Seven creative ways to make your safety content more visual

So why not leverage this human trait by including more visual information into your induction training materials and workplace safety communication?

Here are six visual ideas to help you get started:

Include high-quality, professional-looking photos and images

Reading is really inefficient for the brain, as we have to identify certain features in letters to be able to read them. In fact, 40 per cent of people respond better to pictures than text.

So add nice-looking photos to your training materials that really encapsulate what you are trying to communicate. Either purchase professional photos through somewhere like iStockPhoto or get freebies from Flickr (just make sure you download files that can be used by companies).

And if you can't find what you need, take some photos with your camera/phone (just make sure you frame photos correctly and include faces and not the peoples' backs. Humans love to look at faces. And take photos of people doing things the right way) or get a professional to take shots of your procedures in action.

Create infographics

If you have lots of data consider including infographics. People love them, and it's not difficult to understand why. They provide lots of valuable information in an easy-to-digest and interesting format. See this funny and appealing safety infographic.

Use data / content visualisation

Designing infographics is a lot of work. If you don't have the time or budget, use simple data visualisation like in the example below. This can really spice up any workplace safety data that you might want to share with your staff.

Produce training videos

"How to" videos are one of the most popular types of video on YouTube. And it's no wonder. It's very easy to watch short training videos to help you learn how to use your new pressure cooker or how to set up a new cloud server system for your business (yes, I have a variety of interests).

Anything technical or complicated can be more effectively explained in a training video. It's also another way of making data easier to understand. While animations are a brilliant way to show how things, you can't see working such as inside the body or closed-off equipment. Take look at this short safety training video.

Use graphic safety icons

If you constantly have to repeat your hazards, it might be time to get them graphically made, so that staff can instantly recognise them. This can be a handy tool to use when designing your safety posters, training manuals and email newsletters. Simply use a safety icon and staff will know what you mean without having to read it. This can even extend to getting a character made to represent your safety initiatives. Get graphic designed safety icons custom made for your workplace or buy them off the shelf.

Spicing up your safety communication will help workers more easily understand information and improve engagement.

Get more ideas to improve your workplace safety communication by getting a free workplace safety communication report.

Or get free advice about how to improve your organisations's workplace safety communication and book a 20 minute workplace safety communication assessment.