Top 10 Tips for More Effective EHS Training

6. VARY YOUR METHODS

If variety is the spice of life, then some presenters have been serving nothing but oatmeal for a long time. To obtain the all-important training goal of engagement, instructors must vary their teaching methods.

“You have to have variety in your training. That helps engagement,” Jarrell says.

That means not relying on only a lecture backed up with a PowerPoint presentation for 4 straight hours. Brain teasers and interactive questions and situations can help break up online training, according to Austin. Ouimet points out that using case studies as a training method can be interesting for students because the different format draws students in and allows them to predict what happened in real cases.

The bottom line is that trainers must mix it up throughout the course to keep students on track and to help them learn and retain as much as possible.

7. BE AN ENTERTAINER

One way to keep students engaged is to entertain them. Just keep in mind that at the end of the day, this is still a classroom.

“Humor is always helpful, [but] it has to be controlled,” Jarrell says. “It has to go toward the learning objective.”

Some instructors use games, such as jeopardy or monopoly, that test students on the safety issues they're learning about in class. Others show funny (but on topic) videos. But the entertainment always must be focused on the ultimate task on hand — educating the trainees.

“I know the difference between entertaining and teaching,” Jarrell says. “There is a lot of entertaining in teaching, yes. You need someone up there to keep them awake, engaged in the process. But if that's all you do, you're not teaching. Teaching changes that person by the time they leave.”

Hands-on portions of the class, such as teaching students to use personal protective equipment, can be entertainming and grab a student's attention.

“As long as the fun leads to learning, I'm all for it,” Jarrell says.

8. USE MEDIA WISELY

Just as entertainment must have a purpose in the classroom, so must any videos or other fancy features trainers incorporate into the class.

“The real failures I see right now are people try to insert media for the sake of inserting media when it really doesn't have anything to do with the key concept they're trying to get across,” Ouimet says. “Therefore, it's simply distracting.”

Various media are available today to EHS trainers, and they can be very helpful if used judiciously. Ouimet says short video segments can help demonstrate specific tasks, such as showing a certain operation or how PPE is used for a particular job. But not all safety training videos are created equal.

“Too often in our field, folks slide in a video that may be 20 minutes long that's often very generic,” he says, which causes students to quickly stop paying attention. “Then, a lot of trainers won't talk about how it specifically applies to their facility. So you're left with generic mush.”

Finally, technology is not a catch-all for training; the instructor still has a job to do.

“Too often, we just present information at workers, and then expect them to take that, think about how it applies to their work, and then apply it,” Ouimet says. “That's a huge hurdle. We as safety professionals should understand their job and present it in a way they understand it best.”

9. MAKE IT PERSONAL

This step is two-fold: your trainees should understand why they specifically need to learn these skills or this knowledge, as well as how the consequences of unsafe behaviors will impact their own lives. In short, trainers need to answer the students' “What's in it for me?” question.

“You must answer that question or you might as well pack up your things and go home,” Jarrell stresses. “You must tell them how it applies to them and why they must learn it.”

Austin and Ouimet agree that sharing real-life scenarios involving workplace incidents can have a big impact on trainees. Short video clips describing the consequences of an accident on a worker's life can be very effective, Ouimet says. And Austin points out that showing “average, everyday Joes” talking about how taking a safety shortcut affected not only their own lives, but those of their friends and families, can be compelling. It makes them realize it's “not just about me, but about everyone around me,” he explains.

“There are some [videos] that have been compiled very professionally,” Austin says. “They paint a picture in thought-provoking way, not a gory way.”

10. TRAIN YOURSELF

Finally, sometimes you have to take the focus off your students and put it on yourself.

“An effective trainer is not born,” Jarrell says. “Just because you can do the job doesn't mean you can communicate it to someone else.”

Austin agrees, pointing out that sometimes even the most knowledgeable EHS professionals don't have the knack for teaching the skills they know so well to others.

“There's a lot to be said for having trainers actually go through some professional training seminars,” he says. “Taking the time to get professional skills training is a worthwhile investment for any trainer.”