Chapter 14Safety Meetings Worth Having
A safety meeting—whether it's the morning tool box safety meeting, the monthly department safety meeting, or the annual “all hands” meeting—is in theory a Moment of High Influence. But, if it's not a good safety meeting, what kind of influence will it have out on the job? Worse, what kind of message does a leader send to followers by leading a bad safety meeting?
One sure way to run an effective safety meeting is to get your audience to do the talking for you. Of course, you want them talking about what you want them to—not what they would like to—and, in the process, actually accomplish something important.
An Ask, Don't Tell safety meeting is a simple and effective way to do exactly that.
Like asking a Darn Good Question, this process begins with the leader being very clear and specific as to exactly what they want to accomplish by talking about the subject. The next step is to keep the story short. Details are seldom necessary to your purpose, meaning it should take but a few moments to set up the subject with a headline and summary. Before asking Darn Good Questions, make the connection by explaining why your followers should pay attention to the topic and participate in the discussion. Then, two or three Darn Good Questions are normally sufficient to produce 15 minutes of valuable discussion on the subject.
Preparation Questions
Pick out a topic for an Ask Don't Tell Safety Meeting, and then complete the outline.
Purpose: My goal ...