One of the things we learn in a study of Linguistics and Risk is how people are influenced through: structure, strategy, stickiness, grammar, semiotic design, Discourse, framing and anchoring. One of the tools we use is the SPoR Language Influencing Tool©. The Language Influencing Tool is a … [Read more...] about Learning the Basics of Influencing Thorough Studying Linguistics
Communication and Consultation
Sammie’s Lament – A Powerless Purpose
Sammie’s Lament – A Powerless Purpose I spoke with Sammie the other day to get a sense of how things were going. I heard the all too familiar lament of, ‘no-one’s listened before why should I tell you my story now’? Sammie felt so despondent because she was frustrated, she was inundated with … [Read more...] about Sammie’s Lament – A Powerless Purpose
Safety Communication
Safety Communication A couple of extracts from recent posts on the Workplace Communicator Blog which are really worth sharing: Are poor safety habits holding back your safety culture progression? Posted by Marie-Claire Ross on Sun, May 11, 2014 If you've ever felt that a lot of your friends or … [Read more...] about Safety Communication
Having Meetings Without ‘Meeting’
Recent research shows that we are having more ‘meetings’ than ever . Then when the meeting is over, we either wonder what the meeting was about and what the outcome was. I have worked in places where holding ‘meetings’ was an addiction. What is worse, these meetings were never run well and were … [Read more...] about Having Meetings Without ‘Meeting’
Method and Message Congruence in Risk
One of the toughest tasks in leadership and management is managing the narrative. Nothing does greater damage to brand, reputation and credibility than hypocrisy and incongruence between espoused ethic and moral action (yes AIHS BoK, there is a difference). In Australia this week we saw a huge … [Read more...] about Method and Message Congruence in Risk
The Questions You Ask in Safety are Showing?
Our questions frame our world, they show our worldview and what we think matters. Similarly, the questions we don’t ask, deliver the same. They tell us what we don’t want to know, and in Safety, there’s a lot it doesn’t want to know. These are the silences in safety … [Read more...] about The Questions You Ask in Safety are Showing?
FEAR AND CONTROL – Dialogue in a technological society
I have a teenage son who is showing signs of a typical teenage boy of grunts and ‘dunno’ replies to everything. It’s challenging as a parent and even more so for someone who tackles the art of listening and conversation in training almost everyday! I sit down and despair just as other parents do … [Read more...] about FEAR AND CONTROL – Dialogue in a technological society
Who Are Your People?
Article by John Toomey with great story on what happens to our cultures and our business success when we focus on how awesome people are rather than dehumanising them. Its very easy to fall into this trap (ie “they are just a contractor”?) . See also: The Dehumanisation of Safety, There is No Way I … [Read more...] about Who Are Your People?
Congruence in Messaging in Safety
Congruence in Messaging in Safety Study in Semiotics demonstrates that congruence in messaging improves communication, incongruence creates miss-messaging. In order for communication to be effective there needs to be congruence not just in text, language and discourse (power in language) but also … [Read more...] about Congruence in Messaging in Safety
What Does Misinformation Do in Safety?
One of the scariest results in the Zero Survey is that 89% of respondents believe that zero creates dishonesty in safety (https://safetyrisk.net/zero-survey-update/ ). We live in an undiscerning age where so many are seduced by mis-information. This is evidence of an education system that doesn’t … [Read more...] about What Does Misinformation Do in Safety?