Movember launched an interactive tool that gives practical guidance on how to talk to men about mental health issues

To support men during the pandemic, global men’s health charity Movember launched Movember Conversations: an interactive tool that gives practical guidance on how to talk to men about mental health issues. The tool features four short conversations, focused around scenarios including financial hardship, unemployment and isolation. Users can choose from a range of responses, and the tool offers feedback, such as how to ask clarifying questions and ways to follow up on conversations. The tool was part of Movember's 'Take our Words for it' campaign, which ran in the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada and Australia.

The mental health fallout of the pandemic has been well-documented, but it’s particularly acute for groups who were already reluctant to seek help. Consider research from Movember that revealed 88% of US men found it helpful when people ask if they're having a difficult time, yet 42% said no one had asked how they're coping during the pandemic. 

Rather than simply highlighting the issue, Movember’s interactive tool, based on R U OK?’s framework, offers practical tips on how to have difficult but necessary conversations. Which customers are particularly vulnerable during the pandemic? If you can’t reach out and help them directly, how can you give other consumers the confidence to? Remember: this doesn’t have to be a tech-led solution! In Serbia, supermarket chain Maxi created stickers that allowed elderly consumers to indicate to their neighbors that they required help with day-to-day tasks. 

Let's zoom out to take a big-picture view on this innovation. Movember Conversation is a great reminder of the importance of self-improvement and the desire to be a better person. Perhaps it's not within your organization's remit to help people have conversations about mental health, but ask: What skills, knowledge and expertise could you share? How could they help your consumers improve in other areas? 

Stay healthy,

The TrendWatching content team