I try use a lot of humour in my Toolbox Talks/Safety Briefings etc. A fellow Safety bod told me on Friday that I should shy away from jokey type messages and he actually said that " accidents arent funny".
The funniest one I heard was early on in my career when a Safety Trainer asked a group of hard nosed steel erectors if they had any experience of Fire.
One guy said " My grandad suffered terrible burns recently"
"Was it a bad fire?" asked the trainer.
" oh aye" said the stell erector, "they dont mess about in that crematorium."
Do other guys on here use humour to convey a message.

I use humour alot. I think if you are very specialist in a particular area you can apply your experience very quickly and make it light hearted. Particularly in the construction industry where sometimes that hazards and risks can be very easily be ignored because of the macho culture.

Totally agree with Michele and would go further to encourage the use of humour. A powerful tool but only if timely, relevant and if used sparingly. Its really quite rewarding when attendees exit training with a different view to that they entered with.

I’d say a sense of Humour is one of the perquisites for doing H&S. If we can’t laugh at human foibles then the only other reaction left is total despair-just deciding it’s not worth the effort and giving up.

Humour is not the easiest tool in the box. There are so many different types of humour, observational, sarcastic, sardonic, satire and repartee are but a few. Which is appropriate; what is your natural style?
If you are good at it then you will use it effortlessly. If not, there is nothing worse than the after dinner joke, purchased from the after dinner joke book, delivered with no finesse or timing. I am hopeless at (re)telling jokes but I have a reputation of being quick witted. So, I cannot recall ever planning to use a funny joke or picture but I do use my experiences to respond to situations as they arise. A touch of observational humour based on my experiences seems to work really well as does responding and joining in with situations as described by Tony in his opening comments.
The real test of humour is whether they remember the humour or the safety message. If it is both, you are on a winner! If they only remember the jokes or you get a reputation for never being serious about H&S?
If you are going to use humour then make sure you have an exit strategy if it bombs. You don’t want to end up like Reeves and Mortimer and their famous brushwood sketches in Shooting Stars. (noises off with wind whistling mournfully)

P48

I do hope so, it makes the briefing a little less boring (because it is to the guys out on site, they have heard it all before), so putting your own spin on things may actually get them to listen.

And I throw in a few of the near misses I've come across. And then ask them if they have had any experience in whatever the topic is.

I believe that humour is just one of the many tools that we have to help us to make any presentation enjoyable. If it isn't enjoyable, then it is very likely that it will not have the effect that you would be looking for.

I use humour where appropriate. I also use other techniques, such as sudden changes in the direction of a presentation, so that the participants (and I use that word deliberately, because to me that is what they should be) are never quite sure what is coming next. All I can say is that it seems to work.

Chris

Totally agree with everyone that suggests humour is a must. After discussing safety with directors and senior managers fairly recently I received a comment after the meeting; which was one of initial dread having to sit through a safety presentation but as soon as humour was injected along with a dynamic approach all present had bought in to the idea and were on board and wanted to be part of it.

In my opinion only by practitioners applying such an approach (where appropriate) can the stigma that clouds our profession be lifted.

Well done everyone.

Thats weird: the guy who took me to task last week was dressed exactly the same.
Whats worse he had a hitler moustache.