As a health and safety representative (HSR), you play a critical role in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of your colleagues in the workplace. Effective communication is a vital component of your role, as it enables you to collaborate with management and other employees to identify and mitigate risks, develop safety policies and procedures, and promote a culture of safety. In this article, we will explore how you can leverage strategic communication training to enhance your influence and effectiveness as an HSR. HSRs can also use the HBDI test with ThinkAbout™ Communicating model to tailor their messages to the specific needs and preferences of their audience.
There is a lack of knowledge about what an influencer is. It can be defined as “a series of parties who exercise influence over the organisation and its potential customers and stakeholders.” Another person defines influencer as a “Someone who can shape the customer’s purchasing decision, but may never be accountable for it.” According to another, influencers is someone well-connected, can generate an impact, have dynamic minds, and are leaders”.
Businesses, who pursue HSRs, aim to lessen their consumption of telling, and are willing to invest on their influencers more. Targeting influencers in a workplace, is seen as increasing WHS reach, counteracting an increasing tendency by employees to ignore WHS communication.
Introduction to Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs)
HSRs are elected by workers in their respective workgroups to represent them on matters relating to health and safety. Their role is to identify and report hazards, participate in safety inspections, and collaborate with management and other stakeholders to develop safety policies and procedures. HSRs are also responsible for promoting a culture of safety by raising awareness among their colleagues, providing education and training, and encouraging safe work practices.
The Role of HSRs in Workplace Safety
The role of HSRs in workplace safety is critical, as they have a unique perspective on the hazards and risks associated with the work environment. By collaborating with management and other stakeholders, HSRs can help to identify and mitigate risks, develop safety policies and procedures, and promote a culture of safety. HSRs also play a key role in incident investigation and reporting, which can help to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
What is Strategic Communication and Why is it Important?
Strategic communication is a process of planning and executing messages that are designed to achieve specific goals. It involves identifying the target audience, developing key messages, selecting the appropriate channels, and evaluating the effectiveness of the communication. Strategic communication is essential for HSRs, as it enables them to communicate effectively with management, other employees, and stakeholders to achieve their safety objectives.
Understanding the ThinkAbout™ Communicating Model
The ThinkAbout™ Communicating model is a comprehensive approach to strategic communication that focuses on understanding the needs and preferences of the target audience. It involves four key steps: identifying the audience, understanding their needs and preferences, developing key messages, and selecting the appropriate channels. By using this model, HSRs can tailor their communication to the specific needs and preferences of their audience, which can enhance the effectiveness of their messages.
The HBDI Test Tool for Effective Communication
The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) is a tool that is designed to help individuals understand their thinking preferences. By completing the HBDI assessment, HSRs can gain insights into their own thinking preferences, as well as those of their colleagues. This can enable them to communicate more effectively, as they can tailor their messages to the thinking preferences of their audience. The HBDI Test is a process that involves one-on-one coaching to help individuals understand their HBDI results and develop strategies for effective communication.
Leveraging Strategic Communication for Greater Influence as an HSR
By leveraging strategic communication, HSRs can enhance their influence and effectiveness in the workplace. This involves identifying the target audience, developing key messages, selecting the appropriate channels, and evaluating the effectiveness of the communication. HSRs can also use the ThinkAbout™ Communicating model to tailor their messages to the specific needs and preferences of their audience. By using these tools, HSRs can communicate more effectively with management, other employees, and stakeholders, which can help to achieve their safety objectives.
Overcoming Communication Barriers in the Workplace
Communication barriers can be a significant challenge for HSRs, as they can prevent effective collaboration and hinder the achievement of safety objectives. Some common communication barriers include language barriers, cultural differences, and misunderstandings. To overcome these barriers, HSRs can use a variety of strategies, such as active listening, using visual aids, and seeking feedback. By using these strategies, HSRs can improve communication and enhance collaboration in the workplace.
Tips for Effective Communication with Management and Employees
Effective communication with management and employees is essential for achieving safety objectives in the workplace. To communicate effectively, HSRs can use a variety of strategies, such as using clear and concise language, tailoring messages to the audience, and using visual aids. HSRs can also seek feedback from their audience to ensure that their messages are understood and effective. By using these strategies, HSRs can improve communication and collaboration in the workplace.
The Benefits of Investing in Communication Training for HSRs
Investing in communication training for HSRs can provide a range of benefits, such as improving communication skills, enhancing collaboration, and promoting a culture of safety. Communication training can also help HSRs to understand their own thinking preferences and those of their colleagues, which can enable them to communicate more effectively. By investing in communication training, employers can support HSRs in their role and promote a safe and healthy work environment.
Purpose of influencer driven communication
We know the purpose of influencer driven communication, and we know that the ROI of this initiative is measured by an action on the part of the target audience- employee participation. While an influencer driven communication strategy doesn’t diverge from that end goal, the stark difference is where it initiates. Where most communication strategies have to dedicate time to gather employee attention, influencer retains that level of respect and awareness with the employees they represent through regular workplace engagement, constantly delivering frank and honest interactions within their realm of WHS knowledge. Influencers offers the potential to unify WHS strategies, policies and procedures, and application of WHS Management system.
Influencer driven communication is thus the process of identifying, researching, and engaging the influencers who create high-impact conversations whom they represent about your workplace WHS policies and initiatives.
Power of influencer driven strategic communication
Teamwork. Strategic communicating demonstrates a synergistic way of working with each other committed to working towards a shared goal. Good communication maximises the individual strengths of team members to bring out their best. Hence the leaders must facilitate and build the communication skills of their people if they are wanting to steer their company toward success. Efficient teamwork and strategic communication are responsible for the success of any business and wherever you find strategic communication, teamwork is always present. The role of a HSR is very much vital for the efficiency of teamwork by strategic communication.
Commitment. Strategic communication enables HSRs to have WHS conversations that can ‘get through’ to employees who have different thinking styles to our own. Influential communication technique will assist teams to have a high level of commitment towards WHS goals. It will also maximise the individual strengths of team members to bring out their best in WHS.
Knowledge. Strategic communication and related knowledge will increase their ability in understanding the WHS -Work Health and Safety legislation that will affect health and safety outcomes within the workplace. This, in fact, will enhance the knowledge and skills required to execute the principles of workplace consultation on health and safety matters.
Purpose. Strategic communication is about developing and creating a plan to achieve the aims and objectives of the organisation, by making a framework of directions under able leadership. It gives the organisation credibility and constructing a narrative around the organisation’s thoughts and leadership. It emphasises what is important to the organisation and creates brand recognition. This can help to build the competency of leaders and helps to enhance reputation of the organisation.
Cost. Organisations all over the world are spending a huge amount of time, effort, and resources in providing training and team-building exercises and communication techniques. To make these team-building exercises successful, we have to know the behaviour and actions that are required for higher performance in teamwork. One has to know the thinking preferences of others or their group and this is possible with strategic communication. To know the behaviour of the team, we have to know how the team member thinks as an individual and as a group.
Engagement. This is where HDBI Consultation, assessment and Training on Strategic Communication (ThinkAbout™ Communicating) comes in. When HSRs understand how others communicate within their work groups, they can encourage workers, to ask questions about health and safety, raise their concerns, informs the employer about the health and safety issues, assist in health and safety controls, and be part of the issue resolution process.
Powerful. Various daily WHS miscommunications can be fixed by simply changing the way we communicate based on audiences. Do you know barriers to health and safety communication? Health and Safety Representatives are the reflections of the health and safety culture of the organisation and one of the elements vital in developing this culture is consultation and communication. Communication is vital to the organisation in maintaining and ensuring a healthy, safe, and productive work environment and supports the organisation in aligning towards their aims and objectives.
Conclusion
Effective communication is essential for HSRs to achieve their safety objectives in the workplace. By leveraging strategic communication, HSRs can enhance their influence and effectiveness, communicate more effectively with management and other employees, and promote a culture of safety. Overcoming communication barriers, using effective communication strategies, and investing in communication training can also help HSRs to achieve their safety objectives and promote a safe and healthy work environment.
For more information on HBDI Test Whole Brain Model, contact us. We are happy to provide you with extensive information on how we can assist your business to support HSRs within their role. Our process is for HSRs to complete their HBDI assessment, understand the Whole Brain Model, and attend their HBDI Test. Once this process is completed, HSRs can attend ThinkAbout™ Communicating (strategic communication) training. We have ThinkAbout™ Communicating (strategic communication) training schedules available.
Contact US
For more Information on HBDI Consultation Whole Brain Model contact us. We are happy to provide you extensive information on how we can assist your business to support HSRs within their role.
Our process is HSRs completes their HBDI assessment, understand Whole Brain Model and attends their HBDI Test. Once this process is completed, HSRs can attend ThinkAbout™ Communicating (strategic communication) training.
We have ThinkAbout™ Communicating (strategic communication) training scheduled across Brisbane, Townsville and Toowoomba. However, our bags are packed and ready to travel across Australia alternatively provide HBDI Test ThinkAbout™ Communicating (strategic communication) training online.
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