I guess that means that anything is possible ….. BINGO!

That was how John Drebinger started out his keynote presentation last March at the Indiana Safety Conference.  He was fun and engaging, giving a very good speech about change and the importance of creating really big dreams with “Crystal Clear Outcomes”.

Drebinger asked his audience to think about the use of cell phones, and how even though they are second nature today they were considered impossible 25 years ago.  His point here was that to may people the idea of eliminating injuries is impossible.  However, to overcome the impossible it takes Vision and Courage, and the the ability to Imagine ….what a 100% safe workplace would look like.  Then  go out and create it!

It begins with sharing your imagination or vision.  But, it really doesn’t matter what you think does it?  It matters what they, the people whose thinking you hope to change all see and believe.

Start by asking a question or two. Use questions that people can answer.  “What’s the most important thing about safety?”  There’s no wrong answer and it spurs more questions and discussion.  Then, ask questions that help build creative thinking and visual images.  “If you had the power to change one thing that would improve safety, what would it be?” 

Next, how you communicate the vision is important.  As you are discussing safety or conducting training, try to think like your audience.  Put yourself in their place by using stories and examples that your employees can relate to.  Afterwards, look for the desired safe behaviors and tell people how well they are doing…. “That’s what we want!”  This creates a visual anchor and provides positive feedback.

Value the experience of your workers.  They know things you’ll never know, particularly mature workers.  “You know this job inside and out.  How can we teach others to do it, and do it safely?”  Try to give them a reason why it is important, involving them in the discussion and eliminate negativity.

Build trust.  Be genuine.  One good way is to let them know that there’s something you’ve been puzzled by and ask them to help solve it.   Create the situation and tell them why you don’t have a solution.  Open up their minds and let curiosity stream in!

Now let’s see if they can create a visual image of the solution and explain it.  What does it look like?  This is an important step that helps learners bring thoughts to life and begin to own solutions. 

In his presentation, Drebinger suggested that you should try to make the solution personal and geared toward helping other people.  It’s easy to get buy-in when you appeal to this desire.  Be sure to thank them, and thank them again!

At this point, Impossible Doesn’t Exist!  To achieve major changes in safety, work to engage everyone’s imagination.  Create a “Crystal Clear Outcome”.   What does it look, feel, smell and sound like?

Helping others to imagine themselves in control and working in a  100% safe job isn’t an easy challenge.  However, major changes can be made when individuals feel valued, empowered and encouraged to dream big.  We can do it!  The result is that great ideas will be shared and a willingness to improve will be developed.  The culture has shifted.

Being positive and encouraging personal responsibility is the key.  The key to opening up creativity and the pathway to possibilities.  That’s when the “Impossible Doesn’t Exist!”  Can you think of what 100% safe looks like in your workplace?   Bet you can.

“Brain Dump”.  It’s one sure-fire way to derail your training message and turn off your learners.  Let’s discuss how you can avoid this killer.

“Brain Dump” – The act of  a) reciting everything we know on  a topic for a grade, b) quickly bringing someone to speed on a topic, or c) showing others how much we know, or how smart we are.

a) Is what we were taught to do in school.  Tell the teacher verbally, in open discussion, or in writing what you have learned or memorized about the subject.  Then you are graded.  The more detailed and accurate the information,  the better the grade. 

b) Is often necessary with co-workers and is intended to help them get going quickly.  In this situation, the recipient wants just the information they need now to get the job done.  It’s done best by covering the key points and asking frequent checking questions.  If the questions reveal a lack of understanding, more information can be provided.  A quick demonstration can also be helpful.

c) Can be deadly when others have limited interest or knowledge, especially when you are teaching others about the topic for the first time.  Unless the topic is of personal relevance to your participants and they are motivated to pay attention, diving into the subject in great detail will quickly cause their minds to wonder.  All learning comes to a stop.  Try to remember that learning is about them, not you!

The Curse of Knowledge

The caution in the title of this post is to beware of dumping too much information on those you are teaching.  You probably know a great deal about many topics, but this can be a “curse” when you are training.  It took you a long time to learn all that you know about….let’s say ergonomics or hazardous waste management.  You can’t expect others to learn it in one training session!

The fact of the matter is that if you were able to add it up, it probably took you weeks or months to learn everything you know on just one subject.  Your learning probably involved classroom instruction, reading, group discussion, observation, writing, practice, providing some instruction to others, assessment and self-assessment.

Don’t Let Fear Get In The Way  

One big reason that so many new trainers, or those who train infrequently are guilty of overloading their class with detailed information is fear.  The most common fear is getting up in front of others and speaking, or in this case teaching.  Another fear that you don’t know enough to teach others on the subject.    Fear causes tension and thoughts about what might happen. 

Relax!  What is the worst thing that could really happen?  Believe me…. you’ll do fine.  Take a deep breath and remember the basics about teaching.

When planning any training program it is very important to create clear learning objectives, and if a skill is involved observable behavioral objectives.  With these objectives in mind, focus on the pieces of information or demonstration that must occur, and the sequence in which it will be provided. 

Try to narrow the content you will cover.  Ask yourself, at what point in learning (about ergonomics) are the employees?  How important is this to them and their job performance?  How can you frame the information so it is current and relevant to them personally?  How much is it reasonable for them to learn in a single session?  From there you can design the course content and decide on the number of sessions required and the methods you will use to teach.

Begin With An Outline

With any group of learners it is important to begin by introducing the subject, discussing how it relates to them, why it is important, and how it will help their job performance.  Then outline what you will cover and ask about their level of experience and understanding.  This frames the topic for the participants and orients them a bit to what they will experience.

It can be helpful to conduct a short pre-test or group discussion on the topic before you begin teaching.  This way you can verify their current level of knowledge and confirm your starting point.  If you need to make adjustments you still have the ability to do so.

When a skill or procedure is involved, provide instruction that is more hands-on.  Begin by discussing and demonstrating the skill.  Then have the individuals practice the skill with their peers observing and learning to coach one another.  This peer-to-peer approach speeds the process of learning and greatly increases retention.  It also encourages open communication and team leaning, and it gives them experience in coaching that can be helpful late on. 

Focus On The Goal

The goal is to teach and help each individual learn, so they will perform their work better and more safely.  Confusion, misunderstanding or incomplete learning won’t help or improve safety.  Most safety trainers I’ve met really care about their workers’ safety and want their classes to be successful.  That’s why using the K.I.S.S. principle is so important. 

Recognizing that you have the “Curse of Knowledge” and need to avoid the “Brain Dump” will not only make you a better teacher, but help make your training more successful.  Training and teaching so much fun. Relax, smile and have fun!

Some of you might know that I founded an organization in 2003 called the Direct Delivery Leadership Council (DDLC).  This is a group of companies like Pepsi, Frito Lay, Kraft, Eddy’s Ice Cream, Schwan’s, Ecolab, Coca Cola and others that are engaged in the local delivery of products of services. 

At one moment they have employees who are professional drivers, and the next they are engaged in physical delivery of products or services.  The work involves driving through city traffic all day long, and making dozens of stops to deliver goods.  It’s physically demanding work.  Needless to say, crashes and physical injuries are common.

Lately, some of these delivery companies have been approached by organizations selling technology that monitors the driving performance of the delivery drivers.  These on-board devices range in complexity, usually recording rapid vehicle movements like sharp turns or hard stops and sending the data via cell technology to data centers for processing.  Some of these technology companies even uses video to capture incidents for coaching.  I must admit that this is great information and is quite accurate in capturing near-miss events (and a few crashes as well).  Occasionally, the video clips show the lack of seat belts and cell phone usage.  It’s great information for behavior change coaching.  I call it “Automated Near-Miss Reporting”.

The more I have learned about these systems, the more I see their value.  However, I also see them being used inappropriately.  Rather than used to find drivers who need to improve their driving habits and providing coaching toward that end, some companies use the technology primarily to weed out bad apples.

Okay, I’ll be the first to say that some bad apple weeding may be necessary.  But, since these systems are usually catching events that involve something that’s wrong, they can’t be used very effectively for positive motivation.  What about all the good things done all day long, and over thousands of miles driven?  How are they reported and rewarded?  Hmmm.

Then, imagine being a supervisor who receives and email about an event.  She has been told that each employee involved in an event must be coached within 3 days.  Now let’s suppose that she has 14 drivers and today she receives a total of 4 event reports.  Where will she find the time to talk with or coach these drivers?  And now the next day she gets 2 more event reports.  Are her drivers really that bad?  Sometimes they are, but not always. 

With most of the devices in use, the drivers know immediately when an event is recorded, so they are waiting for the call from their supervisor.  The drivers already know that they will have to sit down with the supervisor and discuss the situation that set off the device.  They brace for, “What were you doing wrong?”,  “Slow down and don’t follow so closely!”, “One more event and you’re out of here!”

I think you see the trend.  Not only are the events in and of themselves negative, but the interactions and their repeat nature are negative as well.  Automated near-miss reporting can be very good, but how do you factor in the “catching you doing something right” situations.  It can’t be all bad if we want to engage the drivers and get them to change for the better!

There are many factors needed in order for near-miss reporting to be effective.  Included are: a willingness by the organization to learn from its mistakes, open and honest communication between workers and supervisors, the removal of fear of reprisal for reporting, positive motivation to report near-miss situations, and positive actions taken immediately to eliminate the problems reported.

It will be very interesting to see how these technology companies and their systems develop over the coming years.  I’ll bet that the technology company that figures out how to help their clients improve their overall safety culture, while using their devices will be the big winner.  And the direct delivery companies who effectively incorporate onboard technology and develop sustainable safety cultures will reap big rewards through decreased costs, driver retention and improved profitability.  Stay tuned!