Becoming
Safety Unconscious A Training Program to Develop
Safe and Productive Work Habits in an Employee's Behavior at Deep
Inner Levels.
"Becoming Safety Unconscious" is
a training program designed to develop safe and productive work
habits in employees' behavior at deep inner levels. It is a program
consisting of state-of-the-art neuro-technology
used to create dramatic change in human success and behavior. Complementing
all previous safety and performance training, this program is filled
with exercises that instill the importance of safety and performance
within the employee's thoughts and behaviors, linking safety and
error free performance to an unconscious and automatic process.
To understand how this is possible, lets take a look at the four
phases of learning:
The first phase of learning is called being unconsciously incompetent.
We are in this phase when we are unaware that the subject matter
exists. An example of this would be if we were unaware that automobiles
exist. Not only would we not know how to drive one, we wouldn't
even know there is such a thing.
The next phase of learning is conscious incompetence. We are in
this phase when we know the subject matter exists, yet we are unaware
of how to use it or perform it. Using the same example, we now know
cars exist, but we have no idea how to drive one.
The next phase of learning is referred to as conscious competence.
In this phase we are aware of the subject matter and are learning
about it. In the example regarding the driving of a car, the new
driver is aware of the automobile and is now learning how to drive
one. This can be an awkward time as the student must consciously
be aware of every step. To understand this you just have to remember
your first attempts at driving. You had to be aware of steering
and how much, operate 2-3 pedals, also notice road signs and potential
hazards, and more, all at once. This is a lot for our conscious
mind to be aware of. Frustration and mistakes can be a result.
The fourth and final phase of learning is becoming unconsciously
competent. In this phase the conscious mind hands most of the work
to the unconscious portion of our mind. In this phase what at first
was awkward and hard, now is easy and automatic. Most of us drive
our cars from this phase of learning. Driving for most of us is
mainly automatic. We no longer have to be consciously aware of all
the actions required to successfully drive a car. In fact, many
drivers talk on the phone, adjust radio dials, and even shave while
driving. This phase of learning is handy and a must to be competent
as an employee. The down side is once this phase is achieved, the
behavioral patterns are set.
In the example I have been using, you may have noticed that some
drivers operate their cars more safely than others. The difference
is a result of the experiences the driver had during this learning
process and also the experiences that have happened since. If safety
was the main focus when learning to drive, safe habits most likely
resulted. This however isn't always the case. Competing criteria
like acceptance, recognition, performance and freedom can take precedence,
and safety, while may be present, may have taken a back seat in
the learning process. If this is the case, the driver will drive
how they are comfortable at driving whether it be the safest way
or not.
One way to change unsafe habits is for the unconscious portion of
our minds to experience potential loss of what is considered important.
This usually requires an accident, near accident or witnessing of
an accident, and the realization that the areas considered most
important to us are threatened by our current behavior. This can
be a sad and extremely costly way to learn and the resulting fear
can effect future performance. To avoid this reckoning is why I
designed "Becoming Safety Unconscious".
"Becoming Safety Unconscious" differs from most safety
classes as it does not deal in a particular subject matter. It is
an experiential workshop which allows the employee to be aware of
what's important to them about their career and allow them to consciously
and unconsciously choose safety and error free productivity for
their own personal benefit.
Safety programs are extremely important and are a must in the workplace.
My years as a safety trainer have personally taught me how an informed
employee can make a dramatic difference in achieving a safer environment.
You may also have noticed that while all employees have had the
opportunity to be informed of safety tips and rules, not all of
them adopt this learning in their work habits. In order for the
safety and performance information presented to become an automatic
and adopted behavior, the employee must first consciously accept
it, and even beyond their conscious awareness, must also unconsciously
accept it. A person consciously may decide to quit smoking or lose
weight, however to truly succeed they must also unconsciously want
to achieve these same results. It is important to note that all
learning, change and behavior is unconscious. If these things were
solely a conscious decision we would be 100% successful in making
radical changes in behavior by simply willing them to be so.
Many safety classes are not well received. Employees may feel the
information presented to be redundant, and/or boring. Maybe the
employee considered the meetings something the company must do and
doesn't really care about. Many safety classes get linked to negative
associations in the mind, and as a result does not link the information
presented to what is important to the employee. It is for this reason
that I present my programs as informative and entertaining as I
can, to differentiate from what may be expected. If the information
presented is not accepted both consciously and unconsciously, change
in behavior is limited.
"Becoming Safety Unconscious" is a general safety program
that elicits from the employee what is important about their job
to them. It gives the employee valuable information and neurological
tools to foster their own personal success and happiness. It is
filled with exercises that help remove internal conflict that can
inhibit personal performance. It creates a bond between safety and
error free job performance and what is truly important to the employee's
personal satisfaction. This program also includes exercises to allow
the employee to gain new learning from past errors and correct potential
future errors before they can have a chance to occur. This program
is about changing potentially hazardous behavior at an unconscious
level, creating a new safety consciousness, and a win/win environment
for both employee and employer .
Michael Bennett is a master practitioner
and trainer of NLP and Hypnotherapy, licensed and certified through
the Society of NLP. He operates a school for teaching these disciplines
to health professionals and persons interested in improving the
quality of their lives.
