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Verbal Communication Skill for Cabin Crew |
In aviation, communication is a complex system consisting of verbal, non-verbal, written, spoken and electronic communication. The results of many studies and accident investigations show that lack of communication skills among individuals involved in aircraft operations contributes to the bulk of accidents and incidents in aviation. Conclusions pointed out that aviation activities require highly skilled people in communication with a solid technical profile.
In this article, I am going to write about verbal communication which is highly used during flight, verbal communication is used by cabin crews to greet passengers, between Cockpit Crew and Cabin Crew, Cockpit Crew communicate with ATC, and between Cabin Crew and Ground Handling Staff etc.
The quality of verbal
communication has a direct effect to the safety and efficiency of flight
operations.
What Is a Verbal Communication?
It is a type of oral communication, in which the message is conveyed through spoken words. The sender uses words for his feelings, thoughts, ideas, and opinions and then expresses them in the form of letters, discussions, presentations, and conversations.
The Verbal Communication Process
Verbal communication between cockpit crew and cabin crew can be face-to-face (e.g. captain to cabin crew), remote (e.g. Inter-phone, P.A announcement). Verbal communication can be enhanced by supporting non-verbal communication such as body language, deliberate signals (hands, lights, signs).
To understand how effective verbal
communication should be done between the cockpit crew and cabin crew. Let us understand
the different elements of verbal communication as a communication process.
Note :
I am using the term " Purser "
: it mean a Cabin Crew appointed by the airline to act as Chief/Lead Cabin Crew
of the Cabin Crew and to take orders directly from the Pilot-in-Command.
1- Sender [The Captain]
The very foundation of the verbal
communication process is laid by the person who transmits or sends the message.
For Example:
The Captain is, therefore, the
initiator of the message that needs to be transmitted to the Purser. After
having generated the information regarding any emergency [ emergency landing is
required]. The Captain encodes the
message in such a manner that can be well-understood by the Purser [ through
safety training, safety policy].
In this context, the Captain must:
-
know what he wants to communicate (i.e.
know what response he wants from the intended Purser).
- Be clear (use his manner of speech
objectively and subjectively to make it so).
-
Test
understanding (either by direct observable feedback or through questioning).
2-
Message
[Conveying
Message an Emergency]
Message is referred to as the
information conveyed by words as in speech depending upon the situation and the
nature and importance of information desired to be sent. Message is the heart
of communication. In this case the Captain wants to convey to the Purser about
any emergency.
For example:
If the emergency required landing, the
message will be [An in-flight emergency arising,
emergency landing will be required ]
3- Encoding
Encoding is putting the targeted message into an appropriate medium which may be verbal depending upon the situation, time, space and nature of the message to be sent.
If this is the message, as I said before
[An in-flight emergency arising, emergency landing
will be required]. Do you think the captain will say
this using P.A while all passengers are hearing, of course no, the message will
be encoded.
The Captain puts the message into a series of words which will be communicated to the Purser [Purser to the cockpit, Purser to the cockpit ], this words are previously agreed in aviation safety policy and have been trained in formal safety training.
During aircraft operations, sometimes,
encoding is an important step in the verbal communication process as wrong and
inappropriate encoding may defeat the true intent of the communication process.
4- Channel [P.A announcement]
Channel(s) refers to the way or mode the message flows or is transmitted through. The message is transmitted over a channel that links the Captain with the Purser. The message is oral and it may be transmitted through a P.A announcement.
Since each channel has its advantages
and disadvantages, the choice of proper selection of the channel is paramount
for effective verbal communication.
5- Receiver [Flight Purser]
Purser is the person who the message is meant for. He must be a good listener. Any negligence on the part of the Purser may make the verbal communication ineffective.
The Purser needs to comprehend
the message sent in the best possible manner such that the true intent of the verbal
communication is attained.
The extent to which the Purser decodes
the message depends on the following :
- His/her knowledge of the subject matter
of the message.
- His experience.
-
His training.
- Trust.
- Pre-flight briefing with the Captain.
The Purser is a significant factor in
the verbal communication process as the Captain is. It is the other end of the
process. The Purser should be in a fit condition to receive the message, that is,
he/she should have a channel of communication active and should not be
preoccupied with other thoughts that might cause him/her to pay insufficient
attention to the message. In this case, purser will understand that he must go
immediately to the cockpit to receive further safety instruction from the
captain [face to face].
6- Decoding
Decoding refers to interpreting or converting the sent message into intelligible language. It simply means comprehending the message Purser after receiving the message interprets it and tries to understand it in the best possible manner.
In case of the Captain massage
was encoded [Purser to the cockpit, Purser to the
cockpit ], Purser will decode it as the following:
An in-flight emergency has arisen, I must go immediately to the cockpit to receive the (NITES ) briefing by the captain [face to face], and after that give emergency briefing to all cabin crew to prepare for emergency landing . By this way, a passenger will not get scared and Cabin Crew will prepare them for evacuation
Note :
Some airline use NITES briefing for inflight emergency, the
captain brief the purser of the flight on the following points :
N - Nature of the
emergency - the problem with the aircraft .
I - Intention - Weather
forced landing or Ditching .
T- Time - How much
time remaining airborne.
E - Escape routes
- Any known factors affecting the exits.
S - Signal - The signal
the captain will give for Brace.
In this context, the Purser must:
- “Actively”
listen,
- Test meaning,
and
- Demonstrate
their understanding.
7- Feedback
Feedback is the ultimate aspect of the
communication process. It refers to the response of the Purser as to the
message sent to him/her by the Captain. Feedback is necessary to ensure that
the message has been effectively encoded, sent, decoded and comprehended.
In this case, the Captain will ask the purser to repeat back
the full instructions [NITES] which already given.
It is the final step of the
communication process and establishes that the Purser has received the message
in its letter and spirit. In other words, the Purser has correctly interpreted
the message as it was intended by the Captain. It is instrumental to make
communication effective and purposeful.
Summary
Verbal communication become ambiguous
and confusing with the inappropriate use of non-verbal communication. A number
of recent aviation accidents have been attributed to breaching this verbal
protocol
For this reason, airlines should provide Cabin Crew with aircraft technical training, this training will give them more confidence in communicating safety-critical information to the cockpit.
CRM training encompasses a wide range of knowledge, skills, and attitudes including communications, situational awareness, problem-solving, decision making, and teamwork; together with all the Cabin Crews sub-disciplines which each of these areas entails. furthermore, the joint Cockpit and Cabin Crew training is strongly recommended for airlines to improve the two Crew's coordination and communication.
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