Flexibility and Communication Success by Safety Speaker John Drebinger
Speaking of flexibility one of the best ways to make your point is by using humor. For April Fools fun check out: http://goo.gl/HFI9jP
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 their students. First, they made it a part of their job as a communicator to know and understand their 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? As a safety speaker the better you know your audience the more you can reach them.
Second, they took the time and effort to study and learn about the interests of their students and then use 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.
Having Fun With A Serious Subject – Happy April Fools Day
One of the best ways to make your point is by using humor. As you know, you will more likely listen to a creative and fun airline safety announcement than the same old, tired message. For years, I have been sharing the message that people need to use the handrail whenever they are going up or down the stairs. They need to avoid carrying armloads of materials for many reasons; it blocks their view, it throws them off-balance, and they are unable to lightly hold the handrail while using the stairs. In researching staircase safety, I discovered the dollar loss from falls on stairs is second only to automobile crash injuries!
In order to help you spread the word on staircase safety, I have produced a special video for you to show at your next safety meeting or you may include the link in any newsletter or email you send. It is fashioned after the many April Fools web pages and videos that show up this time of year. (Next week’s issue will list some other sites that have some great ideas they have posted in past years.)
This video is timeless as it refers to the new regulation going into effect “next month.” Whenever you send the link to someone or play it at a later meeting, it will still apply. So please, pass it on!
Check Out John’s April Fools Safety Video
To check out the video, go to either of the following URL’s – one is our regular URL and the second is a shortened one for you to share on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or with your friends.
Regular: http://www.drebinger.com/staircase-fall-protection-announcement/
Shortened: http://goo.gl/HFI9jP
Please Help Me Make This Safety Message Go Viral
Share the link with as many people as possible. Send it to your email lists, post it on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and anywhere else you interact with others.
If you wish to share this with friends and employees, just cut and paste the text below into your email. Also, this newsletter serves as authorization to show the video publicly as long as it is unaltered. Thank you for your help with this project and have a safe April Fools Day in a couple of weeks.
SAMPLE EMAIL TEXT:
We have recently been informed of a new government safety standard that will go into effect next month. Please go to the following link to hear the announcement. http://goo.gl/HFI9jP
Have fun with this and be on the watch for more fun videos I will be producing in the weeks ahead.
Until next week,
I’ll be “Watching Out For Everyone’s Safety™”
John
