MODULE 11

COMMUNICATIONS

Table of Contents

Session plan ........................................................................................................................ 2

Communication .................................................................................................................. 3
Barriers to communication ........................................................................................ 5
Locked door policy ..................................................................................................... 6
Communication and culture ...................................................................................... 6
Cultural barriers to effective communication .......................................................... 6
Different interpretations of common gestures ........................................................ 7
Effects of colloquialisms/slang on communication ................................................ 8
Body language ............................................................................................................ 8
Posture...................................................................................................................... 10
Gestures ................................................................................................................... 11
Face and eye expressions ....................................................................................... 11
Proximity ................................................................................................................... 11
Consider your behaviour in the crew room ............................................................ 12
Behaviour, approachability and communication ................................................... 13
Communication – Linguistic factors ............................................................................. 14
Enhancing effective communication ............................................................................ 17
Reducing communication error over the RT .......................................................... 19
Blocks to communication ........................................................................................ 19
Listening ............................................................................................................................ 19
Barriers to effective listening .................................................................................. 20
Communication and synergy exercise .................................................................... 21
Common language ................................................................................................... 25
Communication incident Fokker 100 ..................................................................... 25
Standard common language ................................................................................... 25
Improving communication ....................................................................................... 26
Your role in communication improvement ............................................................. 26
Some specific tips: ................................................................................................... 26
Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 27
References ........................................................................................................................ 28
Bibliography ...................................................................................................................... 28

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Module 11

Communication

Session plan

Module no 11

Module title Communication

Duration 2 hours

Optimal class size 6 to 12

Learning On completion of the module the student will:

Objectives Be able to identify how we communicate.
Appreciate the barriers to communication.
Have an understanding of aviation jargon
Recognise the importance of standard aviation phraseology

Delivery method Facilitation

Trainer Trainer to have completed 5 day CRM Trainer core course.

qualifications

Student None
prerequisites

Trainer materials PowerPoint

Whiteboard
Flipchart

Participant Handout: Barriers to communications, Albert Mehbrians myth, Lost on the moon
materials exercise, Aviation common language

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Communication
Slide – Header slide

Slide – Communication

“The problem with communication is the perception that it has been

achieved.”

George Bernard Shaw

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Slide – Objectives

Slide – Communication

This scene may be seen by aircrew at home or work from time to time. Ask the group to
consider how many people are communicating in this picture. Ideas may range from none,
one or two depending on their outlook on communication.
As crew members, we use and communicate so much information, written and verbal, so
we need to make it effective.

Question

What do we mean by communication?

One commonly accepted definition is the transmission of information from one location or
person to another.
Communication in the form of expressions, gestures and language has developed over
centuries. Many accidents and incidents have been caused by a breakdown in
communication or a lack of communication.
Communication could be defined as the process of transmitting and receiving ideas,
information, feelings and messages. The transmission of information is an important
feature of human society. Communication is a means of increasing mutual understanding.

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The word mutual is important, because it emphasises that communication is a two-way

process. All effective communicators know how to listen, as well as how to talk.
A pre-requisite of good management is the ability to properly communicate with others.
Encouragement must also be given to others to communicate freely without fear or
embarrassment. A good manager should at all times be receptive to the views of others.

Barriers to communication
Handout – Barriers to communication

There are many barriers to communication but we can split them down into 4 areas:
Language, Psychological, Physical and General. In 5 minutes list as many things as you
can think of which inhibit communication under the headings on your handout. Do not
worry too much about which heading is the most appropriate for a particular point, the
headings are purely a prompt.

Language Psychological Physical General

Foreign speech & accent Shy Noise Authority gradient

Regional dialects Aggressive Too little space Rank

Double meanings Personality clash Hot/Cold Experience

Jargon Lack of interest Distance Cultural differences

Technical language Education Time Lack of knowledge

Rambling Status Disability (deaf/blind) Company structure

Insufficient information Intelligence Post Sept 11th, the Hardware failures

given locked f/deck door resulting in emails or tel.
msgs not getting
through

Fear Hygiene (body Gender

odour/bad breath)

Stress Discomfort Inaccurate perceptions

– the cabin crew won’t
understand or the pilots
won’t be interested

Fatigue Locked door policy. See

next exercise below

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Locked door policy

Generate a brief discussion on the individual airline’s SOPs regarding the locked flight
deck door policy. Do you find it has inhibited communication in anyway? Are there any
problems with the cabin crew still checking the pilots on a regular basis?
Work in pairs. Select couples to present their issues, solutions and generate discussion
including:
 Causes of clash or conflict – listening to each other.
 Lack of visual contact between pilots and cabin crew.
 Social structure.
 Causes of reduced crew performance.

Communication and culture

In order to avoid generalisations and stereotypes about cultural groups, variations within
cultures must always be considered.
Unfamiliarity with cultural communication differences can lead to misinterpretation,
misunderstanding and even unintentional insult. For example, the aircrew member who
openly states his or her feelings may be misperceived as hostile. The crew member,
meanwhile, may see himself or herself as an honest person willing to share feelings as a
necessary first step in resolving problems.

Cultural barriers to effective communication

Effective communication with people of different cultures is especially challenging.
Cultures provide people with ways of thinking, seeing, hearing, and interpreting the world.
Thus the same words can mean different things to people from different cultures, even
when they talk the "same" language. When the languages are different, and translation
has to be used to communicate, the potential for misunderstandings increases.
There are "behaviour constraints". Each culture has its own rules about proper behaviour
which affect verbal and nonverbal communication. Whether one looks the other person in
the eye or not, whether one says what one means overtly or talks around the issue, how
close the people stand to each other when they are talking, all of these and many more
are rules of politeness which differ from culture to culture.
Different cultures regulate the display of emotion differently. Some cultures get very
emotional when they are debating an issue. They yell, they cry, they exhibit their anger,
fear, frustration, and other feelings openly. Other cultures try to keep their emotions
hidden, exhibiting or sharing only the "rational" or factual aspects of the situation.
All of these differences tend to lead to communication problems. If the people involved are
not aware of the potential for such problems, they are even more likely to fall victim to
them, although it takes more than awareness to overcome these problems and
communicate effectively across cultures.

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Different interpretations of common gestures

The nature of the aviation environment means that we are often in contact with people of
differing cultures (crew and passengers). It is therefore important for crew to understand
how the gestures they use unconsciously may be misunderstood.
The following activity allows participants to look a little closer at how body language might
be interpreted.
Demonstrate the gestures below and ask the students to write down what they think each
gesture means.
1) Beckon with index finger.
2) Point at something in the room using index finger.
3) Make a "V" sign.
4) Smile.
5) Sit with sole of feet or shoe showing.
6) Form a circle with fingers to indicate “O.K.”.
7) Pat a student on the head.
8) Pass an item to someone with one hand.
9) Wave hand with palm facing outward to greet someone.
10) Nod head up and down to say “Yes”.
The following responses give a general guide to cultural differences in the meaning of
gestures.
1) Beckon with index finger. This means “come here” in the UK. To motion
with the index finger to call someone is insulting, or even obscene, in
some cultures. It is more acceptable to beckon with the palm down,
with fingers or whole hand waving.
2) Point at something in the room using index finger. It is impolite to point
with the index finger in the Middle and Far East. Use an open hand or
your thumb in Indonesia.
3) Make a "V" sign. This means "Victory" in most of Europe when you make
this sign with your palm facing away from you. If you face your palm in,
the same gesture means "Shove it".
4) Smile. This gesture is universally understood. However, in various
cultures there are different reasons for smiling. In some parts of Asia,
people may smile when they are confused, angry or embarrassed.
People in other cultures may not smile at everyone to indicate a friendly
greeting as we do in the UK. A smile may be reserved for friends. It is
important not to judge people because they do not smile, or smile at
what we would consider "inappropriate" times.
5) Sit with soles shoes showing. In some cultures this sends a rude
message as showing the soles of the feet demonstrates disrespect. You
are exposing the lowest and dirtiest part of your body so this is
insulting.

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6) Form a circle with fingers to indicate “O.K.” Although this means “O.K.”
in the UK. in many countries around the world, there are some notable
exceptions: In Brazil, this gesture is obscene. In Japan, this means
“money.” In France, it has the additional meaning of “zero” or
“worthless”.
7) Pat a student on the head. This is very upsetting to some people from
Asia. The head is the repository of the soul in the Buddhist religion.
People from cultures which are influenced by Buddhism will feel
uncomfortable if their head is touched.
8) Pass an item to someone with one hand. - In Japan this is very rude.
Even a very small item such as a pencil must be passed with two
hands. In some Middle and Far Eastern countries it is rude to pass
something with your left hand which is considered “unclean”.
9) Wave hand with the palm facing outward to greet someone. In Europe,
waving the hand back and forth can mean “No.” To wave “good-bye,”
raise the palm outward and wag the fingers in unison, this is also a
serious insult in Nigeria if the hand is too close to another person’s
face.
10) Nod head up and down to say “Yes”. In Bulgaria and Greece, this
gesture means “No”.(2)

Effects of colloquialisms/slang on communication

We should also be aware of how the use of colloquialisms and slang, whilst understood by
us, may mislead others. An example of which happened to an Irish crew as follows:
The procedure on the flight deck (since the locked door policy was enforced) was that if a
pilot wanted to leave the flight deck to visit the toilet they would call a cabin crew member
into the flight deck to cover. On this occasion one of the pilots needed to visit the toilet just
prior to top of descent and called the SCCM saying “Can you get up here quick I want to go
to the Jacks (his term for the toilet).” As it happened, the junior crew member at the back
of the aircraft picked up his call and heard what she thought was “get up here quick we’re
being hijacked!”. She then ran forward exclaiming a little too loudly to the other crew that
the Captain had called and they were being hijacked. This was overheard by many
passengers who became quite anxious. This shows how misunderstandings can occur with
people from different backgrounds that are not familiar with the colloquialisms or slang of
another person.

Body language
Group exercise – Do as I say

Ask the group to do the following whilst you as the trainer make all the moves for them to
follow:
Stand up - put left hand on head - put right hand on stomach - make a circle with your
finger and thumb with your left hand - put it to your shoulder - put it to the top of your head
- put it to your chin, BUT as the trainer showing them, you put yours to your cheek.
How many follow your actions instead of putting it to their chin – were they listening to you
properly?

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Slide – How do we communicate?

55% of the message of our interpersonal communications is conveyed by body language,

another 38% by the tone of our voice and only 7% by the words. Therefore the use of a
wrong facial expression or gesture can give a quite different meaning to the intended
message.
If we compare the above figures to our communications in the air we find that body
language reduced to about 1%, tone accounts for 15% and words now account for 84% of
the total message. It is extremely important therefore that we choose our words very
carefully.
Body language can speak just as strongly as verbal communication. You walk into the crew
room on your first flight with a new company and wish to introduce yourself to the Captain
of the flight. There is only the operating crew within the room and it is very obvious that you
are the new F/O. However, the Captain who is talking trivia with another crew member
sees you enter the room and as you start to walk over, with a look of arrogance he turns
his back on you just before you reach him and carries on laughing and joking with the
other crew member. We can give off non-verbal signals that create impressions.

Question

But are the above percentages accurate in all instances?

Answer

Of course not, a pilot talking to ATC in flight can hardly get 55% of the message from the
air traffic controller’s body language.
So where did these percentages come from and what was their intention?

Handout –Albert Mehrabian’s myth

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Flip chart – Body language exercise

Split students into 4 groups and ask them to write down on paper as many non-verbal
signals that you can think of that create the following impressions:
 Warmth.
 Hostility.
 Control and domination.
 Submissiveness.

Trainer – Transfer answers onto flip chart paper for reference.

Warmth Hostility
Open posture & expansive gestures Aggressive posture
Sympathetic gestures Harsh tone of voice
Careful use of personal space ‘Set’ mouth
Relaxed warm tone of voice Frowning
Smile and crinkled eyes Staring eyes
Distance
Invading personal space

Control and domination Submissiveness

Talking loudly/quickly‘ - Controlling’ tone of voice Closed posture
Ignoring responses - Interrupting in a loud voice Talking very little/quietly
Stern expression Meek tone of voice
Stabbing fingers and other forceful gestures Allowing interruptions
Invading personal space Constant agreement
Downcast eyes
Hand-washing or other nervous gestures
Allowing personal space to be invaded

Our body language is conveyed by our posture, gestures, the face and eyes, tone of voice
and proximity

Posture
This comprises of the angle of the head, shoulders, hips and feet and the direction of
inclination and position of the arms and legs. For example, if someone feels comfortable
with a situation and with themselves, they may raise their heads and look openly at you,
they may lean back slightly indicating relaxation or forwards to indicate interest.
Aggression may present itself as a full frontal stance and an appearance of domination.
Defensiveness presents itself as physically closed up. Hands and arms may protect mouth
or abdomen, legs may be crossed tightly and attempts made to look smaller.

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Arrogance presents itself openly; the ankle of one leg may rest on the knee of the other,
leg hands may be clasped around the back of the head.

Gestures
People use their hands and arms in a variety of ways, some gesticulate frequently, others
hardly at all. Some of this can be cultural. Arms can be used to signify defensiveness in an
attitude of self-protection or they can signal relaxation. Hands can be used to hide facial
expressions, they can demonstrate openness and honesty, they can emphasise points
aggressively. Fingers can be used to indicate impatience and they can be used accusingly
or threateningly.

Face and eye expressions

Humans have more control over their facial muscles than any other animal species,
making this the most expressive part of our bodies.
 Raised eyebrows and an “O” shaped mouth indicate surprise.
 Raised eyebrows and an open smile signify real pleasure.
 A down-turned mouth suggests displeasure.
 Knotted eyebrows and tightly pursed lips signify anger or displeasure.
 Avoidance of eye contact can give the impression that we are shifty,
disinterested or uneasy.
 Too intense eye contact can appear aggressive and make others
uncomfortable.
 Immediate and moderate eye contact accompanied by a pleasant
facial expression can give an impression of confidence, and a positive
approach to communication.

Proximity
A gap of about 4 feet generally means that people are not in contact with each other, less
than this and strangers may start to get edgy. 2 to 3 feet generally means effective
interaction or a joint activity. Less then 1.5 feet generally means friendly or intimate.
You will often find that if you go into an elevator with only one other person in it and stand
right next to them, they will edge away. Likewise, do the same in a library, pick a book off
the shelf and stand immediately next to another person and they will edge away. There are
some unspoken rules and these can vary with country and culture. Problems with proximity
normally arise when people feel their personal space is being invaded, this is a favourite
trick of aggressive people.
The following non verbal behaviours (body language) could be shown by people when
communicating. Without any further context, decide at least two possible meanings that
each of these behaviours could have.
A person:
1) Smiles slightly.
2) Has their arms folded tightly across their chest.
3) Shrugs their shoulders.

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4) Hides part of their body with their hands.

5) Is constantly squirming.
6) Sits with their arms and legs folded tightly.
7) Lower lip is quivering.
8) Nostrils are flaring.
9) Raises one eyebrow.
10) Is holding their chair tightly with their hands.
11) Face is getting pale.
12) Keeps their eyes lowered as they speak to someone else.
To get a real meaning from the body language you should read more than one message,
for example a person’s stance, along with a facial expression.

Question

How do people show negative messages?

Negative Messages Shown By:

Boredom Yawn, slouch, head in or on hands and leaning side on

Lack of pride Appearance

Over-casualness Sloppy dress habits, posture, slouch, hands in pockets

Irritation Rubbing the back of their neck

Impatience Uneasy movements, shuffling from foot to foot, half turns

away, tapping with toe or fingers

Superiority/Off hand Arms folded, smirk on face, looking the other way when
being addressed

I do not have time to talk Looking at their watch, rubbing watch

Anxiety Wringing of hands, shuffling from one leg to the other

To use body language effectively we must ensure it is positive. Smile, use open gestures,
lean forwards if sitting listening, open hands palms up etc.

Consider your behaviour in the crew room

Do we make an effort to introduce ourselves? Do we attempt to share mutually useful
information before we arrive on board, such as the passenger load, weather condition etc?
Many people create an artificial barrier every bit as strong as the flight deck door. We often
become childish when we perceive we feel we are being patronised, or overly submissive
with someone we see as “authority”.

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It is important that we have an adult to adult relationship between the aircrew, in order to
fulfil our every day role successfully and to provide a stable platform of trust for co-
operation in an emergency.
We often allow our preconceptions of other personnel to dictate our behaviour and
attitude towards them. Airlines are rife with gossip and it is easy to form an unfavourable
impression of someone we have never even met!
For those operators with cabin crew on board, it is a fact that modern aviation is
responsible for erecting barriers between aircrew. And even with today’s more progressive
attitudes, there is still a substantial reluctance from the cabin crew to:
 Enter the flight deck.
 To submit a point of view or observation, especially in a safety or
technical matter.

Behaviour, approachability and communication

Often we are judged by our behaviour, we are responsible for it and we should remember
that behaviour breeds behaviour and approachability.
Interpersonal communications rely on more than just the spoken word. The tone and
inflection in which the words are spoken or instructions given will be reflected in the
response received.
Tone of voice is an important aspect of our communication:
 Too quiet and it infers nervousness.
 Too loud, fast and abrupt shows impatience.
 Too low, slow and monotones infers boredom.
 High, rapid and jerky may illustrate fear.
An aggressive style may well result in an aggressive response, no response at all or even a
response designed purely to appease.
There are also other important considerations affecting our communications, such as:
listening, feedback, courtesy, posture and eye contact. Take for example: you’re in your
local supermarket, it’s very busy with lots of people bustling around you, and some of the
items you really need are sold out. The price of coffee has gone up and the checkouts all
have enormous queues. By the time you eventually get to be served the cheerful checkout
girl smiles and says a chirpy hello only to have you respond with a big frown and a grunt.
What happens to her? She withdraws the cheerfulness and the smile disappears. Try the
opposite. Arrive at the checkout smiling and full of the joys of spring and it is likely they will
respond in the same manner.
Eye contact, facial expression, body orientation, hand and head movements, and physical
separation are all ways of communicating without speaking. Eye contact is usually very
brief, except between the most intimate of friends. In general, the avoidance of eye
contact is associated with guilt, whereas prolonged staring is usually associated with
aggression and is seen as threatening, so should be avoided.
Facial expressions can convey a whole series of emotions, sadness, delight, disgust,
contempt, boredom and many more.

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Touch, except for a brief handshake, is not welcome in western society; an individual tends
to be suspicious of someone who clings to a hand when introduced.
When bored we avoid even the briefest of eye contact, or may display our disinterest by
drumming fingers or playing with a pencil.
We guard our personal space jealously, sitting or standing in close proximity to someone
other than intimate friends unsettles us. If colleagues are sharing a desk, facing each
other, they tend to resent spill-over from their colleagues side into what they perceive as
'their space’ and will move objects, openly or surreptitiously, back to the other side.

Communication – Linguistic factors

Slide – Communication – Linguistic factors

There are many factors which can enhance or inhibit effective communication, some
examples follow:

Slide – Perceived meaning ‘v’ intended meaning

This example refers to the Tenerife airport disaster. A fatal collision between two Boeing
747 passenger aircraft occurred on 27th March 1977, on the runway of Los Rodeos Airport
(now known as Tenerife North Airport), on the Spanish island of Tenerife, one of the

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Canary Islands. With a total of 583 fatalities, the crash is the deadliest accident in aviation
history.

Slide – Misinterpretation

Slide – Rate, tone and intonation

Slide – Standardisation & length

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Video – Communication problems – Airplane the movie clip

Key points

Slide – Key points

Proficiency in English is essential to flight safety, but even native speakers of English have
communication problems.
The confirmation/correction loop can protect against linguistic errors.
Context and expectations can lead the listener to hear what he or she expected to hear.
Paralinguistic factors such as speech rate and pauses can affect communication quality.

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Slide – Key points cont..

Aircrews need to be aware that non-native English speakers often cannot distinguish
between certain sounds and therefore may not understand a communication.
Aviation jargon, especially the use of numbers, can lead to confusion and errors.
There are 49 instances where FAA and ICAO use different words for the same meaning.
When in doubt, CONFIRM!

Enhancing effective communication

Successful communication is dependent upon several factors, you can enhance effective
communication with consideration of the following:

Slide – Enhancing effective communication

Clarity (clear & simple)

The clarity of the transmitted message, no communication can be effective if the message
is not clear. Think first about what you are going to say, what is the central message and
what are the clearest words you can use to put it over. If there is a lot to say, do so in a
series of short messages, checking that the person is clear about what you mean.

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Brevity (brief, short, concise)

Brevity and clarity go hand in hand. The more briefly you speak the clearer the message
will be. If you ramble, reword or rephrase it can become confusing and deprive the
message of its impact.

Empathy (sympathy, compassion, understanding)

Ask yourself “how would I feel on the receiving end of this message?” Consider how your
message will be received and be understanding. Make sure the message has been
interpreted as it was intended.

Feedback
Feedback plays an important part in our interpersonal communications, often we don’t
check that our communication has been understood, or how the other person feels about
what has been said. A lack of response may lead to the isolation of both parties and this
can, in turn, completely undermine the value of the message. Feedback is vital to keep the
communication channel open. We must ensure that there is sufficient time for a response,
and that there is a proper feedback atmosphere with no suggestion of embarrassment.
Don’t undermine the person or try to prove how clever you are.
To ensure mutual understanding you could ask checking questions such as
 What is your opinion?
 Have I put that clearly?
 Is that acceptable?
 How do you feel about that then?
The other elements that can assist communication are:
Facilitate a short session to bring out the factors that assist communication – include
points listed below - reasons why they assist communication, the importance especially
between pilots and cabin crew and anyone else they interact with.

Standard common language

Use standard phraseology to avoid potential ambiguity and misinterpretation

Briefings
Briefings focus the attention of the crew on the current and projected status of the flight,
they can highlight responsibilities and actions to be followed in both normal and non-
normal situations. It allows the sharing of information between. If briefings are carried out

Manners and courtesy

Having respect, good manners and being courteous can help set the tone for open
communication

Recipient’s attention, comprehension and acceptance of the message

When communicating consider the recipient’s level of attention and comprehension of the
of the message and how accepting they are of it.

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Reducing communication error over the RT

To reduce the possibility of RT communication errors:
1) When it is busy do not speed up the delivery, it does not help.
2) Use standard phraseology.
3) If it’s urgent, make it sound urgent, by intonation.
4) Do not attempt to read something back if you are unsure of the
instruction, rather ask the controller to “Say again”.
5) Always use your full call sign or accepted abbreviation.

Blocks to communication
Blocks to communication can arise in a number of ways. For example, one block to
effective communication could be chosen personal style. Some people just don’t want to
know. Perhaps if you fly with an old hand captain who has been flying all his life and at the
start of every season he ends up flying with excited new first officers so he just switches
off. Then there is the willingness or ability of the receiver to take in information. It is very
easy to become overloaded, as is evident in many incidents.

Listening
Slide – Listening

Listening is an essential skill in communication. If you master this, you can increase your
understanding of others and become a more effective communicator.
Sometimes we hear but we don’t listen. For example a married couple if one of them is
absorbed in a TV program whilst the other is talking to them. Suddenly the one watching
TV comprehends the end of their partner’s sentence, which is “are you listening to me?”
There is also background noise that we can shut out. For example if you live on or near to
the approach to an airport there will be frequent noise that you will eventually become
accustomed to. When friends and relatives visit they are very aware of the aircraft passing
overhead but you won’t notice it. Bird song in the morning is the same, you can ‘hear the
noise or you can listen to it’.

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Slide – Listening Skills

 Look interested - It helps the communication if when you are listening,

you look interested
 Inquire with questions - A good way to improve your skill as a listener is
to clarify points with the person speaking to make sure you have
interpreted what they have said correctly. In aviation there are no
stupid questions. For example “Can I confirm you plan to...?”
 Stay on target. When you listen to someone observe the person
speaking. Concentrate on what is being said and don’t let your mind
wander. We are occasionally guilty of pre-planning what we will say
next, rather than listening what is being said to you.
 Test understanding. Make sure your interpretation is correct. Check the
meaning of any jargon terms.
 Evaluate the message. Pick out the key points, bring the points
together and summarise.
 Neutralise your feelings. Stay neutral; do not allow emotive responses
to inhibit your listening. Occasionally we play Devil’s advocate and no
matter what is said we take the opposite view, or we might tune out,
which means we ignore the speaker because of some particular
prejudice.

Barriers to effective listening

Verbal barriers
 Interrupting the speaker.
 ‘Nit picking’ and getting bogged down with details on trivial points.
 Talking to another person.
 Asking closed questions which inhibits the flow, asking questions on
another subject, changing the subject.

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Non-verbal barriers
 Avoiding eye contact by looking away or closing eyes.
 Looking bored and yawning, fiddling, fidgeting and constantly changing
seating position.
 Clock watching, inattention, looking elsewhere, tidying papers, re-
arranging notes.
 Switching off due to lack of understanding or perceived difficulty of
subject.
 Selective listening, listening only to ideas or facts that you want to hear
or that you agree with.
 Becoming distracted this could be by sights or sounds for example a
persons accent or repeated use of words or the colour of their tie or
any particular mannerisms they may have.

Communication and synergy exercise

Slide - Lost on the moon team exercise

This exercise is a group exercise designed to get you all involved. It should promote
discussion and communication.

Handout - Lost on the moon exercise

Your spaceship has just crash-landed on the moon. You were scheduled to rendezvous
with a mother ship 200 miles away on the lighted surface of the moon, but the rough
landing has ruined your ship and destroyed all the equipment on board except for the 15
items listed below.
Your crew’s survival depends on reaching the mother ship, so you must choose the most
critical items available-for the 200-mile trip. Your group's task is to rank the 15 items in
terms of their importance for survival.
Place number 1 by the most important item, number 2 by the second most important and
so on, through to number 15, the least important.

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Initially work through the sheet on your own and put your individual ranking to the items
listed below. Let me know when you have all completed the list as individuals. Do not
confer at this stage.

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Moon Survival NASA’s Rank Your Rank Difference Group Rank Difference
Items NASA to you NASA to Group

1. Box of 15
matches

2. Food 4
concentrate

3. Fifty feet of 6
nylon rope

4. Parachute silk 8

5. Solar-powered 13
portable heating
unit

6. .45-caliber 11
pistols

7. Case of 12
dehydrated milk

8. 100-pound 1
tanks of oxygen

9. Stellar map (of 3

moon's
constellation)

10. Self-inflating 9
life raft

11. Magnetic 14
compass

12. Five gallons 2

of water

13. Signal flares 10

14. First-aid kit 7

containing
injection needles

15. Solar- 5
powered FM
receiver-
transmitter

Totals Totals

Once all individual rankings complete, work together as a group and once again rank the
items. This time obviously I want you to confer and come to a group decision on the ranks.

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Lost on the moon – De-brief

Trainer – whilst the delegates are completing the exercise, observe the delegates and how
they go about organising themselves to attain the ‘group’ score.
After you have given the NASA scoring and the delegates have completed their individual
scores and the ‘group’ score – whiteboard each of the delegates score onto the
whiteboard and then ask for the ‘group’ score and write that on the whiteboard as well.
Compare the two scores – the group score should be lower than most of the individual
scores.
Ask the group the following questions:
 How did you organise your team?
 Did you select a leader?
 Did you ask if anybody had any survival experience or knowledge of the
moon’s surface?
 How did you decide on the order from 1-15?
 Was the selection of the items done in a democratic or autocratic way?
 Was everybody given the opportunity to put their opinions and thoughts
across?
 Did anybody feel like they could have contributed more?
 What happened if somebody disagreed?
 Were there any moments of negotiation?
Trainer – give them feedback on what you observed about the group performance and the
groups dynamics.
This exercise has been designed to demonstrate synergy, which considering there are no
Astronauts in the room, proved that as a group, you arrived at a better outcome/score
than your individual scores.
There may have been delegates in the room whose score was better than the ‘group’
score, but overall, the team average benefited from communication and teamwork,
discussion and negotiation.

Conclusion
An effective communicator is assertive and sensitive without being aggressive. They take
time to clearly understand another person’s positions and feelings and respecting those
positions and feelings.
Assertive means clearly and calmly presenting one’s own positions and feelings.
Aggressiveness should be minimised as it is very destructive to good communication
especially when you already have an authority position.
Subordinates are easily intimidated by any show of aggressiveness by their supervisor.
Being assertive without being aggressive requires effective use of the communication
skills and tactics presented in this section.

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Common language
Another factor in our communication with each other is that we need to share a common
language. EASA CAT.GEN.MPA.120 quotes the following:
The operator shall ensure that all crew members can communicate with each other in a
common language.
It is especially important when conversing between pilots and cabin crew that the
terminology is standardised to reduce potential misunderstandings, which could have a
detrimental outcome to a situation.
There are a number of incidents which have occurred in relation to which side of the
aircraft crew are referring to. An example of this follows:

Communication incident Fokker 100

The incident happened on a Fokker 100 on a short-haul flight out of Amsterdam. The
aircraft had no doors at the rear of the aircraft and also no natural light due to the
absence of windows in the very rear. It had 2 toilets, one left side and one right side,
neither toilet was labelled in any way.
During the outbound flight the right hand rear toilet became unserviceable and the cabin
crew, who identified it whilst facing rearwards, mistakenly advised the Captain that the left
toilet was unserviceable.
The Captain entered the details into the defects log and on turn-around the Engineers,
who didn’t have time to repair the toilet, labelled it unserviceable. However they labelled
the left which was in fact the serviceable toilet.
On the return leg, the unserviceable toilet (not labelled) which had been in continuous use,
overflowed in to the cabin causing hygiene problems and cosmetic damage. The toilet and
surrounding cabin area had to be deep cleaned which significantly delayed the aircraft and
caused a substantial loss of revenue.
Lesson point – The cabin crew must refer to left and right with reference to facing forward.
It could be critical to flight safety if referring to fire, smoke, engines etc.

Handout - Aviation common language

An example of some aviation terminology and abbreviations widely distributed to the cabin
crew of UK operators is shown in the handout.

Standard common language

It is noted in FODCOM 25/2004 that 30% of Mandatory Occurrence Reports received by
the CAA concerning runway incursions include reports of conditional clearances as being
either misunderstood by pilots or read back incorrectly and which were not challenged by
Air Traffic Controllers. It is vital that conditional clearances are both read back correctly
and complied with exactly.
Research has shown that there is a wide variation in the quality of R/T phraseology being
used in day to day operations. There is guidance attached to FODCOM 25/2004 outlining
best practice for both taxiing and standard R/T phraseology. This has since been
reiterated and expanded in FODCOM 1/2006 and is also the subject of a EuroControl

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action
plan. http://www.eurocontrol.int/safety/gallery/content/public/library/AGC_action_plan.p
df
Established protocols and standard phraseology are designed to protect us from
communication errors. Good RTF discipline is a significant factor in minimising errors in
communication. Adherence to principles which include the correct use of full call signs and
complete read backs between aircraft and ATC particularly regarding level change and
heading instructions can play a very important part in maintaining safe operations. In the
air and on the ground all RTF users must display a determination to use standard
phraseology and take extra care with intonation and message content.

Improving communication
Communication is critical to everything that goes on in an organisation. Without effective
communication there can be little or no performance management, innovation,
understanding of passengers, and coordination of effort.
Many managers do not communicate well, and do not set an organisational climate where
communication within the organisation is managed effectively. This isn't surprising, since a
manager who communicates ineffectively and does not encourage effective organisational
communication is unlikely to hear about it.
Poor communication is self-sustaining, because it eliminates an important "feedback
loop". Crew members are loathed to "communicate" their concerns about communication
because they do not perceive the manager as receptive.
In short, you may be fostering poor communication, and never know it. You may see the
symptoms, but unless you are looking carefully, you may not identify your own involvement
in the problem. What can you do about it?

Your role in communication improvement

Effective organisational communication, regardless of form, requires three things:
Everyone must have the appropriate skills and understanding to communicate well.
Communication is not a simple process, and many people simply do not have the required
depth of understanding of communication issues.
Effective organisational communication requires a climate or culture that supports
effective communication. More specifically, this climate involves trust, openness,
reinforcement of good communication practices, and shared responsibility for making
communication effective.
Effective communication requires attention. It doesn't just happen, but develops as a
result of an intentional effort on the part of management and staff. Too often,
communication, whether it is good or bad, is taken for granted.

Some specific tips:

1) Actively solicit feedback about your own communication, and
communication within the airline. Ask crew questions like:
 When we talk, are you generally clear about what I am saying?
 Do you think we communicate well around here?

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 Have you got any ideas about how we could communicate better
2) Assess your own communication knowledge and understanding.
3) Working with everyone in your team, define how you should
communicate in the airline. Develop consensus regarding:
 How disagreements should be handled.
 What information should be available and when.
4) Look at the impact of the structure of your airline and how it impacts on
communication. Indirect communication, where communication is
transferred from person to person, is highly likely to cause problems.
Look at increasing direct communication, where the person with the
message to send does it directly with the receiver.
5) Pay special attention to inexperienced crew members who are not as
familiar with the standard common language (jargon). Do not be afraid
to validate information expressed by the new crew member; such as is
it on the left side or the right side “when facing forward”. Ensure that if
you are passing information you are clear and get feedback that the
information has been received and is understood, particularly in
abnormal circumstances such as emergency situations.

Conclusion
An effective communicator is assertive and sensitive without being aggressive. They take
time to clearly understand another person’s positions and feelings and respecting those
positions and feelings.
Assertive means clearly and calmly presenting one’s own positions and feelings.
Aggressiveness should be minimised as it is very destructive to good communication
especially when you already have an authority position.
Subordinates are easily intimidated by any show of aggressiveness by their supervisor.
Being assertive without being aggressive requires effective use of the communication
skills and tactics presented in this section.

Slide – Any questions

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References
1) Cultural Barriers to Effective Communication
University of Colorado, USA
2) Communicating with Gestures
J Haynes
3) EASA Air Ops

Bibliography
1) Fatal Words: Communication Clashes and Aircraft Crashes.
Cushing, Steven. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1997

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