Participants’ Handbook:

P.P.E.
Personal Protective Equipment

not a choice
Part of your job

Making Effective
Presentations
&
Safety Talks
 Participant Guide

Making Effective Presentations & Safety Talks

Hour 1:

• Setting the Stage: Challenges in Presenting Safety Talks

Hour 2:

• Safety Talk Planning: How to Use a Script Effectively

Hour 3:

• Body Language, Voice, and Questioning Techniques

Hour 4:

• Building Rapport and Dealing with Disruptions

Hour 5:

• Presentation Practice and Feedback

 Hour 1
Setting the Stage:
Challenges in Presenting
Safety Talks
• Introductions and Expectations
• Workshop Values
• Challenges
• Problem Solving
 Participant Guide - Hour 1

Workshop Expectations:

• Everyone participates
o Public speaking can be challenging but it can only be improved with practice.

• Everyone must be prepared to take risks

• We pay attention to time

o Sessions will start and end on time.

• Be prepared to try new things in the workplace

o Apply the techniques you learn in the classroom to your daily safety talks.

• Don’t take criticism personally

o Getting feedback from your peers will make your performance stronger. It is part
of the learning process.

• Make sure feedback is constructive and helpful

o Feedback should be given with the intention of improving performance.
 Participant Guide - Hour 1

Challenges and Suggestions:

Safety Talk Challenges:

• Difficult to catch and keep people’s attention
• Listeners may still be learning English
• Listeners have a variety of cultural perspectives
• Part of routine
o People hear safety information often so they tend to ignore it.
• Using an appropriate volume and tone of voice
• Experience level of presenters
o New team leaders and supervisors may not have experience with public
speaking.

Suggestions to Overcome Challenges:

• Speak loudly, slowly, and clearly
• Use examples
o Examples from your workplace make the information relevant and interesting. It
also helps with comprehension.
• Make eye contact with the audience
o Especially people who may not be paying attention. This will help to focus them
on your presentation.
• Use jokes
o But be careful! Jokes can be cultural. Make sure your jokes are not
misinterpreted as being offensive.
• Remind employees of the importance of safety for their families as well as
for themselves
• Ask questions at the end of the talk to check for understanding
• Use pictures and visual aids to help understanding
• Get people involved by asking for their thoughts or suggestions
 Hour 2
Safety Talk Planning: How
to Use a Script Effectively

• Safety Talk Scripts

• Safety Talk Planning Demonstration
• Using the Template
• Practice Using the Template
 Participant Guide - Hour 2

Safety Talk Template:

Safety Talk Planning Template:

Introduction: What is your topic and why is it important?

Key Points: What information are you communicating about your

topic?

Conclusion: BRIEF summary of your key points and company policy.

•
 Participant Guide - Hour 2

Feedback Sheet:

Your name: __________________________________________

Presenter’s name: ____________________________________

As you watch the presentation, use the chart below to give feedback on strong points and
areas for improvement. Remember to keep criticism constructive and specific.

Strong Areas Observed During Safety Talk

Suggestions for Improvement

 Hour 3
Body Language, Voice, and
Questioning Techniques

• Public Speaking Tips

• Effective Use of Questions
• Presentation Practice
 Participant Guide - Hour 3

Public Speaking Tips:

Body Language:
• Watch your posture. Stand straight but not stiff. Your goal is to appear
relaxed and confident.
• Don’t fidget. Be aware of what you are doing with your hands at all
times.
• Keep a relaxed, confident facial expression.
• Make eye contact with the audience frequently but don’t stare at any one
person. This will make the group uncomfortable.
• If you are using a visual aid (i.e. a picture), hold the picture so everyone
can see it.
• Don’t allow visual aids to hide your face. Make sure people can see you
clearly.

Voice:
• Practice enunciation. Open your mouth wide and pronounce each word
clearly.
• Vary your tone of voice. If you are monotone, you will lose your
audience.
• Be careful with inflection. Don’t end sentences with a raised inflection
(like a question) because it makes you sound uncertain.
• Speak in grammatically correct sentences. And vary your sentence
structure.
• Eliminate ‘uhs’ and ‘aahs’.
• Be aware of your speaking pace. If you speak too fast, your audience
will stop paying attention but if you speak too slowly, they will become
irritated.
• Project your voice. Imagine you are speaking to a person at the back of
the room.
• Pause occasionally so people have a chance to process what you are
saying.
 Participant Guide - Hour 3

Effective Use of Questions - Closed Questions:

Closed Questions - Focus on factual information (there is often a right and wrong answer)
and are answered with very few words.
Purpose Examples
Recall information Summarize main points.
Who is the procedure written for?
Do you wear this in your daily work?
What hazards in the home are there regading...?
Identification What are some possible outcomes of this disease?
Where does this happen at your workstation?
What are the right conditions for... to happen?
When would you use this safety device...?
Definition What is the proper way to wear...?
What is the proper procedure for ...?
Classification or Naming Where or What group does this chemical belong to...?
Do you know any people at work or in your circle of friends
who have suffered from ...? Or who have had an incident?
Symptoms What has happened when...?
What are some of the hazards with...?
 Participant Guide - Hour 3

Effective Use of Questions - Open Questions:

Open Questions - Based on experience, opinion, reflection, and application they cannot
be answered with one word. Open questions encourage more information and deeper
thought.
Purpose Examples
Apply to your own experience How have you used these tools?
Give an opinion What has your experience been in trying this...? How does
this effect you in your work?
Predict an outcome or What would happen if we...? What could happen if we don’t
situation, consequences ....? Or suppose all new employees were required to...? If your
daughter were working here, what would you say?
Compare something How is this the same as...?
Find an alternative Are there any alternatives or diffrent ways to come up with
the same result?
Challenge thinking Do you agree with... and why or why not?
Placing value and importance How do you feel about...?
on something What is the most important thing to you? Why?
State Relationships Why are these two things connected...?
In what way do...?
Understanding something Why do you think the company is asking the
people to ...?
Exploring motivation What might the rationale behind the ... policy?
Demonstrating Show me how you properly attach...?
understanding
Application Would you use this procedure at home...? How would it work
with young children?
Evaluating or judge How has this machine improved?
something
Confirmation How do you know that... is working?
 Participant Guide - Hour 3

Safety Talk Template:

Safety Talk Planning Template:

Introduction: What is your topic and why is it important?

Key Points: What information are you communicating about your

topic?

Conclusion: BRIEF summary of your key points and company policy.

•
 Participant Guide - Hour 3

Feedback Sheet:

Your name: __________________________________________

Presenter’s name: ____________________________________

As you watch the presentation, use the chart below to give feedback on strong points and
areas for improvement. Remember to keep criticism constructive and specific.

Strong Areas Observed During Safety Talk

Suggestions for Improvement

 Hour 4
Building Rapport and
Dealing with Disruptions

• Brainstorming
• Building Rapport & Dealing with
Disruptions
• Presentation Practice
 Participant Guide - Hour 4

Building Rapport and Dealing with Disruptions

A well-planned presentation delivered with the perfect voice and body

language will not be successful if you cannot get your audience to listen
and cooperate. To get your audience ‘on board’ you will have to establish
a rapport with them and address any behaviours that could sidetrack the
presentation.

How can you build a rapport with your audience?

Building rapport and dealing with distractions goes hand-in-hand. If you have a good
rapport with the audience, you will see fewer disruptive behaviours. Likewise, by
addressing the audience’s needs quickly and effectively, you will establish a rapport with
them.

Tips:
• Smile at the group and appear friendly and relaxed.
• Treat people with respect at all times. Be especially careful when correcting
people or giving feedback in front of the group. No one likes to be embarrassed
in front of their peers!
• Be honest with your audience. If you get caught lying to them, they will lose
respect for you.
• Follow through on your commitments. For example, if you say you will
research something for your audience between sessions, make sure you do!
• Give the audience frequent opportunities to ask questions and raise concerns.
 Participant Guide - Hour 4

Building Rapport and Dealing with Disruptions - Con’t

Dealing with Disruptions

Here are some of the more common disruptive behaviours you are likely to
see from an audience:

Disinterest:
The audience member appears ‘obviously bored’ yawning loudly, looking at their watch,
etc. It is important to deal with this behaviour. If you do not, it will spread to other
audience members.

Tips:
• Move closer to them. Standing close to the person will focus their attention.
• Ask them a question. This will bring the person into the presentation and
engage them.

Sarcasm:
The audience member makes sarcastic jokes about your presentation content. If you do
not stop this behaviour, your audience will lose respect for you.

Tips:
• This person has an issue that needs to be addressed. Confront the individual
directly. Ask them, ‘what do you mean by that?’ and encourage them to state
their concerns so that you can deal with them before moving on.
 Participant Guide - Hour 4

Building Rapport and Dealing with Disruptions - Con’t

Dealing with Disruptions - Continued

Argumentative:
The audience member confronts you in front of the group, disputing the points you make
in your presentation. If you do not handle this situation properly, more audience members
may join in.

Tips:
• Appear relaxed. If you appear angry or unsure of yourself, the audience will
lose faith in you.
• Calmly respond to the individual’s comment. If the individual wishes to
continue the discussion, invite them to discuss it with you in private after the
presentation.

Dominator:
An audience member speaks a lot during your presentation, frequently offering their
comments and opinions. Dominators speak so much that no one else is able to contribute
to your presentation. This annoys the rest of the audience and could cause them to stop
paying attention.

Tips:
• Ask closed questions to the dominator. This satisfies their need to contribute but
forces them to give a short answer.
• Ask questions to other audience members. This encourages them to contribute
and takes the focus away from the dominator.
• Politely ask the group “Can we hear what other people think about this?”
• Speak to the dominator in private and explain that, while you appreciate their
contribution, you would like them to allow others to speak. Note: Be careful not
to upset the dominator. If you do, they may display one of the other disruptive
behaviours.
 Participant Guide - Hour 4

Building Rapport and Dealing with Disruptions - Con’t

Dealing with Disruptions - Continued

Side Conversations:
Audience members engage in a private conversation while you are making your
presentation. This creates a distraction for the others in the audience and encourages
more side conversations.

Tips:
• Try to determine why the conversation is happening:
• Is one person acting as a translator for an audience member who is
still learning English? If so, thank the person for helping and continue,
pausing to allow for clarification when needed.
• Is one person asking questions because they do not understand the
information or instructions? If so, ask them what their question is so
that you can address it with the group. Other audience members may be
confused too.
• Are they chatting about something unrelated to the presentation? If
so, you can use the following techniques:
• Walk closer to them and see if they stop.
• Pause your presentation and continue once they have stopped
talking.
• Ask them if they have a question or comment for the group.
• Confront the individual(s) in private and ask them to stop. Explain
that their behaviour is a distraction to the others.
• Remember: appear relaxed, friendly, and confident when confronting audience
members engaging in side conversations.
 Participant Guide - Hour 4

Safety Talk Template:

Safety Talk Planning Template:

Introduction: What is your topic and why is it important?

Key Points: What information are you communicating about your

topic?

Conclusion: BRIEF summary of your key points and company policy

•
 Participant Guide - Hour 4

Feedback Sheet:

Your name: __________________________________________

Presenter’s name: ____________________________________

As you watch the presentation, use the chart below to give feedback on strong points and
areas for improvement. Remember to keep criticism constructive and specific.

Strong Areas Observed During Safety Talk

Suggestions for Improvement

 Hour 5
Presentation Practice and
Feedback

• Presentations and Feedback

• Wrap Up and Course Evaluation
 Participant Guide - Hour 5

Feedback Sheet:

Your name: __________________________________________

Presenter’s name: ____________________________________

As you watch the presentation, use the chart below to give feedback on strong points and
areas for improvement. Remember to keep criticism constructive and specific.

Strong Areas Observed During Safety Talk

Suggestions for Improvement

 Participant Guide - Hour 5

Course Evaluation:
Please take a few moments to complete this survey. We will improve this training program
based on the suggestions you make.

This training program was useful to me (please circle):

Yes Somewhat No

Comments:
___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

The instructor was helpful and was able to answer my questions (please circle):

Yes Somewhat No

Comments:
___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

The best thing about the course was…

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

The least useful thing about the course was…

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Name: _______________________________
Please note: Providing your name is optional.

Thank you for your participation!