Advice for safety engineers

Instead of the British Safety-Critical Systems Symposium for which I'd have accompanied Chris to Bristol, had this been a normal year, all of the SCSS February 2021 meetings took place online. I watched the recording of one of the "after-dinner" speeches over his shoulder, Emma Taylor instructing the delegates how, if their messages are going to make the right impact on those who make decisions, engineers need to be "prepped, skilled and aware." This was all to do with communications.

"People weren't happy with what I was saying as a safety engineer," she confessed, and she wasn't getting through to those who should have been taking heed of her warnings, but then, while watching Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, who undeniably "pack a punch" when they are addressing the crowds, she experienced "penny-drop moments." How could she adopt their rhetorical techniques for more beneficial purposes? 

The recipe for convincing rhetoric is 50% pathos, 40% ethos and 10% logos. An appeal to the emotions stands a much better chance of being remembered than a reasoned argument.* Watch popular action movies, suggests Ms. Taylor, and consider how the hero journeys through a series of crises supported by his friends, triumphing over his enemies. That's the basic formula. All you [engineers] have to fight with are your words. When you're talking to the "enemy," be sure to start with an arresting phrase or image that will catch his attention.

For a year or two Emma Taylor left software engineering and ventured into politics, and while she was an MEP candidate in England, although she lost the election she learned a thing or two. She learned to acknowledge, rather than answer, challenging questions. Journalists are not your friends, she realised. Your words can be twisted, weaponised against you, so you need to recognise these tactics (and the hurtful effect they have on you) and in return, use the right catch-phrases, act confident ... 

"Landing" a message about software safety is the same. You have to be both bold and brave. Don't be inhibited, don't worry, don't obfuscate the truth, don't lie. Do hold on to your curiosity, do be aware, do keep practising.

She recommends the book Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss, who relies upon certain key strategies when negotiating for the release of hostages: "The best way to deal with negativity is to observe it without reaction and without judgement. Consciously label each negative feeling and replace it with positive, compassionate, solution-based thoughts."

Safety engineers can get angry with the people who oppose them, so they need persistence and resilience. 

The same applies to anyone else who hopes to persuade.

* I remember studying Shakespeare's Julius Caesar at school and comparing the speeches Brutus and Mark Anthony made after the death of Caesar: same thing.