The Debate Club Format. For Safety? Aren't there rather negative vibrations?

Some also call an internal debate round: roundtable discussion, team-building challenge, verbal discourse group, dialog workshop, insight collective or critical coalition. And yes, sometimes this type of exchange or constructive solution finding triggers negative, valued fears such as: undermining the affirmative position, highlighting disadvantages, employing negative tactics or perception of unfairness.

But this format offers more than all kinds of speculation. It is &, shared discoveries, trust and an appetite for innovation.

Where does this format actually come from?

18th century, London. The modern way of debating goes back to communities such as the Robin Hood Society or Queen's Arms Society, which flourished at the time. These early formats discussed wide-ranging topics from religion to politics to culture - they set the stage for debates as we know them today. Over the last hundred years, the corporate world has recognized and used debate as an added value for open discussion and critical thinking among employees.

What should I bear in mind with a corporate version?

A corporate debate club needs alignments and structures in connection with the company values and other guidelines. The usual 5 points of attention:

1 Structured format: Debates follow a predetermined structure with set speaking times and roles.

2 Topic selection: Relevant business or industry topics are chosen for discussion.

3 Skill development: Participants improve communication, critical thinking, and argumentation skills.

4 Professional growth: Debates provide opportunities for employees to showcase their knowledge and leadership potential.

5 Networking: Clubs foster connections between employees across different departments.

Proposal to start up your own club - for example:

“The 30 minutes Safety Debate Club”:

The audience can comprise a single group or mixed groups, depending on requirements. For (industrial) safety, mixtures of frontline, supervisors and managers are conceivable.This is an excellent way to engage colleagues in safety discussions and promote a strong safety spirit.

Roofing motto: Safety Matters

Introduction - 2 minutes?| Welcome participants, briefly explain the topic of the day

Quick Safety Fact - 3 minutes?| Present a relevant statistic or recent incident related to the topic

(Swift) Debate Round - 15 minutes?| Split participants into two teams, present a safety-related scenario or statement, allow each team 2 minutes to prepare, conduct a structured debate (3 minutes per team, 1 minute rebuttal each)

Open Discussion - 7 minutes?| Encourage participants to share personal experiences or insights, address any questions or concerns raised

Wrap-up and Take-home Challenge - 3 minutes?| Summarize key points, assign a small safety-related task or observation for next time

Prepare a list of topics so that the club always has “enough material” at regular intervals, possibly monthly or bi-monthly. Reserve the right to change topics at short notice due to current events. Give the topics some friction and integrate the opinions of the two groups in the topics.

Like:

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Necessity or nuisance?

Near-Miss Reporting: Vital information or unnecessary paperwork?

Safety Training: Engaging learning or boring requirement?

Workplace Ergonomics: Comfort vs. practicality

Safety Incentives: Motivational tool or pressure to hide incidents?

Safety Culture: Shared responsibility or top-down approach?

Safety Procedures: Helpful guidelines or obstacles to productivity?

Risk Assessment: Everyone’s responsibility vs. management’s job

Lockout/Tagout Procedures: Critical safety measure vs. time-consuming process

Afterwards or separately - focus on follow-up activities to map the impact of this perhaps somewhat heated type of organizational learning :)

Online Safety Quiz | Create a brief quiz related to the debate topic, offer small incentives for participation and high scores

Virtual Suggestion Box | Set up an online platform for employees to submit safety improvement ideas

Safety Observation Challenge | Encourage participants to submit observations related to the debate topic, discuss findings in the next session

Best Practice Sharing | Create a digital board where employees can post safety tips or best practices

Safety Story Collection | Invite employees to share personal safety experiences or near-miss stories online

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Facilitate your debate to illuminate your safety climate

With debateful & safetyful regards