Uncharted Territory: How To Teach Safety To Millennials

In my 40 years as a Safety Professional and Instructor, I have trained over 50,000 people on the topic of workplace safety. Whether it be through 8-hour courses, presentations at conferences, or meetings with executives, my message and my delivery has remained the same for the vast majority of my career; I stand in front of a group of individuals and gradually lead them on a winding road of stories, scenarios, and questions involving workplace safety that result in an “Aha” moment. This moment is the audience realizing the importance of safety on the job and how it directly effects the rest of their lives.

This long-form method of presentation has been quite effective over the years due to a few reasons. One, it is an interactive discussion between myself and the audience, who typically consists of men and women within 15 years of my own age. I have been able to relate to them and visa-versa, allowing them to be engaged in our discussions. Particularly in an 8-hour in-person class, audience engagement is absolutely critical. While my traditional method of teaching has been successful, a younger generation of workers is forcing me, and all teachers, to change our delivery.

“Older generations” tend to refer to Millennials as an entitled, technology dependent generation with a “know it all” complex. We worry that our kids are growing up addicted to their phones, tablets, and laptops, and rightfully so. According to cnn.com, teens spend over 9 hours a day on mobile devices. There are plenty of discussions to have surrounding the long-term effects on the mind and body, but one result of the technology boom cannot be argued; Millennials are more efficient learners.

Millennials have unprecedented access to seemingly infinite information at their fingertips. Where older generations had to drive to the library and thumb through books to find one answer, Millennials have 10 answers in the time it took us to buckle our seat belts. Their attention span is so short because it can be. The days of hunting for information have passed, and generations to come are no longer going to sit for 8 hours in order to obtain information they can find themselves in 8 seconds. This raises a very important question: how can we effectively teach safety to millennials ?

I don’t have all of the answers, but I do have a few suggestions…

Microlearning

eLearning Industry defines Microlearning as “a way of teaching and delivering content to learners in small, very specific bursts. The learners are in control of what and when they’re learning.” As someone who has built their career on drawn-out hook, line, and sinker presentations, this is new for me as I’m sure it is for many. Luckily workplace safety can be broken down into small, specific bursts. It is important for safety professionals to have a clear understanding of the vital information we are presenting, and focus strictly on delivering it in the most efficient way possible.

Gaming

Video games used to be something my kids would play when it was too cold or rainy to play outside. They are now the one of the fastest growing industries in the world. In addition to professional e-sports leagues and the rise of online games such as Fortnite, gaming has evolved so much that it is now being used as a learning tool. Software developers, such as Simcoach Games, have found ways to translate workplace safety scenarios to a gaming format. Games such as Harness Hero provide an interactive, fun, educational platform that younger generations flock to.

FDRsafety provides full service safety staffing, expert witness, and safety training  for a wide variety of industries and workplaces. Our industry leading placement service will quickly and seamlessly fill your need for an on-site safety professional. For a FREE consultation, please contact Flavius Brown, Vice President at FDRsafety.