How to deliver a stand-out safety presentation

Safety presentations are essential to ensure a business is up to date on health and safety regulations, as well as employers learning the skills to identify potential hazards in the workplace – here are four tips on how you can nail your next one

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on HSE

Although many presentations can include different attributes, as an overview a safety presentation should include how to prevent hazards in the workplace, legislation and enforcement, risk assessments, and emergency plans.

Tailor your presentation to your audience

If you have access, learning about the audience before delivering the presentation may be beneficial during the preparation, as well as the execution of the safety presentation. 

For example, if the team you are presenting to newer employees in a business, you could decide to invite experienced workers who can give an insight into past health and safety hazards experienced during their careers. 

This personal touch to your safety presentation will be personalised and relatable, increasing the likelihood that it will stand out. 

Use visual aids for communication

One of the main ways your presentation can stand out is by utilising visual aids. Visual aids can help retain comprehension and retention, which will lead to a higher quality safety presentation.

This can be achieved through high-quality graphics, images, videos, and graphics that make the presentation more appealing. This is particularly important when specific slides may come across as less engaging. 

Practice what you are going to say

In order to help your presentation stand out and appear confident to your audience, practising beforehand will help put you at ease, as well as reduce the need to look at notes or the presentation slides.

This will allow you to engage more with the audience directly, even asking them to get involved. Not to mention that speaking with confidence will bring more authority and clarity.  

Be current with industry trends

Being aware of current trends in the health and safety industry will help the audience resonate with what you are saying. If the safety presentation is about safety regulations that don’t relate to your industry, then it’s likely the information will not be retained by the audience. 

For example, if you are discussing office set-ups, relating to home working and the pandemic will help the audience relate to the pandemic in 2020, and will reduce the chance of people switching off. 

We hope this article has helped you understand how you can tailor a safety presentation to help it stand out.