Safety Speakers Tip – Communication / Motivation Solutions

Safety Speakers Understand How Communication and Motivation Go Together

Over the past few weeks I have discussed the success formula of; Vision, Commitment, and How To. Let’s discuss this in relation to getting our safety message through. Safety speakers can be evaluated by their effectiveness. I know some safety speakers who will tell you how their emotional story moves the audience to tears, has made someone faint etc.. Those are all emotional responses to a presentation but as a safety speaker I measure my effectiveness by the safety action results I get. Does someone change their actions as a result of what I have talked about. If they don’t there is no safety improvement.

Results Based Communication

When you communicate with someone you aren’t done communicating until you get the results you must achieve. For too long in the safety field safety speakers and trainers give great information about how to avoid injuries and yet people still take shortcuts and fail to follow procedures. Giving information is only a part of the solution and if a safety speaker or trainer leaves off the motivational element or “reason why” they are less likely to get the desired result.

The Challenge

Years ago as a safety speaker I was challenged to get an experienced employee to buy into the safety program at this one site. I was told this person whom I called an experienced worker was a “dinosaur.” Right away their mental image of the person was getting in the way of effective communication. They told me the person was known for resisting any new safety policy, procedure or new equipment. Change wasn’t something this person was known for embracing.

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My Approach

I often approach challenges differently than other safety speakers. First I imagined that the person wanted to work safely and wanted to get home safely every day. I also imagined they didn’t want to cause any one else to suffer an injury. Second I created in my mind the image of him not only co-operating but being supportive and being a safety leader. This approach clarified my outcome. After all if I didn’t know what result I was looking for how was I ever going to achieve it?

No other safety motivational speaker or anyone else had ever imagined he would come around. Because they called him the pejorative term, “dinosaur,” they had the image in their mind that reaching him would be impossible. I wanted to succeed and was committed to solving this challenge. As I shared in the secrets to safety success I made reaching him and getting his involvement a must. This allowed my mind to begin to figure out the how to. It is sad how many safety speakers do not think as highly of their audience as they should.

Achieving the How To

When I talked to the audience he was in I made it a point to acknowledge him and all the other experienced workers who were at the meeting. I pointed out that the experienced workers are the people with the best skills and experience which is invaluable. Next I acknowledged that even if he or the other experienced workers continued to to the job the, “old way,” it is unlikely they would be injured. After all he had the skill and experience to help protect him. That was probably more valuable than a new rule or technique. I tell a story about how today’s experienced workers have software the newer workers don’t have called “experience.”

Too often we don not acknowledge people’s expertise. Because of this we miss out on a way to connect with them. You must be sincere. If you do this and aren’t sincere you will come across as fake. Oh no, have I just coined a new phrase, “Fake Safety”?

Having first recognized the experienced workers I shared that the new employees didn’t have the software or experience they have and they needed the new device or procedure to avoid an injury. Also I pointed out that it would not be effective to have two safety policies or approaches for new and older employees. The reason is that the new people always watch the experienced employees to figure out the best way to do their job. Therefore if we had two approaches the new employees wouldn’t see the need to use the new technique.

I Appealed To Their Caring For Others

I asked the experienced workers to embrace and promote the new technique, not for themselves but on behalf of the newer workers. I appealed to their willingness to help others.

The Result

After the days presentations I was out at my car packing up to head back to the hotel. The worker I was told would be impossible to reach came over to my car. He said the following, “Hey, I wanted to thank you for your presentation today. You are the first person who has said we know what we are doing. I think you’re right, I could probably go all the way to retirement doing it the old way and never be injured. I will however do it the new way for the younger workers to keep them safe. Thanks again it was a great presentation.” I thanked him for sharing that with me and called my client to tell them the result.

Remember as a motivational safety speaker or trainer it doesn’t matter if we move the audience in the room. It matters if we get the result and the person works safer than they were before.

I would love the opportunity to motivate you employees to work safely and to go beyond that and watch out for each other. Give us a call today.

If you would like to find out about my available presentations go to:

Safety Presentations – Safety Motivational Speaker John Drebinger

Solutions For Your Safety Challenges
When you need solutions for your safety challenges give Diane Weiss a call at 209-745-9419 and bring John to your site to discover injury preventing solutions. You can email her at diane@drebinger.com
Until next week,
I’ll be, “Watching Out For Everyone’s Safety™”
John
© 2017 John Drebinger Presentations
Permission to use granted when credited and contact information included. www.drebinger.com +1 209.745.9419