Key Ideas from the Instructor Safety Certificate
by Bob Lapidus, CSP, CSMS
The Instructor Safety Certificate is the third series of classes in the Safety Management Specialist Certificate. Students studying for the Certified Safety Management Specialist (CSMS) designation and others who simply want to take these practical and information-packed courses, find this three-day course gives them an increased confidence and self-esteem in giving presentations and conducting training programs. Students inexperienced in giving presentations are much more confident at the end of this course and experienced students rise to new heights in their abilities.
Key points to ponder from this motivating course are:
Point to Ponder #1: Teach Using a Multi-Style Approach
Each of us learns differently. Some of us learn better hearing what is being taught, while others learn better using visual skills. Some of us need a very logical approach in the learning process, while others need to be stimulated using imaginative and enthusiastic teaching techniques.
Given the differences in how people learn, we as instructors/presenters need to use a variety of teaching or presentation techniques to keep our audience awake and involved in our sessions. I often kid my classes that we as adults only have an 8-second attention span. We are present for eight seconds and then our minds drift, maybe for a split second and maybe for a lot longer. No matter what our attention span, we are more apt to pay close attention if the environment is keeping our minds active. Since our audience is comprised of people with different learning needs, we need to teach and present our ideas using a multi-style approach to keep the audience attentive and with us.
Point to Ponder #2: Use Training Tools that Help You Get Your Point Across
Instructors/presenters use those training tools with which they feel comfortable. That's okay up to a point. There is a time when we have to evaluate the training tools we use to see if they are helping or hindering getting our points across in our sessions. In the booklet, Instructor Presentation & Training Techniques written by the Evergreen Safety Council, the best visual to use is the one that will best produce the learning desired within the limitations of the classroom, available equipment, preparation, and budget.
Be careful as to which tools you use. Try not to hinge your whole presentation around one type of training device especially if it is electronic. For example, Microsoft PowerPoint is an excellent tool to use, but it requires a computer, a projector or monitor, and of course electricity to run it all. The loss of any one part of that set up and your program is gone. Consequently, your presentation needs to include everything you are going to teach without depending upon any one tool. Let something like a PowerPoint program enhance what you are doing rather than being the entire presentation. Choose those tools that will facilitate the learning process to the maximum.
Bonus Point to Ponder
The Safety Management Specialist Certificate is a worthy program to further your safety education. You will learn new success paradigms, problem-solving tools, and gain new knowledge while confirming things you already know. Attaining the Certified Safety Management Specialist (CSMS) designation will enhance your safety credentials and once you get it, the certification is yours for the rest of your life without any ongoing costs to keep it.
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