Safety is an industry built on rules and regulations, so it may feel surprising to hear how important storytelling can be to safety outcomes. But as Jack Jackson proclaims in Safety + Health, storytelling has a number of tangible safety benefits.
When we think of storytelling, we usually conjure images of people telling tall tales around a campfire, or an author sitting at a desk and inventing a narrative out of thin air. However, every person has a number of compelling stories that are relevant to the workplace. Learning how to leverage those stories can lead to stronger engagement, better compliance rates and fewer injuries.
The reason stories are effective in safety is that humans are naturally predisposed to respond to narratives in a variety of positive ways. There’s science to back this up. Jackson points out that a good narrative can release oxytocin in the brain which can positively influence people’s willingness to look out for others and themselves. And studies have repeatedly shown that narratives are much more memorable than facts or stats alone.
According to Jackson, this is because stories provide a learning experience that is both “sticky” and “vicarious.” When people hear a story about a workplace incident, they learn vicariously, gaining safety knowledge from a mistake someone else has made. And if the story is told well then it will stick in their memory, ensuring the lessons contained in the narrative have a lasting effect.
For a safety professional, stories are a reliable method of positively influencing the safety climate and engaging with employees. And as Jackson says: “The real magic of storytelling in safety happens when you get workers telling stories to each other. That way, they’re exposed to real, credible stories from their peers and supervisors, and are also actively engaged in sharing their own narratives—creating a pervasive sense of connection and identity in the workplace.”
There are two major end results. First, workers’ behavior and attitudes toward safety can shift as the stories affect their mindsets and actions. Second, workers will feel more engaged with the people telling the stories, both because of the neurochemical effects caused by compelling narratives and, more generally, the time spent interacting with the storyteller.
Jackson does note one caveat: “Not all stories are created equal. To reap the benefits of storytelling in safety, you must learn how to tell an effective safety story yourself. Then, you need to convey that to workers.” He goes on to outline the necessary elements of an effective safety story and emphasizes the need to hone your storytelling skills through practice.
The article also outlines the many places where stories can have a dramatic impact. The most obvious spot is in toolbox talks and other safety meetings where a group of employees are gathered to discuss a specific safety issue. With that said, there are plenty of other times when storytelling can be a useful engagement tactic, including in one-on-one interventions and impromptu conversations in the break room.
The entire article mounts a compelling platform for the value of storytelling in safety, and it’s well worth your time to give Jack Jackson’s contribution to Safety + Health a read.