The Safety Training Net (August '21)
Using Podcasts in Your Training Program, Fourteen Great Safety Podcasts, Zoom Backgrounds, Ask the Expert - Todd Cherches, Monthly Safety Trainer Challenge and More!
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If you saw the infographic I posted last week on LinkedIn about why you should use podcasts as part of your safety training program, you might be ready to jump right in and get started. (If you missed it, don’t worry - you can find it below and download it here). As shown on the infographic, there are many reasons why podcasts can be a great addition to the way that you're providing important safety information to your trainees.
Podcasts are relatively inexpensive and generally much cheaper than creating video.
Podcasts are easy to create (although to get a really high-quality recording you might want to invest a little money). If you Google how to create a podcast you'll get lots of links really quickly. Here is one article to get you started.
There are many different podcasting platforms so you will likely find one that fits your needs. If you want to create a podcast internally for a corporation, your company may already have the technology in place and better yet, they might have some experts to help.
Podcasts are attractive because they can make learning content available 24/7. Learners can listen to podcasts anytime and anywhere. This is the reason podcasts are so great for professional development - even for self-directed learning.
Podcasts can be very effective in providing key safety information to trainees who may not have great reading skills. If the podcast is presented in the second language of trainees, listeners will be able to listen and stop and rewind, or even play the podcast at a slower speed, something that can’t be done in a live class.
Podcasts can be created so that they reflect company-specific information. For example, a company-specific podcast episode on emergency procedures could clearly state the location of an outdoor meeting place or an internal emergency number.
Many existing podcasters allow their podcasts to be used and played internally by companies. It’s always a good idea to contact the podcaster for permission to use their podcast episodes in this way. Some of these podcasters will also work with you to create a podcast specifically for you to use in your training program if you don’t want to do it yourself or have time to go through the effort of creating episodes. For a list of podcasters to check out, see the Great Safety Podcasts link below.
One thing that's really great about podcasts is how they work with microlearning programs. (You can learn more about microlearning here). People are very busy and many learners do like the ability to absorb new content in small chunks. Trainees are able to remember information better when it's given to them in small pieces. It also makes it easier to provide that information again at a later time which is a nice way to provide reinforcement. Since reinforcement is a key part of increasing retention, podcasts as part of a microlearning program can be very effective.
Podcasts can be used before or after a training class as well as a way to provide supplemental information. In a “flipped” training class, trainees would be given the content of a podcast before attending class and then class time would be spent on discussion, interactive learning activities, and problem-solving. Podcasts could also be sent out after a training class to reinforce key points.
These are just a few quick ways for you to consider using podcasts as part of your safety training projects or classes. If you have any comments or questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Here is the Infographic mentioned above. If you would like to download it, click here.
Great Safety Podcasts
To create this month’s “Top Ten” I asked for recommendations from safety professionals and I received more than ten suggestions so this month’s “top ten” is really the top 14. I learned about many safety-related podcasts I had never listened to before and I hope you will too. I created a podcast way back in 2009 and embarrassingly enough, the episodes are still out there but they are nothing I would willingly share with others. (I like to think of them as great learning experiences since I did figure out how to record, edit and upload recordings as well as about the nitty-gritty of RSS feeds, cover art, and more). Creating a podcast was and still is a lot of work so I applaud everyone who takes the time to create and share safety-related content with others. Generally, podcasts are not something that someone does to make money although in some cases they are a good marketing tool for an individual or company. Check out the 14 podcasts listed here, also shown below, and you will hopefully find a new source of great safety information. If there is a safety-related podcast that you love and it’s not included, by all means, send the name to me and I will include it in a second safety-related podcast list.
Ask the Expert - Todd Cherches
If you have ever attended one of my presentations on Image-Based Safety Training, you know how passionately I feel about using images to communicate important safety information. Todd Cherches is an expert in the field of visual literacy and has written an amazing book on the subject that I highly recommend. If you want to check out his Tedx Talk, you can view it here. To download the full-size infographic, click here or on the infographic below.
Note: In the infographic above, Todd mentions an airline safety briefing card and he provided the following image as an example.
Zoom Backgrounds
In August of 2020, I created and shared a few Zoom backgrounds for safety trainers to use as backgrounds on Zoom calls and since many of us are still spending so much time communicating with others while sitting in front of a computer, I created 3 new backgrounds for you. The first has 6 different safety-related objects included so if you have some time before a call, you can ask others to identify the objects in the background. You could also use any of the SafetyFUNdamentals’ Hazard Hunt activities you may have as a background too! The second screen was created with Labor Day in mind. The third is an office space and has a bit of movement if you want to try something a little different. To download all three, click here.
The Results for the Color Wheel Challenge
If you read the July issue, you may have participated in the safety trainers’ Color Wheel Challenge. The goal was to create a safety training activity using color wheel sticky notes. I am pleased to announce there were THREE winners this month. Congratulations Kristen J., Skipper K., and Tina A., and thanks for sharing your ideas!
From Kristen: Label each color on the sticky note wheel with a different safety topic. Under each topic, a question related to that topic can be written. (Note: if the color wheels are small, a number representing a question written elsewhere can be written instead.) If a trainee/team answers a question correctly, they get points. If they do not, another trainee/team gets a chance. The team with the most points wins.
From Skipper: Each participant would use a color wheel sticky pack as part of a JHA/JSA and would use one sticky per step/activity within the JHA/JSA. A green sticky would be used to identify steps without a hazard, a yellow sticky would be used for steps requiring caution, and a red sticky would be used for those steps with hazards requiring controls or corrections before proceeding. When participants are finished, the color choices at each step could be compared. The visualization is very important and leads to a discussion on the commonalities and differences.
From Tina: Fill some colored plastic eggs with candy and others with safety-related questions and ask employees to pick an egg. If they pick an egg with a question, they can try to answer the question correctly and if they do, they can spin the color wheel and get a prize. (The color wheel sticky notes would need to become a spinner so that when an employee spins the wheel, it would land on a color that corresponds to a particular prize).
What I really like about these three options is that they all use the sticky note wheel in a different way. Kristen labeled the colors, Skipper used the labels as labels, and Tina turned the wheel into a spinner. I love the creativity of safety professionals! Great job everyone!
Are you feeling creative now? Try your luck with the August Training Challenge!
This month, imagine you have found a trunk in the attic and it’s filled with old games. Your training budget has been cut so you must pick one of the games in the trunk to adapt and use as a learning activity for an upcoming safety training class. In the trunk, there is Twister, Operation, Connect Four, and Battleship. Click the button below to describe your plan and be entered to win this month’s safety training challenge.*
*If you are not familiar with any of these old games, just pick another and write your answer around that one instead. Good Luck!
See you in Austin?
Let me know in the comments if you will be there!
P.S. May I ask a tiny favor?
Would you mind sharing this newsletter with one person? Click the button below for easy sharing on a variety of platforms. Thank you so much and happy training!
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