Byron Edgington ATP, CRMI Crew Resource Management Training I don t believe in accidents.
AaaaaaHHH!!!
Communication
Objectives Identify how we communicate Understand barriers to communication Understand aviation jargon
Watt did he say?
Barriers to communication Ambiguity Language/jargon etc. Medium Anticipation Emotional state Stress
CRM = good communication: Mehrabian study 7% verbal 38% tone of voice 55% facial expression, body language
Teamwork exercise-- Non-verbal signals: Team #1 Warmth #2 Hostility #3 Control #4 Submission
Body language & Anti-CRM messaging
Pragmatics: Knowing what words mean. The following is an actual radio transmission I heard many years ago. SP=Student Pilot CMH= Columbus (OH) approach control SP: Ah, Columbus, I d like to come on in and land. Roger, for radar identification squawk 3831 Ah, say again? Sir, are you transponder equipped? Negative, I m on the GI bill
Paralinguistics: Anatomy of speech Rate Message length Jargon In a high-density traffic environment Slow down
He said what..?
Elements of good communication Clarity Brevity Empathy (not what you think) Feedback WS
Elkader? Eldora? What s the difference? War Story: Listening is critical to success. I took off one morning as a rookie HEMS pilot with flight nurse Jan, who was chief FRN, and a veteran, expecting a carefree flight to Elkader. Ten minutes after takeoff, Jan opened her intercom. Have you been to Elkader? No, I responded, I d not yet flown to Elkader. Three minutes elapsed. As I cruised along, Jan s voice came through my headset again: Sure is a long way to Elkader, she said. Yep, sure is, I said. Probably fifty miles. At least, Jan said. Almost on the border. Now, Jan was a friendly, accommodating nurse, an Iowan, in other words not given to confrontation. I sensed something bugging her. What border? That did it. Jan knew the rookie pilot was headed the wrong direction. With Minnesota, she said. You know, Elkader? The light bulb flicked on in my head. I d heard the page from dispatch not as Elkader, but as Eldora, a town seventy miles northwest. I banked to the right, leveled off and a half hour landed at Elkader. Jan was pleased.
Clarity? Brevity? Empathy? Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
Checking questions What s your opinion? Is that clear? Is that acceptable? How do you feel about that?
Cultural component of communication KAL 801 8.6.1997
What kind of night? War Story: Not long after John F. Kennedy jr. crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in July 1999, I lifted off for a neonatal flight. The weather was fair, with a slight chance of lowered visibility and possibly fog several hours later. At takeoff time, the ceiling was unlimited, and visibility was seven miles or so. But there was moisture in the air, and the forecast for early morning fog made sense. Around 9 PM I leveled off for the short flight to the Quad Cities, and cruised on. My veteran flight nurse was clearly uneasy. I sensed her body language, the crossing and uncrossing of her legs and her shifting in the seat. She cleared her throat several times. Halfway to Davenport, she opened her mic. Sure is a JFK junior kind of night, she said. I took the hint and abandoned the mission. Overreacting? Perhaps. But I wanted the reputation that came with listening to my crews, even when their discomfort may have been uncalled for. The bottom line, however, is this: Speak up. Don t use euphemisms and indirect language. Tell each other exactly how you feel, and what the issue is. In the air is no place to worry about hurt feelings.
Assertive scripts Listen, Bob : Get attention; use name I don t like : State concern Why don t we..? : Propose alternative What do you think? : Ask for a response
The P.A.C.E.R Model 5-Reconfirm 1-Probe 4-Emergency 2-Alert 3-Challenge
P.A.C.E.R. at work Jim, we have wires ahead Jim, confirm the wires at 12 o clock? See the wires 12 o clock, fifty feet? Go around! Reconfirm/Challenge
A voice: Susan Nichols (video courtesy of The Center for Medical Transport Research TCMTR.org)
CRM for good communication Vigilance/focus Hand off tasks P.R.O.D. P.A.C.E.R.
Remember CRM can t change personalities Only behaviors
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The standard for accidents must be Zero
Summary & Objectives Understanding how we communicate Barriers to communication Understanding aviation jargon
Questions?
Next: Module #7 Resource Management