S1 Ep17: Mighty Line Minute | Effective Safety Communications: Know Your Subject

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Greetings everyone and welcome back to Mighty Line Minute. This month we've been discussing the art of creating safety communications that are effective. This has included storytelling, reflections on the recent solar eclipse, and utilizing props to enhance the effectiveness of those communications. Today, we'll delve into the most obvious and yet crucial aspect of assuring effectiveness in your safety communications. And that is knowing your subject.

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Years ago, when the new Hazard Communication Standard was promulgated, there were also several local laws as well. The surge of regulation resulted in a new rule and a standard that was critical for everyone to understand. As a novel law, a local safety director I knew arranged to have the OSHA director attend and present to plant managers the new regulation at a safety conference luncheon. The event had been heavily promoted and resulted in full attendance.
All were eagerly awaiting the words from the OSHA Area Director in terms of the update on this new standard. Throughout the luncheon I noticed that the safety director kept nervously scanning the room, looking for the arrival of his speaker. It soon became clear that he was not going to be attending. “So,” I asked, "why isn’t our speaker showing up?" He explained that he had not re-confirmed the visit; so therefore, he was on his own.
The safety director, on an impromptu basis, jumped up to the microphone, made no mention of the speaker not appearing and began to talk about the hazard communication standard, how it was promulgated, what it meant, and what people were to do. The only problem was he knew nothing about the subject.
Our table was in tears, feeling both sympathy and amusement at the absurdity of the situation. And unfortunately, this impromptu situation stretched out for well over 30 minutes. It was a lesson to be learned and I never forgot it.
The safety director missed a tremendous opportunity to educate his audience and assure that those who most needed to know the regulation understood it. Instead, the moment was transferred to a situation where his credibility was lost. It taught me never to let an opportunity to educate pass without thoroughly understanding the subject matter.
So, I've learned to always have a backup plan in place. Whether that involves providing your own summary, seamlessly transitioning to a topic you're well-versed in, or arranging for another speaker to cover the topic, it's crucial to have both knowledge and adaptability in order to achieve success. So, it's critical to never miss an opportunity to educate, even if it necessitates a change in direction to assure that the necessary expertise is conveyed.
Be sure to take the time to:
· become thoroughly knowledgeable in your subject matter,
· gain an expertise that you haven't had before, and
· if you need help seek that from others. Equally important,
· know your audience and
· be sure that you are an effective communicator so that they can appreciate what you're saying.
More importantly, retain that knowledge and effect appropriate, safe behaviors.
Ultimately, all of us have a role in safeguarding the effectiveness of our communications, and specifically, the safety and health of our employees and the public.
Therefore, it is imperative that those of us advocating for workplace safety and health possess a thorough knowledge and understanding of the subject matter and employ effective communication methods.

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