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Every Conversation Shapes Your Culture:
How to Host a Non-Boring Toolbox Talk
The best toolbox talks don’t just tick a compliance box; they create moments that change how people think, communicate, and look out for one another. By making pre-start meetings more engaging, leaders can build stronger teams, encourage open conversations, and reinforce a workplace culture where safety becomes everyone’s responsibility.
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The Gloves Story
One of the most embarrassing moments of my career happened during a 5am pre-start at a coal site in Central Queensland.
I was new to the industry and had never worked in mining. My job was to launch a new initiative, and I was genuinely excited to be there. As I talked, I could feel the engagement in the room, which was not bad for a crowd that was still waking up. Afterwards, the maintenance superintendent asked how I thought it went. I told him, “Oh, look, I reckon a 7 out of 10. Went pretty well.”
He smirked. “Leanne, just so you know … your gloves were on back to front the whole time.”
There it was. I was that person from head office, standing in front of the crew, looking like a complete fraud. But the strangest thing happened. It turned into a career-laughing moment, not a career-limiting one. “Gloves” became my new nickname. It broke the ice. And more importantly, that unintentional stunt got attention.
I learned two things that day. First, getting attention for your message matters, and you do that by snapping people out of autopilot. Second, no amount of safety gear can protect you from who you already are..!
The Real Enemy is Autopilot
Think about the last time you sat through a flight safety briefing. You know how it goes: four over-wing exits, two left and two right, your nearest exit may be behind you.
What happens? Everyone switches off. The more familiar something feels, the easier it is to ignore.
Most pre-starts run in the same spot, at the same time, led by the same person, covering the same topics, starting with the same question, “Was yesterday a safe day?” and finishing with the same line, “Let’s have a safe day.”
Does that happen at your pre-starts or toolbox talks?
In safety, autopilot (or unconscious competence) is the most dangerous place to be. So if you are leading any kind of meeting or gathering, here are some practical ways to snap your group out of it and get your safety message to cut through.
Break the Pattern
A pattern interrupt is a small, deliberate break from what people expect. It is used in psychology, comedy and great communication to snap the brain out of autopilot by giving it something it did not see coming.
Here are some practical ways to do it.
- Change where you stand. Most pre-starts have the presenter at the front and the crew facing forward, everyone in the spot they have stood in a hundred times. Present from the back of the room instead. Walk through the group. The physical shift alone gets people looking up.
- Plant a mole. Before the session, give someone in your crew a heads up that you would like them to share a story or a question with the group. A different voice breaks the “one person talking at us” dynamic and turns the talk into a conversation.
- Ask a random question. The footy scores, the weather, their thoughts on the new Taylor Swift album, anything that snaps a brain out of “same old”.
- Use a turn and talk. I love speaking to groups, but I still feel the nerves when it is time to put a question to a big room. So make it a turn and talk. Ask something specific like, “What is one thing on this site that, if we fixed it today, would make your job easier?” then get people to discuss it with the person next to them. When you ask for share-backs, say, “What did you discuss in your pairs?” so the person answering is sharing the group’s response rather than their own. It feels safer, and more people join in.
- Vary how you deliver. Show a photo of a real hazard from your site, bring in a prop, or get someone to physically demonstrate the correct manual handling technique. Change your pace and your pitch when you talk, and remember that the power of a pause is wildly underrated.
Good work doesn’t speak for itself.
Getting attention is the whole idea behind my new book, Work Fame. Safety and HR leaders are some of the most underrecognised professionals in any organisation, doing critical work that is invisible by design. Work Fame is about changing that – getting noticed for the contribution you are already making, so the right people see it, your voice carries more weight in the room, and the right opportunities follow.
About the author
Leanne Hughes is an author, keynote speaker and consultant. Her second book is Work Fame: Get the projects, promotions and perks you deserve (Wiley, 2026) and is available for pre-order today. She has worked with teams across mining, construction, aviation and professional services to help people get noticed, build influence and become recognised for the work they are already doing.
Leanne is on a mission to make 1001 people work famous.
Pre-order your copy today and claim your star on the Wall of Work Fame: getworkfame.com
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