--- title: "HSSEQ Bulletin: Engaging Conversations – When do they become a distraction?" date: 2020-10-07T20:55:00+01:00 author: Joanne Hennigan canonical_url: "https://kentplc.com/news-insights/hsseq-bulletin-engaging-conversations-when-do-they-become-a-distraction" section: Blog --- 07 Oct 2020 Insights & Opinions # HSSEQ Bulletin: Engaging Conversations – When do they become a distraction? ![HSSEQ Bulletin Engaging Conversations When do they become a distraction]() Here at Kent, we are strong advocates for engaging conversations that switch people on! But when does it switch from being useful to just a pain in the proverbial? There is a tipping point where they just become a distraction from the work we are here to do. On worksites, there are the pre-starts, the site inspections, the PTW walkdown and then just as you are about to get started, the safety guy wants a chat to make sure we have considered all risks and hazards. Aaaargh, you just want to get the job started right?! How do we strike the balance between engaging our people and getting the job done? Once engaging conversations become transactional, they lose their value. Like any good tool, overuse blunts its effectiveness. Spontaneous engagement is often the best. Being present in the field and building relationships. That way if you do see a situation that twitches your spider senses then your confidence in those relationships will give you an understanding when to intervene. The key is trust. To build trust you must build rapport and you can’t do that behind a desk or in budget meetings. Get to know your tribe, be it at the office or on project sites. Be curious about them as people and not just resources and don’t let conversations become transactional. Share this story [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fkentplc.com%2Fnews-insights%2Fhsseq-bulletin-engaging-conversations-when-do-they-become-a-distraction) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://kentplc.com/news-insights/hsseq-bulletin-engaging-conversations-when-do-they-become-a-distraction) [X](https://x.com/intent/tweet?url=https://kentplc.com/news-insights/hsseq-bulletin-engaging-conversations-when-do-they-become-a-distraction&text=HSSEQ%20Bulletin:%20Engaging%20Conversations%20%E2%80%93%20When%20do%20they%20become%20a%20distraction?) Related Blogs ## You might also like [![TL David Boland Offshore Maintenance Thumbnail]()](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/reducing-complexity-in-offshore-maintenance)Insights & Opinions [Reducing complexity in offshore maintenance ](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/reducing-complexity-in-offshore-maintenance)Kent's Operations Manager, David Boland, explores how integrated maintenance models improve reliability and reduce offshore complexity [Read article](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/reducing-complexity-in-offshore-maintenance) [![TL Dave Blackburn Strategies Thumbnail]()](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/where-late-life-strategies-break-down)Insights & Opinions [Where late life strategies break down ](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/where-late-life-strategies-break-down)Kent's SVP Global Late Life Assets & Decommissioning, Dave Blackburn, explores why the transition to decommissioning should begin while assets are still operating [Read article](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/where-late-life-strategies-break-down) [![TL Ian Long Thumbnail 1]()](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/as-oil-and-gas-developments-become-more-complex-why-early-technology-selection-matters)Insights & Opinions [As oil and gas developments become more complex, why early technology selection matters ](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/as-oil-and-gas-developments-become-more-complex-why-early-technology-selection-matters)Kent's Study Manager – APAC, Ian Long, explores why early technology selection matters as oil and gas developments become more complex [Read article](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/as-oil-and-gas-developments-become-more-complex-why-early-technology-selection-matters) [![TL Ferruh E web thumb]()](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/why-the-data-centre-conversation-now-starts-with-substations)Insights & Opinions [Why the data centre conversation now starts with substations ](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/why-the-data-centre-conversation-now-starts-with-substations)Kent Data Centres new VP of Design & Engineering, Ferruh Ertekin, details the increasing importance of substation design for future infrastructure expansion [Read article](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/why-the-data-centre-conversation-now-starts-with-substations) [![TL Carl Titchmarsh QGC Thumbnail]()](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/the-best-mtac-partners-never-stop-earning-their-place)Insights & Opinions [The best MTAC partners never stop earning their place ](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/the-best-mtac-partners-never-stop-earning-their-place)Kent’s SVP Operations – APAC, Carl Titchmarsh, explores why the best MTAC partnerships are built on continuous improvement, not longevity [Read article](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/the-best-mtac-partners-never-stop-earning-their-place) [![Thumbnail AUS 2026 Ad 63 C Brand]()](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/what-were-learning-about-ccus-technology-as-the-industry-matures)Insights & Opinions [What We’re Learning About CCUS Technology as the Industry Matures ](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/what-were-learning-about-ccus-technology-as-the-industry-matures)Kent’s Principal Process Engineer Chris Long details the innovations across Carbon Capture projects in the evolving market [Read article](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/what-were-learning-about-ccus-technology-as-the-industry-matures) [![Thumbnail 31]()](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/the-gccs-ai-race-will-be-won-on-infrastructure)Insights & Opinions [The GCC’s AI race will be won on infrastructure ](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/the-gccs-ai-race-will-be-won-on-infrastructure)Kent Data Centres' Yousef Maayah details how evolving technology has led to an infrastructure challenge in the GCC, ones best suited for designers [Read article](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/the-gccs-ai-race-will-be-won-on-infrastructure) [![Yousef Maayah TL thumbnail]()](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/gccs-next-data-challenge-is-water)Insights & Opinions [The GCC's next data challenge is water ](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/gccs-next-data-challenge-is-water)Kent Data Centres' Yousef Maayah discusses balancing increasing cooling requirements with resilient and sustainable design [Read article](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/gccs-next-data-challenge-is-water) [![TL Clinton Smith Thumbnail]()](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/how-far-should-a-hazop-really-go)Insights & Opinions [How Far Should a HAZOP Really Go? ](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/how-far-should-a-hazop-really-go)Kent's Clinton Smith details his experience of ensuring HAZOP studies cover meaningful methodology [Read article](https://kentplc.com/news-insights/how-far-should-a-hazop-really-go) [](#)[](#)