Opportunity Teaching. Every day, events in the world give us the opportunity to teach a safety concept or principle. When you pay attention to the news and social media you will be able to capture subjects your employees are actually thinking about; therefore, your message is more likely to be remembered.
More than 24 years ago when I began speaking to audiences about safety, this was the title of my presentation. I was reminded of it when I was being interviewed by Dave Johnson with ISHN www.ishn.com.
Somewhere posted in Facebook or in an article I read, I bumped into a story about a technique comedian Jerry Seinfeld uses to make sure he keeps writing new material. Seinfeld shared early in his career, he realized the importance of consistent action.
I just spoke at a site where they haven’t had a lost-time injury in seven years. I shared with my audience a safety hazard shows up at sites like theirs that sites with many injuries don’t experience. That hazard? Complacency!
Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you were having trouble coming up with an idea? Have you ever observed someone at work saying, "I can't do that" and then nothing happened, or you said, I can't do that" and find that you're stuck?
How often do you thank the members of your safety team? Whether they are safety professionals or volunteers on your safety team or even people who have been appointed based upon their position in your organization, they are a special group of people. As a safety speaker, I always end any presentation to safety teams or leaders with a thank you on behalf of all the people they protect.
Have you ever given thought to how powerful the written word is? Safety speakers and safety professionals are primarily communicators. Understanding the tools we use to communicate is critical to our success. In our field, you often hear phrases such as, “walking your talk,” “being a safety example” and the ever popular, “actions speak louder than words.” I would suggest words are, in fact, actions.
I really enjoy hearing from you, my readers. I recently received an email from someone who had read my book, “Mastering Safety Communication,” and they asked the following question:
More than 24 years ago when I began speaking to audiences about safety, this was the title of my presentation. I was reminded of it when I was being interviewed by Dave Johnson with ISHN www.ishn.com.
I love all the great ideas I pick up from my clients. I mentioned a few weeks ago before every meeting including conference calls, one of my international consulting clients begins with a safety moment. For today’s call, I offered to give the safety moment before we began.
