As I was catching up on the goings on of my friends and family on Facebook, I stumbled on a story of a teacher who truly knows how to communicate with students. First, the teacher made it a part of the job as a communicator to know and understand the audience.

We, as safety leaders need to do the same. How much do you know about the people you are motivating to work safely every day? The better you know your audience the more you can reach them.

Second, the teacher took the time and effort to study and learn about the interests of the students and then used that information to get the desired result.

Here is the story I read:

"Rowdy students were stunned into silence after their math teacher warned them that he would expose ‘Game of Thrones’ spoilers if their behavior did not improve. The teacher asked the class how many of them were fans of the fantasy show ‘Game of Thrones.’ Most of the students raised their hands. He then announced that he had read all the books and if the noise level in the room was too loud he would write the name of the next death on the board in the front of the classroom.”

The class became silent. What awesome understanding of an audience and willingness to communicate with them so they would positively respond. It did not say in the short article but I would suspect his students also appreciated that he cared enough about them to read a story they liked.

Learn all you can about your audience and use that information to help you bring them home safely every day.

Until next week,

I'll be "Watching Out For Everyone's Safety™"
John