We all have different styles when it comes to making decisions. When it comes to making a choice at work, how do you like to operate?
Do you:
A. Prefer to receive lots of detailed information, so that you can make a comprehensive assessment, or
B. Make a quick decision using minimal information?
One of the interesting things I find when it comes to safety is that some safety professionals (some, not all) like to play bad cop when it comes to getting their safety message across.
Over the years, I've worked with a lot of safety professionals. Some of them have really surprised me with their flair for not being able to influence anyone and to talk about safety in such a boring way that all I could do was stare catatonically at the floor.
One of the things I like about my job is consulting with safety professionals on how to improve their safety communication.
I get to review monthly safety themes and safety articles for the company newsletter and proffer suggestions for improvement. Often, a complete overhaul is required.
Safety professionals are great at the technical, but struggle when it comes to packaging information for other people to digest. Sadly, just because you find restraining loads very interesting, doesn't mean others will automatically share your enthusiasm.
Safety communication is often left to safety professionals to write and publish.
Marie-Claire Ross, author of the highly acclaimed book, Transform Your Safety Communication, is helping safety leaders and safety professionals improve their safety leadership and communication skills, in order to change how workers think about safety compliance.
When it comes to writing or talking about safety, safety leaders often assume that they know what techniques to use to influence and engage others on safety.
Copy writers know how to write advertising so that people will read their content.
Now that you have worked out your topic for your next routine workplace safety campaign, it's time to sit down and start writing. Here are some tips that have been designed for routine workplace communication initiatives (and not for large safety communication programs that require a lot of change, for large scale initiatives go to "14 Tips to Launch a New Safety Initiative").