10 things you could bring up in a health and safety talk to raise hazard perception
When you are putting together a talk about hazard protection and its importance in the workplace, the task can feel daunting. This is a topic that not enough people take seriously and many people try to zone out during presentations about it.
If you are reading this article then you are probably wondering what you can do to increase the attention paid to your safety talks and the topic itself. We think that we can help you with that today.
#10 – Acronyms
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Acronyms have been used for hundreds of years now. Old ideas like this stick around because they work.
You probably remember lots of acronyms that you were taught as a child. We do and we can remember acronyms that we were taught at our first place of work over 10 years ago.
Try to break down all of your key points into acronyms that they can remember even after they have left the presentation. Make sure that you show the acronyms multiple times in your presentation as well.
Some people learn visually, so they will need to see the acronym to remember it.
#9 – Take down all the signage, and make them put it back up
Before you do this, make sure that you talk to the health and safety representative (if that isn’t you) and the manager, and this is an activity that should be done out of hours.
Takedown all of the health and safety signage (or a few of the most important ones) and ask the people listening to your talk to physically go and put them back in the right place.
This tactile experience will stick in their mind and the mind of the others watching for much longer than just being told why the signs are there.
#8 – Lots of pictures in your PowerPoint
You will want to strive to make sure that any presentation you are making is as visually striking as possible.
You can do this in many different ways, depending on how well you know the audience and what kind of atmosphere you expect during the presentation.
You should try to include as many photos as possible and maybe even play with the concept of using odd and unexpected images around the most important pieces of information.
The unexpected nature of images will help to lodge the facts in their mind.
#7 – Repeat the important points 3 times throughout the talk
Studies have shown that people remember a fact best when they are told it three times in three different ways.
For example, if you want people to remember what the capital of Paris is, you should say to them that the capital of France is Paris, then get them to find Paris on a map and tell you that it is the capital city of France. Finally, you should get them to explain to their neighbor the information they have learned.
Repeating the same information in three different ways builds more neural pathways and means that the fact is much more likely to be remembered. You will feel like you are repeating yourself, but it is for the greater good.
#6 – Test listeners regularly
You want to make sure that your listeners are involved in the talk as much as you possibly can.
So, why not hand out pieces of paper or whiteboards at the start of your presentation. Then at different moments throughout the talk, ask them a question and get them to write down the answer and hold it up to you.
This will help you to keep track of anything you need to go through again, and it will help the listeners to pay more attention.
#5 – Have them make posters summing up part of the talk
When you are writing your talk, try to stick to four main topics.
After you have finished the talk, split your audience into 4 groups. Then ask each group to make a poster summing up one of the topics from your talk. They will recap all the information and explain it to the rest of the group.
Afterward, the business will be able to hang all these posters up somewhere and use them as a resource in the future.
The tactile act of writing down this information and making it presentable will make it easier to remember for everyone.
#4 – Give out handouts before the talk
This trick is a little bit sneaky, but if you hand out a copy of your presentation the night before you give it and tell people that there will be a quiz during the presentation – you will be surprised how many people read over the notes and come prepared.
This extra read-through of the presentation will help many of the listeners to remember what you teach them.
If you do use this trick then you need to make sure you do the quiz and reward the people who do well. You will want to make sure that you are rewarding the people who put in the effort.
#3 – Have them contribute their own ideas for improvement
Instead of explaining a safety practice to them (at first), ask them to explain to you how they think a hazard can be avoided and why. This will get their brains thinking in a more practical way, rather than just thinking about the practices as more rules to follow.
You can also ask the people attending about how they think hazards are handled in their workplace and how they would personally improve the situation. This will keep them involved in the presentation and they might even come up with some great ideas that you can implement.
#2 – Encourage them to ask questions
You should try to foster an environment that encourages people to ask questions and be open when they don’t understand something.
This will work out much better for everyone in the long run. You can say that the best thing for a person’s individual safety is that everyone else around them knows the practices.
You can create an environment where everyone understands that the only way for one person to be safe is for everyone to be safe. They can help each other stay on track and they can celebrate their successes as a group as well.
Remember – no question is a stupid question when it comes to the world of health and safety.
#1 – Have followed up quizzes, a few weeks after the talk
Finally, you will want to make sure that you have at least one follow-up quiz in the month following the presentation.
Most people will remember a lot the day after, but how much will they remember in two or three weeks?
If you can encourage people to top up their knowledge regularly, then you can increase the chances that they will keep themselves and others safe in the workplace.
So, at the end of the presentation, let your audience know that you will be checking in on them again soon…
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High levels of hazard perception are essential in a workplace because it keeps everyone safe. It can be the difference between someone facing a life-changing injury and someone being perfectly fine.
In this article, you will find advice that will help you to raise this awareness at any company. It is important that you try to have your audience involved in the talk as much as possible.
