about their experiences. Also stressing to employees that it's okay to be uncomfortable and question things. It's not a personal attack, we all need to be aware of our mistakes"

"I think it should be mandatory for all new hires to receive this training, and I also would hope it be mandatory for all ViacomCBS employees each year or so"

"Making this training mandatory"

https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

On the Workshop Format
Human connectivity after the immersive experience was critical. They said:

"Being able to connect with people from my corporation around "difficult" topics and having the safe space to speak freely"

"Frank and open discussion by the participants showed a willingness to grow and learn"

"To really be in someone else's shoes. The conversation afterwards - hearing other peoples thoughts and reaction"

"Interactivity and seeing different outcomes"

"I liked the ability to try different options"

https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

On Allyship
The value of allyship, practical approaches and a chance to try them out in the immersive experience. They said:

"The value of speaking up. It's important to call things out as they're happening so that people don't feel excluded"

"Better understanding and reminder of being a true ally vs. an accomplice"

"To actively be an ally to someone by speaking up rather than just let a situation pass by unacknowledged"

"Need for more allies to speak out; Recognizing bias or unconscious bias in the workplace; importance of the company to create a safe culture and bias training for all employees, especially managers"

"Speak up, intervene, and be comfortable with being uncomfortable"

"Don't be afraid to speak up, even when you are not sure. I believe it is okay to make mistakes as long as you are in the mindset to learn, acknowledge, and listen"

"Making sure to stand up for others in uncomfortable situations or point out when someone's doing something wrong"

"Being more mindful and less defensive when being called out on bias or assumptions"

"With all this D&I training I feel more empowered to step up and say something if I see something. I feel like I can be a stronger ally because the company wants me to be! I'd say keep up the good work!"

"Manager awareness and sensitivity training. The session demonstrated the overwhelming control that the manager or person in power can dictate over their employees and situations they oversee. Ensuring that managers can set the tone, defuse insensitive situations, and support ALL employees, and not just some, in paramount in making employees feel heard, seen, understood, and comfortable. Managers set the tone. Employees will match the tone. Managers need to use their power to empower their employees, thus unlocking potential in them"

https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

What did people say who did Unpacking Bias, about Biases?
People learn through appreciating and acting on their bias in a psychologically safe environment. They said:

"Don't assume when it comes down to co-workers. Make the effort to learn more about your co-workers to help make them feel included"

"Appreciate that it hit on a variety of types of bias"

"Highlighting micro-aggressions that many do not recognize"

"How to be an active ally and recognizing biases"

"Being aware of my own biases and realize that you CAN change and improve"

"Should be mandatory for all employees - one thing that stood out to me was just asking where someone went to school and someone brought up that the person being asked may not have gone to college and may be uncomfortable by that question. I had never thought about that before and I think the others could also benefit from knowing that information"

"I am trying to become a stronger ally, and this course really helped me to recognize things that I may not have noticed before"

https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

On Authenticity
People either related firsthand, or with familiarity to the experiences. They said:

"The first simulation that was presented was INCREDIBLE. The question of "where are you from...no but where are you REALLY from" is a question I have received in the workplace (and in life) COUNTLESS amounts of times. I am glad that this session addressed it and that IT IS NOT OKAY to ask someone that"

"The role play was interesting and the fact that it came from real-life examples, made it even more real and not hypothetical"

"Really appreciated that there were applicable scenarios here informed by ViacomCBS employees. And also appreciated talking with other colleagues - there needs to be more of this!"

"All of the simulations were based on real experiences at ViacomCBS, which made the workshop even more valuable and necessary."

"More and more, education is vital. When you educate yourself you realize what is wrong, what is bias, what is unfair. The more i educate myself, and the more ViacomCbs gives me the resources to educate, I feel it will make a huge impact across the board. I've noticed that simulations where i see real life experiences have been most impactful for me"

https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

On Perspective Taking
People value realism, authenticity and seeing the world from a different lens to their own. They said:

"It's really eye-opening to be able to experience some of these scenarios firsthand. I think it was particularly insightful in watching the bystanders and realizing how they can and should step up to be an ally"

"The experience of being in someone else's point of view was impactful"

"Seeing realistic situations that play out all the time in the office"

"Became more aware of other's experiences"

"The most valuable aspect was seeing the world and experiences from someone else's point of view"

"Further awareness of a perspective other than mine"

"Having the individual experience of the modules so we could each form our own thoughts before bringing them to the group. Also, experiencing bias through a virtual realm does really impact one as opposed to reading about it"

"Education and experiencing situations from another Point Of View - being able to witness both points of views, from Devin and from David, gives you the insight to not only understand how Devin is feeling, but see how you should react moving forward as an ally/as David. I think both are valuable POVs to grasp the full meaning of the exercise"

"Empathy towards others. Creating relationships that allow for honest conversation"

Read more https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

"Don't assume when it comes down to co-workers. Make the effort to learn more about your co-workers to help make them feel included"

"Appreciate that it hit on a variety of types of bias"

"Highlighting micro-aggressions that many do not recognize"

"How to be an active ally and recognizing biases"

https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

All of the simulations were based on real experiences at ViacomCBS, which made the workshop even more valuable and necessary."

"More and more, education is vital. When you educate yourself you realize what is wrong, what is bias, what is unfair. The more i educate myself, and the more ViacomCbs gives me the resources to educate, I feel it will make a huge impact across the board. I've noticed that simulations where i see real life experiences have been most impactful for me"

https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

"The first simulation that was presented was INCREDIBLE. The question of "where are you from...no but where are you REALLY from" is a question I have received in the workplace (and in life) COUNTLESS amounts of times. I am glad that this session addressed it and that IT IS NOT OKAY to ask someone that"

"The role play was interesting and the fact that it came from real-life examples, made it even more real and not hypothetical"

"Really appreciated that there were applicable scenarios here informed by ViacomCBS employees. And also appreciated talking with other colleagues - there needs to be more of this!"

https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

"Having the individual experience of the modules so we could each form our own thoughts before bringing them to the group. Also, experiencing bias through a virtual realm does really impact one as opposed to reading about it"

"Education and experiencing situations from another Point Of View - being able to witness both points of views, from Devin and from David, gives you the insight to not only understand how Devin is feeling, but see how you should react moving forward as an ally/as David. I think both are valuable POVs to grasp the full meaning of the exercise"

"Empathy towards others. Creating relationships that allow for honest conversation"

Find out what they're talking about at https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

"It's really eye-opening to be able to experience some of these scenarios firsthand. I think it was particularly insightful in watching the bystanders and realizing how they can and should step up to be an ally"

"The experience of being in someone else's point of view was impactful"

"Seeing realistic situations that play out all the time in the office"

https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

Our pilot of Unpacking Bias with ViacomCBS saw 400+ users participate within 4 days of workshops

"Really appreciated that there were applicable scenarios here informed by ViacomCBS employees. And also appreciated talking with other colleagues - there needs to be more of this!"

"Education and experiencing situations from another Point Of View - being able to witness both points of views, from Devin and from David, gives you the insight to not only understand how Devin is feeling, but see how you should react moving forward as an ally/as David. I think both are valuable POVs to grasp the full meaning of the exercise"

"The first simulation that was presented was INCREDIBLE. The question of "where are you from...no but where are you REALLY from" is a question I have received in the workplace (and in life) COUNTLESS amounts of times. I am glad that this session addressed it and that IT IS NOT OKAY to ask someone that"

Find out more at https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

Unpacking Bias is a 3 part experience developed with ViacomCBS for remote delivery of immersive experiences around bias and inclusion.

"Part 1: Welcome to the Team
Purpose: Empathy for Ethnicity and Gender.
Meet the team in a Zoom style video call for your first day at work.
You experience and witness bias/discrimination. The user is to record the bias they recognize.

Part 2 : Exhausted
Purpose: Empathy for Ethnicity, LGBT+ especially inclusion/exclusion, physical space, bias.
Meet your team in person on site for the first time.
You experience navigating more bias/discrimination. The user is to record the bias they recognize.
How does it make you feel?

Part 3 : Step in, Step up
Purpose: Practicing allyship.
You play the same scenario from a different perspective as a different character. This time you are a manager who can make decisions to make a situation more inclusive (or not).

How can you be an ally?"
Find out more about this project at https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

"We needed flatscreen experiences for people to use the simulations in their browsers while working from home and taking part in a Zoom workshop. Our flatscreen experiences lean on the techniques used in VR to create embodiment and drive empathy but allow for use on laptops, phones or tablets, without a virtual reality headset. This can be good for distributed teams and/or scaling to a large amount of users.

We took our design technique and embodiment learnings to structure immersive VR learning simulations, and applied them to our new flatscreen experience, Unpacking Bias - An Interactive Journey."

Read more about how we did it with ViacomCBS : https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

The global COVID-19 pandemic has lead to changes to the way we work, especially more remote working from home, with people now familiar with Zoom/Google Hangouts/Teams and remote working tools.

It has also had an impact on how VR is perceived.

Fully immersive VR ('getting in the headset') has either not been possible (limited access to VR headsets) or has been undesirable (VR headsets perceived as COVID-19 risk)

The flatscreen approach solves this issue and also has positive implications for Quality / Timeline / Budget / Resources:
- It allows more perspective-taking than current e-learning
- It is more scalable = lower cost per participant
- Equivalency production costs

Read more about how we did it with ViacomCBS : https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

Our belief is that co-design not only allows more people to be a part of the process but it also creates a product with diversity and engagement at its core.

In designed Unpacking Bias with ViacomCBS , we worked with the Office of Global Inclusion, Employee Resource Groups, Group Culture, Ad Sales, Learning and Marketing and Communications to understand the key issues that VR training would solve, but also involved them in the creation of the content from the development of storylines, character conception, to voice and scripting. We closely collaborated with the ViacomCBS team at every step along the way.

Read more about how we did it here: https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

Co-design creates authentic lived experiences that challenge power structures and privilege. As a tool for inclusion and diversity, it is powerful and creative.

Taking a co-design, or participatory approach, means that each immersive solution is co-created with people who have a vested interest in the product itself, in this case, employees at ViacomCBS and particularly those employees who represent a variety of different groups. This approach is based on the premise that users are the experts in their own experience and are fundamental to the design process.

This participatory approach acknowledges a number of things: no matter how diverse your production team , you cannot possibly represent every single lived experience; a human-centered approach means taking the time to work closely with people in the organization with lived experience of bias; for experiences to feel real, relevant and authentic, the organisational 'look and feel' needs to be accurate (in this case ViacomCBS); and the wider context is significant to people's understanding of the immersive experience. The moment in history that was unfolding at this time - the Black Lives Matter movement - was crucial to the development of the experience.

Read more about how we co-designed with ViacomCBS on Unpacking Bias around
https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

We recently published a case study on Unpacking Bias & remote delivery of immersive experiences about bias and inclusion. A collaboration between Equal Reality (ER) and ViacomCBS.

The purpose of this project is to deepen awareness and understanding of others’ experiences that may be different than one’s own, and consideration of how to be an ally.

Create a shared and immersive experience that will result in honest and vulnerable conversations around bias and inclusion.

Activate subsequent learning and application

This is an initiative to form part of a greater Diversity and Inclusion initiative, that starts with the Diversity and Inclusion week, and leads to integration into online learning-on-demand. A piece of interactive content that drives engagement, and impacts staff.

https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias

Working with ViacomCBS , we created a new way of delivering experiences that works from home and in the office.

*Problem*
Inspired by Black Lives Matter, ViacomCBS wanted to deepen awareness and understanding of others’ experiences that may be different than one’s own, and demonstrate how to be an ally.

*Challenges*
Experiential learning is best, but traditional eLearning isn't experiential.
COVID means:
- In-person experiences are not feasible
- VR headsets cannot be shared

*Solution*
Simulation technology that can be delivered remotely to those working from home, using existing technology. Makes use of embodiment techniques and interactive features.

Web-based VR Simulations blended with Facilitator-led Zoom Workshops. Launched as part of ViacomCBS's Inclusion week.

Read more about how we did it here: https://partner.equalreality.com/training/unpacking-bias