Those who know SPoR and have completed studies in SPoR, know that learning the iCue method is not simple or easy. The benefits for safety people however, are significant.
We have written a great deal about this foundational method (https://www.humandymensions.com/product/spor-and-semiotics/) before:
- https://safetyrisk.net/risk-safety-iq-eq-icue/
- https://safetyrisk.net/icue-as-visual-verbal-risk-assessment-a-video/
- https://safetyrisk.net/understanding-icue-a-visual-verbal-semiotic-method-for-tackling-risk/
- https://safetyrisk.net/conversational-icue/
- https://safetyrisk.net/icue-engagement-process/
- https://safetyrisk.net/risk-icue-video-two-demonstration/
- https://safetyrisk.net/advanced-risk-icue-video-3/
- https://safetyrisk.net/icue-education-pack-to-enable-learning-in-the-spor-approach-to-risk/
- https://safetyrisk.net/icue-diagnostic-what-is-your-risk-icue/
The key to understanding iCue starts with shifting away from traditional safety, telling, paperwork, slogans, safety myths and power.
One can’t commence learning about iCue (Intelligent Cues) without a shift in disposition towards risk, others, persons, ethics and dialogue. These are not common in the safety industry and so this shift is a significant struggle for most safety people. Indeed, most people who engage with SPoR quickly discover in their initial engagement just how indoctrinated and constrained their communication skills are.
Most who start SPoR Education (https://www.humandymensions.com/product/icue-education-pack/) realise they don’t know how to suspend agenda, relinquish power, ask open questions, listen, frame questions, engage ethically or have skills in a host of essentials for ensuring dialogue (https://safetyrisk.net/dialogue-dos-and-donts/). This was demonstrated recently in my experience with a a large group of safety managers are still after 2 days struggled with the basics of dialogue and engagement. Too often safety people are indoctrinated to believe that the key to safety is ‘telling’ (https://safetyrisk.net/telling-the-safety-way/).
The first stage in beginning in SPoR is, to un-learn a great deal of indoctrination from traditional safety about what works.
- Most of what safety=zero parades about as ‘thought leadership’, ‘new view’ etc doesn’t work. Most of it has no method and does little more than circle about a collection of slogans and aspirations.
- Most of the goop believed about safety systems is not defendable in court should something go wrong. Just watch the Risky Conversations video series with Greg Smith, Dr Craig Ashhurst and Dr Long (https://vimeo.com/showcase/3938199?share=copy).
- Most of the paper systems that Safety relies upon will be used against organisations should they go to court.
- Most of the nonsense curves, pyramids, matrices, swiss-cheese and nonsense semiotics are not defendable in court. Indeed, most of these silly semiotics have no connection to legal liability.
The best place to start is reading both of the books by Greg Smith:
Once one learns how to ditch the propaganda of safety=zero one can then start at beginner level in the iCue Engagement method. This takes a few months to get past the basics. Once this is learned one can study and practice to Intermediate and Advanced level. These two learning levels can take up to a year to develop to a high competence standars so that iCue can be undertaken intuitively. One needs to purchase the iCue Engagement Pack to start this journey.
The iCue Education pack entitles one to access to the following:
- It Works, A New Approach to Risk and Safety
- The iCue Engagement Manual (A4 for reproduction and Coaching)
- iCue Conversation Role Play Cards
- iCue Video Coaching Series (28 video series)
- Base Magnet Set (1B3M, WS, HS, GS set)
- Advanced Magnet Set (27 Conversation Combinations)
- SPoR and RYSK lapel pins
- An option of face-to-face coaching with Dr Long and the SPoR team
The video education series (28 videos) is here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/10696244 but is copyright protected and needs a password. In this way the IP is protected.
In this video series one can learn the skills of iCue at Beginner, intermediate and Advanced level. This is essential for anyone who wants to learn how to use iCue Engagement intuitively.
You can see an example of four iCue sessions here for free:
- https://vimeo.com/798563657
- https://vimeo.com/777948243
- https://vimeo.com/782728022
- https://vimeo.com/783101851
iCue is a visual-verbal method of dialogue with others. iCue serves as a complement to many of the safety management systems that don’t work.
It is critical to know that iCue is NOT a safety Technique (Ellul).
- The purpose of iCue is NOT to be efficient.
- iCue subverts many common myths in safety that don’t work.
- iCue requires a focus on persons NOT the outcome of safety.
- iCue is the opposite of telling.
- iCue uses the fundamentals of concept mapping (https://safetyrisk.net/concept-mapping-risk-icue/) to better understand: persons, cause, competing values, personality-influence, social influence, relational knowing and risk.
If you would like to learn the iCue method, there are many in SPoR who can coach and help you get started. The start is to email here: admin@spor.com.au
Risk iCue Overview.mp4 from CLLR on Vimeo.
Dr Rob Long
Latest posts by Dr Rob Long (see all)
- Understanding the SPoR Worldview - January 17, 2025
- How to Escape the Safety=Zero Cult - January 14, 2025
- Making Sure There is No ‘Cultural Shift’ in Safety - January 14, 2025
- How to Make Ensure That People Don’t Speak Up - January 13, 2025
- It’s Not a Secret, We Just Don’t Talk About It - January 11, 2025
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