by Grainne A. Matthews, Ph.D.
“How can we keep people interested in our process?” is a question frequently asked by those dedicated souls working long and hard to maintain their behavioral safety process but whose colleagues may ask, “Why should I keep participating?”
The answer is hidden in the question. “Why should I keep participating?” may be code for, “What have you done for me lately?” Your colleague is telegraphing that she may not know about the improvements that you have made as a result of her observation data.
If you have been analyzing observations to diagnose “where it hurts” and if you have been trying different treatments, then all that remains is for you to make sure that your colleagues know
- which behavior on the checklist you are targeting and
- what you doing to make it easier for them to do that behavior safely.
One-to-one conversations, group presentations, bulletin board announcements, handouts, posters, websites, scrolling marquees, emails, and, my favorite—stickers on anything related to the Safety Action Plan (“Brought to you by Values Based Safety®)—may all be necessary.
Effective communication is never easy but it may be the answer to, “What have you done for me lately?”
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