Dear Friends,
Weekly safety talks/meetings are an excellent way to keep in touch with current safety concerns in your workplace. They're also an excellent way of emphasizing any safety accomplishments that have been gained by the group.
Here are 12 rules to ensure that your delivery is as effective as your preparation.
Rule 1 Start the meeting on time. If you run late, they start looking at the clock. Such distraction can ruin a carefully prepared presentation.
Rule 2 End the meeting on time. If you promised to keep it brief, keep it brief. If you promised to end by a certain time, end at that time. Understand that your audience wants to get back to work. Their time and patience is limited.
Rule 3 Observe the KISS rule. Keep it straightforward and simple. Zero in on just a few key points and don't bore your audience by reviewing the whole safety manual in a single session. When it comes to safety training sessions, less is more!
Rule 4 Stick to your agenda. Control the meeting and don't let it turn into a social hour or a beef session. You should be flexible enough to respond to concerns expressed during the session but still keep to the topic.
Rule 5 Encourage questions. Remind participants that there's no such thing as a dumb question. Questions enable you to make important points and get a sense of whether your message has gotten through. Repeat questions in your own words to make sure you understood and that everybody in the audience heard the question.
Rule 6 You don't have to have all the answers. If a question comes up that you can't answer, don't fake it. Promise to look into the matter and report back at the next safety talk. Better yet, direct the question to your audience to see if any of the participants have an answer.
Rule 7 Find ways to involve participants. For example, ask them for examples of hazards and safeguards related to the topic. Another good idea is to have audience members pick a partner with whom they can take turns practicing the safety technique being discussed. Devices like these maintain audience interest and promote retention of the discussion.
Rule 8 Use Humor. This is another way to keep the attention of your listeners and help them remember what's been discussed.
Rule 9 Show interest in your topic. Trust me; you can't keep an audience engaged when the speaker appears bored with the topic. So be as animated as you can without resorting to acting or behavior that is unnatural for you.
Rule 10 treat your audience with respect. Keep in mind that your participants may include workers who have years of experience on the job. Some of your participants might even have developed the safety procedures you're discussing. Draw on the collective wisdom in the room. Invite them to comment or demonstrate techniques. If the topic is familiar to your audience, treat it as a review. At the same time, guard against complacency. Remind participants that even experienced workers develop unsafe habits.
Rule 11 End your meeting on a positive note. Sum up the key points that are outlined on your copy of the talk along with any further action that you want workers to take to follow up on the safety meeting. Thank the audience for taking the time to participate in the session.
Rule 12 Honour your promises. There is no surer way to lose both credibility and respect than making promises you don't keep.
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