Hi there! If you have found your way to this page you are probably
someone interested in making safety training better and more interesting
not only for those you train but for yourself as well. The SafetyFUNdamentals
website has been operational since 2006 and I've connected with many of
you through that site but it doesn't give me the opportunity to easily
share ideas or sites that I find that may be useful to other safety
trainers. The SafetyFUNdamentals site is still going strong but it's main purpose is to make safety training products available to you. There is also a new SafetyFUNdamentals Facebook
page where I encourage you to visit and "Like" so you can be the first
to new when something new appears here. By "liking" the Facebook page
you can also join in the conversation with other safety trainers around
the world. So, welcome to the SafetyFUNdamentals Blog - I'm glad you
are here! - Linda Tapp
Better PowerPoint
Smelly Safety?
We know that when more senses are used, we remember things better. Advertisers are beginning to consider using smell in their marketing messages now. Gas stations in California are already putting coffee smells at the pump in hopes that you are overcome with an overwhelming desire to rush into the store for a steaming hot cup of coffee. I am sure we have all experienced a certain smell bringing back a strong memory.
So, how can we use this in safety? Walmart and others are testing DVDs with "smell-o-vision" that release smells related to a movie at just the right time such as the smell of a burning building during fire scenes. If "smell-o-vision" were to make it's way into the safety world, we would perhaps see safety training DVDs for use with chemical safety training that demonstrate the concept of odor threshold by emitting different smelling chemicals (such as the very recognizable hydrogen sulfide). Or maybe use the Walmart idea and use the smell of smoke in fire extinguisher training.
This is definitely "out there" thinking and probably many years away but I think there are some possibilites for use in the safety world. What do you think?
Surveys Part 2
Yesterday we talked about what might get someone to take a survey (or not). Why would you want to create and send out a survey in the first place? There are many reasons. One of the most important is to find out what your market wants or needs. If you don't ask them, how will you know? Once you have this valuable information, you can provide new products that provide true value to your clients and potential clients. You can also take a survey to see how you are doing. Are you doing a good job as a consultant, trainer, inspector, or any other role you fill? A survey can be a great way to solicit and get feedback. A survey can also be an aid when doing research and any research you do, even informal as with a survey, can also be used to issue White Papers, special reports and press releases and all of these can help to build your credibility. Never do a survey simply for the sake of doing a survey. You don't want to ask your clients and contacts to waste their time on anything. Surveys, when created and used with a specific goal in mind, can be a great help to your business.
And the Survey Says....
If you are of a certain age (like me), you probably know what game show this post's title refers to* but this post is not about game shows - it's about surveys. I have been asked to complete a survey at least 3 times in the past week and I have also asked subscribers of my free safety training ezine to partake in a survey. Since I rarely answer survey questions myself (I'll tell you why in a minute), I wanted to make sure my little survey would have a greater chance of success. Just this morning, I received a survey from a professional organization I belong to. The email headline said "Please help by taking our survey" and although I wouldn't generally click through, I did. I was faced with a full page full of questions with 5 different answers for each one. That was bad enough but I scrolled to the bottom of the page and saw that this was page 1 of 8! There was no way I was going to sit and answer 8 pages of questions. Only recently, I started to try to determine the length of the survey before starting one and this came after several other experiences where I would start a survey and after patiently answering a page of questions, come to find that there is another page - and then another page and more. Usually after page 2 or 3, I abandon the survey completely.
My ezine survey has only been active 4 days but I am pleased with the response rate. When I designed my survey, I wanted to make it short to encourage participation (it's only 5 questions) and I wanted to tell people up front how long it would take to complete it (5 minutes). I also wanted to thank them in some tangible way for giving me 5 minutes of their valuable time so I offered to give them 5 free gifts in exchange for their 5 minutes. So far, the response has been very positive. If you are planning a survey, first, think why you want to do one (more on that tomorrow) and then second, plan carefully so you get maximum participation.
*The game show was Family Feud
Wahoo Wufoo
If you have any need to use forms or short surveys, Wufoo may be for you. For limited use, Wufoo is free but for more forms and users, you will need to upgrade. The beauty of Wufoo is that it is so easy to use. You simply drag and drop the fields you want into a blank area and ta-da - your form is finished. Check out the one I did below (in about 1 minute).
Habla Espanol?
Most safety professionals are aware of the changing demographics of the American workforce and what that means for safety and health. If you have a need to know a little (or even a lot) of another language, try LiveMocha. LiveMocha is a free site that will provide lessons in your chosen language (there are dozens available) as well as a chance to network with other learners. It's easy and before you know it, you will be able to at least say a few words in another language. Give it a try! Hasta manana!
