Empowering Questions To Improve Your Safety Performance by Safety Motivational Speaker John Drebinger

A couple of months ago, as a safety motivational speaker, I had the privilege of teaching my full-day communication course, “Mastering Safety Communication” at the National Safety Council Congress. I began that class and my two breakout sessions the following two days by asking questions of my audience. As part of the communication class, I taught them why I begin each session with questions and how it improves the effectiveness of my message.

When you begin any meeting, program, or training with a question it causes the minds of the people with whom you are communicating to open up. As they are looking for an answer or answers to your question, their mind is searching and that searching allows you to teach material they will also take in while their mind is in this open state.

It is important to ask questions that have answers that relate to them as an audience. Also, the questions may often have many correct answers.

Some examples of these type of questions are:

In what ways do I do things differently with my family because of the safety principles I have learned at work?

Are my off-the-job activities performed as safely as I would do them on the job?

Another type of question is great for changing beliefs. It causes them to examine their own behavior and compare it to their value for safety. If they are not consistent, they may realize the disconnect and change their behavior to match their values.

Some examples of these type of questions are:

Am I doing my tasks today the same way I want my children to do them?

Do my safety actions speak louder than my safety words?

Am I telling others they should not text and drive, yet I text, “Because I know when it is safe to do so?” (It’s never safe!)

If my employees were watching me as a leader, would they realize I really mean what I say or would they see a hypocrite?

You can develop many more of your own. I would appreciate your sharing with me any you think of as I am always looking to improve.

Have fun using questions to improve your training effectiveness and results and to help people change their beliefs and actions.

Yours in Service,
Safety Motivational Speaker John Drebinger