Hey there ๐,
How do you update your business about safety?
Have those updates looked the same in the last six months?
If there hasn’t been a change in a while, your communications might be suffering from “habituation.”
One of the most effective internal communication programs I’ve implemented was a straightforward weekly leadership update via video.
Each week, a member of our leadership team would use their phone to create a brief, sub-two-minute video.
These videos shared the week’s crucial business happeningsโranging from significant news and updates to employee recognitions.
We kept the format flexible, allowing each leader to discuss what they felt was most pertinent, but we ensured the video was released on the same day every week.
There was consistent feedback from the broader team about the value of this regular communication and that a short video was much preferable to another email. [It also prevented leadership from delegating this task to marketing! ๐คญ]
Here are a couple of ideas about how you could freshen up your comms:
- Can you use humor and examples to make it more engaging?
- Can you use real stories from within the business and opt for a video update instead of an email? If you’re camera-shy, could you involve other people in the business? [Check out the Utah Department of Transportation for a great example.]
- Can you make it visually appealing, personal, or visually interesting?
Donโt know where to start or need someone to brainstorm with? Iโd love to help.
Libby & the SafetySocial team.
Habituation
Habituation happens when we’re exposed to the same stimulus over and over and response to that stimulus decreases.
It’s why the first firework of the night may cause you to jump out of your seat. As the fireworks continue, your reactions may get smaller and smaller until you donโt feel at all surprised or startled by the explosions.
Designers think a lot about how to disrupt habituation – check out his great talk from Tony Fadell.
Best of the Web
Grain Weevil
I learnt about “Grain Entrapment” this weekโwhen a person gets trapped in a grain silo and can’t get out.
It frequently happens to the children of farmers who get into the silo to move the grain around when it stops flowing.
A company has developed a robot they can use to break-up the grain instead of a human.
Find more here
No affiliation, just think it’s a great safety innovation!
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