Getting the message across

How can safety messages be effective The advice which follows is based upon a limited range of studies - despite the huge sums spent on advertising products of all kinds, remarkably little work has been done on the effectiveness of traditional safety campaigns. 

Management can have high expectations of the ability of safety posters to communicate the safety message. This will only be justified if they are used as part of a designed strategy for communicating positive messages. 

Strangely, the attention-grabbing image may be too powerful to be effective. An example to consider is the model girl calendar. If the pictures are not regarded as sexist and rejected, they may be remembered. But who remembers the name of the sender This is, after all, the point of the advertising. 

Comprehension must be maximised - for the most effect, safety messages have to explain problems either pictorially or verbally in captions or slogans. To be readily understood, they must be simple and specific, as well as positive. Use of too many words or more than one message inhibits communication. Use of humour can be ineffective the audience can reject the message given, because only stupid people would act as shown and this would have no relevance to themselves or their work conditions. 

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Written Memos. One of the most effective devices for improving maintenance communications is a newsletter or internal memo. The memo s success depends heavily on communicating formal tips and techniques in the mechanics language and using photos, sketches, and drawings generously to get the message across. 

Give time for understanding to be absorbed. Use case studies and current problems to get the message across. 

In the next section, you can use the root locus tool if you prefer, but we will do the explanation using commands. It is easier for us to get the message across with commands, and at the beginner s learning stage, we believe entering your own command can give you a better mental imprint on the purpose of the exercise. 

Assure clients of your availability—let them know when and where they can contact you and who to ask for in a crisis if you are not there. Make another appointment to see how you re getting on . Get the message across that you don t expect them to get it all right immediately—especially changing to safer sex—or they may be afraid to tell you their difficulties. Provide clear written material as a back up. There is too much to remember without it. 

Rafferty, D. (1999) Getting the Message Across. Key skills for sciences. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge. 

Vinkemeier U. Getting the message across, STAT Design principles of a molecular signaling circuit. J Cell Biol, 2004 167 197-201. 

Alger, B.E. (2004) Endocannabinoids Getting the message across, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 101 8512-8513. 

Alger BE. Endocannabinoids getting the message across. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2004 101(23) 8512-8513. Perea G, Navarrete M, Araque A. Tripartite synapses astrocytes process and control synaptic information. Trends Neurosci. 2009 32(8) 421-431. 

What is the best way to get the message across (video, television, meeting, etc.) How will success of the program be defined and measured ... 

While this example demonstrates how details improve your writing, there are instances when the right modifiers can get your message across in fewer, more accurate words. This is critical in a personal statement that is limited to two pages or 500 words. You don t want to sacrifice unique details, but sometimes one word will do the job better than three or four. For example, promptly can take the place of in a few days-, productive can take the place of much was accomplished. 

This sounds simple, and for the most part, it is. You already have a command of the English language that includes knowledge of thousands of words denotative (literal, primary) meanings. Therefore, all you need to do is choose the right ones to get your message across. 

Your main aim in developing a scientific style should be to get your message across directly and unambiguously. While you can try to achieve this through a set of rules (see Box 50.1), you may find other requirements driving your writing in a contradictory direction. For instance, the need to be accurate and complete may result in text littered with technical terms, and the flow may be continually interrupted by references to the literature. The need to be succinct... 

Leaders learn to communicate effectively so that they can get their message across to those who need to hear it. Their words should be inspiring and positive to emphasize what is possible. A safety leader should continually strive to learn more about safety and how to relate the importance of safety to other people. Leaders seek to educate in safety rather than relying only on safety training. Safety education imparts basic knowledge so that people themselves understand safety principles and will be able themselves to select appropriate safety procedures and approaches. 

If safety is to be sold to a workforce, management needs to use the tools of the salesperson. Safety can be sold using videos, posters, brochures, and safety campaigns. CG animations are already used extensively by the advertising industry, and these animations are ideal tools for getting a message across to a workforce. Abstract and symbolic ideas can be used to place an impression and scenario into the minds of mine personnel. 

This got a lot of attention outside of the conference. Take a look at an ime e from the Ccimpaign in Figure 14-14. We were able to pivot off of a hot topic that people were talking about at the time, which made our guerilla tactic a success. We also used a daring approach to get our message across. 

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