The Power of Preparation in Training

To reiterate: OSHA tells you what the content of training should be, but doesn’t tell you how to conduct training so that you capture your employees’ interest and attention and get your important safety and health messages across.

And, after all, that’s a critical part of any training session. If you don’t do that, one or more of your workers who wasn’t paying attention could walk out of a safety meeting and right into an accident.

So how do you begin to power up your safety training? With preparation.

The Power of Preparation

Training experts agree that the difference between a first-rate safety training session and a “ho hum,” going-through-the-motions presentation is preparation. The good news is that preparation doesn’t have to take hours and hours of your time. But it does mean, at a minimum, going through a mental checklist of bases that need to be covered:

• Who’s my audience? Are they new employees, experienced veterans, or a mixed group? Knowing your audience helps determine the approach you take, the type of presentation to make, and the points to emphasize.

• What’s my goal? Is your presentation a general introduction to be followed by more-specific training later, or is this follow-up, in-depth training about a particular work practice or item of equipment? Don’t stop at generalities if your real goal is to achieve in-depth understanding of the topic.

• What about content? How much information you present depends on regulatory requirements as well as time limitations. Remember, too, that trainees can take in only so much new information before they start to overload and tune out. So as you prepare your training outline, think about presenting a reasonable amount of information, while still leaving time for demonstrations, questions, practice, etc.

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• What’s the “takeaway”? What is one thing you want your audience to remember from the presentation, even if they were to forget everything else? Decide on a succinct message or “punch line,” and make sure you include it in your presentation more than once and on a handout.

• Do I understand the material? You can’t expect to achieve your goals if you’re not sure what you’re talking about. Do you need to refresh yourself on certain points? Is there new information about the topic that you need to research and incorporate into the material?

• What questions am I likely to get? Anticipate the areas that your audience may find unclear or difficult to grasp, and know how to handle their questions.

• Am I physically prepared? Do you plan to use audiovisual equipment, computers, or physical props? How do you want the room or training area to be set up? Make sure everything is in place and works correctly and that you know how to use key equipment. Fumbling around with equipment is a surefire way to undermine a training session from the start.

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Next month, we’ll look at location, location, location …

Why It Matters

• Being prepared is the key to success in any endeavor.
• Safety training is an endeavor that has the potential for life-and-death consequences.
• Therefore you need to be completely prepared for every safety training session you give.