Safety Speaker

Garrison Wynn, CSP

DYNAMIC, CUSTOMIZED AND FUNNY

Gain Influence Trust and Value – Learn How to Create a Culture of Safety and Make it Stick.

 
 
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Influencing Safety

How do you move safety through your organization?

How do you get buy-in? 

How do you get people to do what you want them to do regardless of the circumstances? 

“Engaged employees are more aware, less complacent and more likely to look out for each other. Incidents go down when morale goes up!” – Garrison Wynn

amazon 225x225

They absolutely loved you! Captivating yet influential and motivational, Garrison far exceeded expectations and was exactly the type of keynote speaker we were hoping for – still being talked about months later. 

– Amazon Global Safety Leadership

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Very engaging, interactive speaker. Garrison delivered a positive safety message that was very well received. And, he made us laugh! Highly recommend.

 – The Coca-Cola Company

Months after our general managers’ safety meeting, I continue to get calls from our folks who were in attendance asking if we can get Garrison Wynn to come back. Garrison’s message, combined with his unique, upbeat and entertaining delivery, was the perfect combination to reach every person in that room. 

– OXY

Enjoyed the presentation, well done! Garrison is a great speaker; he kept our group engaged, which is very hard to do! 

Cemex

Garrison Wynn engaged and excited our audience! He mixes humor with real world experience and certainly can reach an audience. His Safety message was relevant to our company and industry and he does his homework not only on our company but on the audience as well. His message on leadership reached all levels and had them discussing leadership and safety. We all walked away with something that can be applied in our everyday business. Thanks! 

– Dyno Nobel, Inc.

Garrison was absolutely fantastic and engaging. His incredible energy was infectious! His message completely hit home with exactly what our conference is about — safety, training, and leadership. We look forward to bringing him back!

 – Governors Occupational Safety & Health Conference

Garrison worked closely with us to develop tailored presentations that were centered around our safety behavior standard. Garrison’s talks were outstanding. With humor, energy, and compelling personal stories, he delivered a powerful message that resonated with our team. Garrison exceeded our expectations! 

– Anderson Development Company

We have received nothing but positive feedback from attendees, our CEO, and our Board members about your program. Thanks so much for hitting it out of the park for us!


APWA
American Public Works Association

Garrison Wynn’s presentation at our 24th annual Pipeline Safety Conference was extremely well received. Garrison was adept at putting out a very serious and important safety message while keeping the speech entertaining and engaging. We have had a wide variety of keynote speakers over the years, but Garrison stood out as exceptional. Conference attendees were talking about Garrison’s speech for days, and many other speakers referenced points that Garrison made. He was professional, and an absolute pleasure to work with, and I would highly recommend him for anyone hosting a similar event. Thank you to Garrison and the whole team at Wynn Solutions for a great event!  – Shane Ayers, Deputy Director,  Division of Utility and Railroad Safety – Virginia State Corporation Commission

Thank you for your outstanding contribution to the 11th Annual Joint Safety and Occupational Health Exposition. By sharing your time and energy, you contributed to a greater knowledge and commitment to safety among the soldiers, civilians and families of the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command. I would like to take this opportunity to express the gratitude of this command for your outstanding service. – James A. Dickinson, Lieutenant General US Army, Commanding General – U.S. SPACE AND MISSILE DEFENSE COMMAND

 

We asked Garrison to customize a one-hour safety keynote for the 22 events we scheduled. He got rave reviews (at all 22 events)! 

 – Alabama Power 

I want to thank you for coming in as a guest speaker for our 2020 Safety Stand Down. You did an outstanding job touching on safety subjects and giving great examples while doing so. You kept the crowd very engaged with humor and statistics. Those two don’t usually go together very well but you made it work! I got nothing but positive feedback from everyone I spoke to after you left. Feel free to use me as a reference for anyone reaching out to you in the future searching for a recommendation or review. Good luck moving forward and continue doing what you do, because you are Very good at it! 

– NATIONAL GYPSUM COMPANY

Thanks for a great presentation! You are the highest ranking speaker!–11.5 out of a possible 12. 

Disaster Recovery Journal

Inquire About Pricing And Availability

 

Influencing Safety

How do you move safety through your organization?

How do you get people to see that safety is not just a goal…it’s a lifestyle, and spread the word to employees, new hires, teammates and contractors?

How do you get people to do what you want them to do regardless of the circumstances? 

“Engaged employees are more aware, less complacent and more likely to look out for each other. Incidents go down when morale goes up!” – Garrison Wynn

Safety Program Descriptions

Engaged Safety

What the Most Successful Safety Leaders Do Differently

We hear the term “employee engagement” a lot these days. We also hear how recognition, goal alignment and a clear path to success can create it. But how can engagement produce a sustainable culture of safety as we strive for zero incidents? By leaders making their employees the “heroes” of safety.  

Drawing from Gallup research across 46 countries (research shows that engaged employees are 48% safer on the job than their disengaged counterparts), this highly informative and entertaining session reveals how skilled leaders at all levels create safety: They give employees what they value most—the feeling that they are valued. From this session, leaders acquire specific communication tools they can use to dramatically reduce resistance to change and to create a safer work environment. The impact of this program reaches far beyond the session itself, creating an emotional shift that fuels immediate implementation.

 

Making the Most of Difficult Situations

 

Action and Adaptability Create Safety

Change is something we all must deal with, but the stress that accompanies change is more of a choice.

In the last 30 months, anonymous surveys have indicated that more people have attributed the root cause of an incident to stress than in all previous year’s that data has been collected.

This fast-paced, fact-based, and entertaining session focuses on how to drive a safety culture forward, keeping in mind how stress can not only affect our health, but can distract us and create a reduction in situational awareness. It gives the specific communication tools and tactics that anyone can use to dramatically reduce resistance to change, increase focus and improve emotional wellbeing. From COVID/Post COVID challenges, employee engagement issues and just embracing everyday work and life problems, this research-based program takes a fun look at a very serious topic.

Customized Safety Leadership

The Truth About Awareness And Complacency

Garrison’s presentation can be tailored to focus on what’s most important to your group. Motivation, safety, communication and success tools mixed the way you like it. Below are segments that can be used to build a customized 30-minute to 1hr session.

  • What really motivates people to be safe: The real truth about influence and belief systems
  • How to get people to listen to you
  • Engaged employees are safer and look out for each other
  • We are our brother’s and sisters’ keeper: Awareness
  • Being present in the moment: Creating a safety culture
  • The truth about trust: Team building in action
  • Generational differences: Making sure veterans are supportive of Gen Y and young employees respect experience
  • Avoiding blame distribution: Working better together
  • Getting buy-in and changing behaviors
  • How to be right without making people wrong
  • Making change work: Dealing with resistance
  • Staying motivated by motivating others to be safe

Influencing Safety

Whether you are trying to reduce your number of recordables or prevent a good safety record from creating complacency, this entertaining, customized session is more than just a safe bet. It will get your people laughing, learning and motivated to create a culture of safety while maintaining productivity.

This program focuses on developing the personal influence to make things stick, whether you’re helping leaders move change through their locations, dealing with COVID based issues or getting workers to look out for each other on the job site. Garrison is authentic – a guy who’s been there. He’s a chemical plant explosion survivor who has developed environmental safety products still in use worldwide. He expertly fuses his experiences into key takeaways such as how to build the trust and relationships that make consistent safety a reality. He delivers those takeaways using a humorous approach that will have a serious impact on your event.

Remotely Awesome Leadership

It has long been known that frontline supervisors and foremen essentially run the day-to-day operations of an organization, but we often forget that their opinions and beliefs directly determine overall success. They carry such influence because people don’t really work for companies; they work for their direct supervisors. This hands-on (and gloves-off) customized, nonacademic session helps you get buy-in from those direct influencers by shifting their perspective toward creating a work culture that benefits them, their people, and the organization as a whole.

Creating A Culture Of Safety

Safety is not a priority — it’s a core value. Priorities can change but core values stay in place. While research points to the fact that groups that know, value, and listen to each other are dramatically safer than groups that don’t, it takes specific skills and effort to form a sustainable culture. This session provides the skills and belief systems to make that happen. From psychological wellness to embracing change, this entertaining, research-based program makes all your other safety initiatives much more likely to be implemented.

Generations Working Safer Together

How to Get Total Buy-in From Everyone

This upbeat, entertaining program explains why many older employees can be stuck in their ways, and why some younger workers are more likely to snap a picture of a fire than run from it! From how to influence and effectively motivate Gen Y & Z workers, to making sure your veterans pass on their knowledge and stay focused as they head toward retirement, this program shows how all generations can look-out for each other (and are actually safer together because of their differences).

Injuries and fatalities happened to people of all ages. And though younger workers seemingly have more injuries than older workers, people over age 45 have more fatalities. So, it’s important they have a balanced approach and respect each other. This fun informative session (backed by the latest research) focuses on how generations can work more effectively together and support each other to help reduce the number of near misses and recordables.

 

Influencing Safety: Virtual Version

Keynote Speech Delivered by Garrison Wynn

  • What really motivates people to be safe: The real truth about influence
  • How to get people to listen to you: the foundation of a safer culture 
  • Engaged employees are safer and look out for each other
  • Being present in the moment: Situational awareness
  • The truth about trust: Team building in action
  • Generational differences: Making sure veterans are supportive of Gen Y and young employees respect experience
  • Dealing with COVID19: social distancing does not mean no communication  
  • Getting buy-in and changing behaviors: new normal of PPE
  • How to be right without making people wrong
  • Making change work: Dealing with resistance
     

Virtual Breakout Sessions

1. Topic #1 – Understanding Employee Engagement: Creating a safety culture

a. What is it? Helping people understand that it’s not about how happy one is at work, but rather are the conditions right so they can be successful/safe

b. Why is it Important? – Employee Engagement impacts everyone’s overall well-being

c. Engagement Impacts Safety – demonstrating how engagement and a safe workplace go hand-in-hand

2. Topic #2 – Team Engagement Quiz

a. Team Engagement Quiz – Engagement survey generated by audience response system

b. Areas of Opportunity – How do our scores impact our safety culture

3. Topic #3 – Safety Action Planning Conversations

a. Getting Started – understanding how engagement becomes part of how team’s work, daily

b. Creating a Team Action Plan – Team discussion that centers on areas of opportunity and how to improve.


Deliverables: so you can never stop getting better

1. Participant Guide (take home the events key information with your notes)
2. Action Cards (great tool that you can use to improve and teach others)
3. Safety Action Plan Worksheets (create and maintain your safety culture).


Breakout Overview

Participants will learn the importance of engagement and how it impacts the workplace and influences on safety. Each participant team will work together to identify opportunities for improvement with respect to driving a Safety Culture. Attendees will leave the session with a set of actions that they will take to ensure a productive and safe work environment.

 
 

Safety speaker Garrison Wynn was very funny, knowledgeable about safety, well prepared and articulate – and most importantly, he held the audience’s attention. Our members gave him outstanding reviews.  – National Lime Association

 

Safety speaker Garrison Wynn absolutely hit a home run with the ESCS  Forum audience. He took the time to learn about the audience before his safety presentation which added a very personal feel. The audience said they could have listened to Garrison for another 90 minutes. The entire audience was so very captivated by his message and more importantly how he delivered it.   We look forward to recommending Garrison for future Nexen safety events. – Nexen

 

Garrison brought a uniquedown to earth safety perspective that resonated with both senior management and field operations personnel, not an easy audience to connect with. His fast-paced, energized message was spot on and he did so while staying clear of the typical safety buzz words and boilerplate that is so common in past speakers we have used. Garrison was a huge hit and perfect fit for our utility construction audience, content rich and entertaining all at the same time. Great job Garrison, we look forward to having you back at an upcoming event. – PRIMELINE Utility Services / VINCI Energies

 

Garrison delivered an opening keynote for our safety conference and did a fantastic job. Attendees really enjoyed the blend of insight backed up by research, complemented by comedic delivery. I would highly recommend him for your safety speaker. – Risk Control Technologies Inc. 

 

Garrison Wynn Safety Bio

With talents that established him as a Fortune 500 leader and professional stand-up comedian, Garrison Wynn, CSP, fuses comic timing and research to show how anyone can help create a culture of safety. He is authentic – a guy who’s been there. Wynn is a chemical plant explosion survivor with a background in industrial instrumentation. For 20 years, he has given keynote presentations to clients such as Exxon, BASF, the National Safety Council, Behavioral Science and Technology (BST), the NFL, and NASA. In his teens, he debuted the world’s first video gaming system with baseball legend Hank Aaron; and as a young man, Wynn spent six years touring comedy clubs with the top names in the business before going on to create industrial products still being sold in 30 countries.

 
 

The response to your safety presentations has been overwhelmingly positive and I continue to receive comments and e-mails from all areas about how much they enjoyed your message. Without a doubt, you are the most powerful and entertaining safety speaker we have ever experienced! – Gulf Power

 

When asked, “What was your favorite safety session?”, hands down, in the United States, The Netherlands and Nigeria, your safety keynote received the most votes. None of the other sessions came even close! Your session was high energyhumorous and gave very practical advice for Safety Managers on how they can be better leaders. Thanks for all your preparation in making sure that it hit the mark. – Royal Dutch Shell

 

We had the pleasure of hosting Garrison for our annual company safety conference. In advance of the conference, Garrison and I discussed what our companies current cultural challenges are. Garrison was able to address these challenges in his presentation, offering direction for our people that will help us to realize our goals. Garrison’s presentation was as entertaining as it was educational. It was time well spent for our folks and we look forward to having him back. – Wieland

 

Garrison’s ability to personalized his message for Mosaic was a great way to end each of the 7 sessions at our safety Expo. He gets the audience engaged and they start reflecting back on their own experiences! – The Mosaic Company

 

Garrison was able to get through to our people like no one else. We thought we knew it all; we were wrong. – Chevron

 

Garrison’s safety message was informative, entertaining and on point for the audience. US Pipeline

 

Questions And Answers About Garrison’s Safety Presentations

Do you get an opportunity to speak with safety professionals/this particular community often, and if so, how do you tailor your conversation to that community?

 

Yes, I speak at about 100 events per year, and 20 percent of the time it’s to safety professionals or those leading and creating a safer direction in their organizations. Research I’ve done over the past 15 years shows that knowledge, experience and intelligence are somewhat irrelevant if you don’t have personal influence. To reduce the number of incidents within an organization, it takes more than really good ideas; it takes people buying into a repeatable culture of safety. Some of this research is the basis of my book The Real Truth about Success: What the Top 1% Do Differently, Why They Won’t Tell You, and How You Can Do It Anyway, which is now an Amazon.com best-seller. Of course, I make sure my delivery of that information is very entertaining. Comedy is truth, only faster!

I understand the title of your presentation is “Making the Most of Difficult Situations: Communicating Safety.” Without giving too much away with regard to what you plan to present, what are some highlights or key themes you’d like to get across?

 

“How to Get People to Do What You Want Them to Do”

is the overall theme of influence.”

Segments Will Include:

  • Building trust in a minute or less
  • Everyone knows something you don’t
  • The foundation of influence (which anyone can master)
  • How to create safer behaviors by understanding the real reason people don’t want to change and learning how to reverse that mindset
  • Weird safety issues: Many people are hospitalized every year from eating Hot Pockets, which proves that we take risks when we value something else more than safety. (The fact that the thing we value in this case consistently turns out to be a Hot Pocket is as interesting as it is disturbing.) The word “hot” in the name of the product is apparently not enough to help reduce incidents. I’m sure the embarrassment alone reduces the recordables, which means the situation’s even worse than the statistics show.
  • Avoiding mixed messages like “Be safe – but not so safe that we can’t have a long lunch!” What’s the underlying message there?! “Keeping all your digits intact is a pretty good thing, but it can’t compare to grabbing a burger and a 10-minute nap”?
  • How to clearly explain the value of safety in 20 seconds
  • Standing up for safety policies and not letting your personal opinions confuse people about what they are supposed to do
  • Why some of the most talented people are so difficult to work with and what you can do about it
  • Dealing with people under 30 and making sure we are not creating a safety issue for them by bragging about how brave we were back in the day
  • How younger workers are different and how to motivate them (this includes your 22-year-old couch-dwelling son who plays video games for a living!)
  • Watching out for each other. Do we have the relationships in place that make us and those around us safer? The guy everyone dislikes is usually the last person saved if the plant goes up in flames!
  • You can’t lead by example if you’re a bad example.

 

There was also a reference to this being a “research-based” session. What research is this referring to? Any additional details you can provide or direct me toward?

Over 10 years, we anonymously surveyed 5,371 top performers regarding what makes them so successful. Many of them were safety professionals or people who work in hazardous industries. The research points to the power of influence and of making people feel valued.

 

What are the key tips/items you hope our readers/attendees will take away from your keynote?

  • How to make sure you have good relationships with people around you so they are looking out for you on the job
  • How to effectively hold people accountable for safety
  • How to clearly communicate a more powerful safety message that is more likely to get buy-in quickly
  • How to gain and maintain more personal influence
  • How to get people to see the value of safety and how to consistently show them your personal value as well
 
 
 

Safety Program Accountability Synopsis

 

What does safety accountability mean?
It means that you are held accountable for safety results. Your safety and the safety of your people are key components of your productivity.

Who is held accountable for safety?
Everyone should be held accountable for safety.

Why is this person the one that should be held accountable for safety?
OSHA says it’s the law; a supervisor can get sued for safety negligence. You have a moral responsibility as well. We should look out for others whenever possible.

How do you hold someone accountable for safety?
One way is in writing; accountability is in our corporate policies. We can also outline someone’s accountability verbally; we can clearly explain accountability and avoid blame distribution. Also, if you are willing to hold yourself accountable first, it becomes much easier to create accountability in others.

When do you hold someone accountable for safety?
All the time: when he or she first sets foot on the property or job site, before any incidents occur.

How do you get people to accept accountability for safety? 
You have to develop a why, to get them to excel in safety by choice because they want to, not because they have to. If you have built relationships on a strong foundation of trust and communication, you can dramatically improve people’s acceptance of accountability.

A series of conversations need to take place. This is not an overnight process. However, the first conversation may start like this:

“Our company is trying to achieve zero injuries and accidents; do you think that is possible?” Remember, what comes out of their mouth means more to them than what comes out of your mouth in this situation. Get them talking about how they can effect safety results.

How do you get people to realize that they are responsible for all of the people under their direction?

By getting them to understand the difference between accountability and responsibility. Accountability is when someone makes you accountable for the results, and responsibility is the act of agreeing to be accountable. Put another way, accountability is something someone places on you, and responsibility is something you willingly take on.

 
 
 

VIRTUAL PROGRAM OPTIONS

As an experienced virtual presenter, Garrison can deliver any of his keynotes in multiple formats depending on your specific needs.

 

“Excellent talk! Enjoyed your sense of humor, energy, and the quick stories that drove the points home. You did a great job weaving in those Intel specific points!” – INTEL 

“Great virtual presentation! We really like what Garrison said, and appreciate how pertinent the subject was to what we are living every day.” – IPSEN PHARMACEUTICALS 

“Garrison’s animated and genuine style is perfect for virtual events!  – MOLSON COORS BEVERAGE COMPANY

“You were great! Some wonderful chat messages. You were fantastic as usual.”   – NATIONAL RURAL BROADBAND ASSOCIATION

“The best delivery & message we have ever seen BAR NONE! We were enthralled every moment!” – CARRIER CORPORATION

THANK YOU!  We have gotten lots of great feedback and loved the Q & A discussion afterward. – ACCENTURE

“Loved the energy!!! It went great! We have only heard positive feedback.”  – WORLD SIGN ASSOCIATES

 
 

Inquire About Pricing And Availability

 

Influencing Safety

How do you move safety through your organization?

How do you get people to see that safety is not just a goal…it’s a lifestyle, and spread the word to employees, new hires, teammates and contractors?

How do you get people to do what you want them to do regardless of the circumstances? 

“Engaged employees are more aware, less complacent and more likely to look out for each other. Incidents go down when morale goes up!” – Garrison Wynn