Why Training Needs Change

1. Why Training Needs Change Carol J. Merry, Ph.D. Education and Information Division National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

2. Overall Training Goals: • Impart information that is remembered • Build skills- “self-efficacy” • Instill motivation for “safe work practices”

3. In a Nutshell, Training Needs to Evolve... • Because of changes in your audience • Because of changes in your work environment • Because of changes in regulations or recommendations • Because your training evaluations indicate a need for change • Because you want to try new media, technology, approaches, etc...

4. Respond to Changes in Your Audience • A stable, homogeneous workforce will move through “Stages of Change” as you continue to interact with them over time. • A diverse &/or changing workforce challenges you to re-assess where they are each time you offer training!

5. Stages of Change • Precontemplation- not on my radar screen! • Contemplation- considering change • Preparation- planning how to try changes in safe work behavior • Action- Actually making changes in behavior • Maintenance- continuing to use new safe work behaviors • Relapse- Struggling with “relapse” to unsafe behaviors

6. What are precontemplators like? • Sometimes lack knowledge about issue • Have no interest in changing their behavior or beliefs • Have no intention of changing • even in a future time frame

7. How to move precontemplators to contemplation • Get their attention • Raise their consciousness • Create environments to help people do the right thing

8. “This is your ear …This is your ear on noise”

9. What are Contemplators Like? • They know about and are aware of the problem, so more “facts” won’t make much difference • They are thinking about changing behavior • they are not sure how much the problem affects them personally or their significant others • there has been no actual movement to change

10. What moves Contemplators to the Preparation stage? • Emotional arousal helps here too! • Direct Consequences for Self & others 1. Imagery- “imagine your life if…” 2. Consequences to family and friends 3. Thinking actively about solutions 4. Case studies & testimonials

11. Wear this now... Or wear this later! It’s Really Pretty Simple…..

12. What are Preparers Like? • Increasing belief in “pro’s” • Decreasing concern about “con’s” • Start taking small steps toward new behavior (do a sound survey, read up on HPDs) • Increased confidence about making changes • Make a plan or “intend” to adopt new, safer behavior

13. What moves Preparers to Action? • Setting reasonable goals • making specific plans to overcome specific barriers • making public pledges • continuing to believe there are more pro’s than con’s for the new behaviors

14. What Are People in the Action Stage Like? • Firmly believe benefits of new, safer behavior • Have a consistent plan for action and have been following it for several months • “Intend” to maintain the behavior • Recognize success of small steps

15. How Do We Encourage Action? • Environmental controls-reminders, cues • Respond to negative thoughts and actions as soon as they crop up • Model alternate behaviors when needed • Engage in a “contract” to maintain behavior • Provide extrinsic and intrinsic rewards

16. Who are Maintainers? • Very strong champions of safe behaviors • publicly identify themselves as proponent of safe work behaviors • Support a meaningful reward system • know and use strategies for dealing with relapse in self and co-workers • long term change has occurred (at least 6 months)

17. Could show clip of bronco testimonial here

18. How Do We Help Maintainers? • Continue environmental controls- cues • Continue modeling safe work behaviors • Continue countering negative thoughts & actions • Continue reinforcement systems that are meaningful • Develop a plan to deal with “relapses”

19. What About Relapse? • Usually happens when people are frustrated - failed attempts/barriers • people (supervisors!) may not realize that behavior change takes practice & patience • people are often not well prepared for complications or the strength of barriers Don’t give up!

20. How to Overcome Relapses: • Assure people that change takes practice • Encourage ongoing efforts at safe work behaviors • plan & communicate ways to handle stress • help others avoid negative coping strategies • help overcome people and things that undermine the desired behaviors

21. Keep in Mind….. • Work “culture” shapes behavior, values, & overall receptivity to your training Are you in tune with your workplace’s culture? • Appreciating the diversity within a group is just as important as recognizing diversity between groups.

22. Modify Training to Reflect Changes on the Job • Work changes- new equipment, new management goals, new processes, new responsibilities, etc.

23. Changes in Regulations, Technology, or Recommendations • De-rating of hearing protectors based on Subject Fit testing-ANSI • 3 dB vs. 5 dB exchange rate for TWA -new NIOSH criteria • Audiometric database analysis • 1 on 1 fit-testing

24. Show and describe: plug & muff real vs. lab fit-testing of plugs overhead Have some plug samples to discuss fit problems

25. On-Site Fit Testing of Earplugs

26. Your Training Program Evaluation Indicates Changes Are Needed: • Do you have evidence that… • the audience is paying attention? • The audience can recall the important information? • The audience is responding appropriately with safe work behaviors? • You have addressed any barriers important to your audience?

27. Changes Can Energize Your Training: Stamp Out Boredom! • Jazzy new videos? • Interactive, “real-life” problem solving/table top exercises • Using Employees to make “home grown” training materials

28. Tools of the trade: digital cameras, camcorders, use scenarios from plant history, case study re-enactments, etc...

29. New Approaches Using the Internet

30. Just a Few Web Resources: • www.cdc.gov/niosh/noise.html • www.nih.gov/nidcd • www.osha.gov • www.aiha.org • www.caohc.org • www.lhh.org • www.hearingconservation.org • www.nsc.org