When it comes to safety, storytelling is powerful. Telling stories to each other helps us identify and manage human factors while uniting a workforce through shared experiences and common language. Storytelling builds engagement, enhances safety and makes a work culture more resilient and adaptable to change. Anyone can learn to tell effective safety stories if they practice using these three narrative tools.

Preparation

Even the most professional and practiced storytellers prepare their material in advance. Here are some ways to boost your storytelling effectiveness through preparation:

• Write down common scenarios you’re likely to encounter in your workplace and use them for inspiration—by anticipating the situations you’ll find workers in, you can be sure the stories you have are relevant and effective.
• Write down a few good stories in advance—this can help you internalize the stories.
• Come up with open-ended questions to encourage your workforce to tell you their stories.
• Make sure to recognize and address any human factors that contribute to the story.
• Rehearse your stories by reading them out loud.

Brevity

Storytelling is important, but it isn’t going to be your workplace’s main priority. That’s why it is crucial to practice conciseness in your stories. 

Stick to the main points:

• Beginning: What happened and to whom?
• Middle: What challenge was faced and how was it overcome?
• End: What was the result?

Keeping a story brief is a respectful way to engage your audience who may not feel like they have much time. A few well-chosen words can help you show personal commitment and keep your stories effective.

Illustration

Illustration can take many forms in storytelling:

• Sensory descriptions—how something looked, sounded or felt
• Shared emotions—describing a state you experienced and asking, “Have you ever felt this way too?”
• Examples of how things could be—explaining how a near miss could have been worse; describing how a change will make something better

Showing relevant examples of what you want to communicate, how they apply to the situation at hand and why they matter to your audience are all useful ways to engage your listeners. These types of illustrations help stories land with workers no matter what human factors might be influencing them at the time.

Now that you have the tools, put them into practice and see how they affect your workplace safety climate. Prepare brief and illustrative stories to tell employees, and come up with engaging questions that will inspire them to share their own stories with you. Offer positive reinforcement, actively listen and keep applying these tools. Through repetition, you will begin to see the engaging benefits of storytelling embedding themselves in your long-term safety culture.