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HUM

Human FactorsLesson 3 of 5

HUM 003

Communication

The communication model

A message leaves the transmitter encoded and reaches the receiver decoded, and barriers push against it on the way.

TransmitterENCODINGEmotionPersonalityAttitudeExperienceMessageDECODINGPersonalityEmotionAttitudeExperienceReceiverBarriers
Each end runs the message through its own emotion, personality, attitude and experience.

Barriers

Thirteen things that push against the message on its way across.

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Seniority
  • Noise and static
  • Lack of credibility
  • Multiple communications
  • Body language
  • Bad listening and expectancy
  • Culture and prejudice (bias)
  • Fatigue and stress
  • Language and jargon
  • Distractions and load capacity
  • Incomplete messages and dubious wording

Verbal and non-verbal communication

Verbal is in words, spoken or written, which is why writing on a strip counts. Non-verbal is everything else, the tone of the voice included.

Verbal

In words, spoken or written

  • Clearances, information and instructions
  • Coordination with colleagues
  • Writing on strips
  • Writing memos
  • And more
Non-verbal

Everything but the words

  • Body language
  • Tone of voice
  • Strip placement on the flight progress board, LAW 009
  • Visual signals
  • Hand movements
  • And more

What you perceive

According to communication experts, the parts of a message you pick up divide like this.

60%30%10%
Body
Voice
Words

Before rounding: Albert Mehrabian’s own figures, 1971

55%38%7%

On the radio there is no body to see, so the voice and the words carry it all. That is what the next block is about.

Good communication in RTF

Eight things that make a radio exchange work. Radiotelephony itself is ATM 002.

ABC12ICAO alphabetStandardphraseologyGood rateof speechTone of voiceRadiodisciplineSplit up longmessagesRead-backActive listening
A controller and a pilot on the radio, and where each of the eight shows.

Hearing and listening

You must listen to what is actually being said, not just hear that someone is talking.

Hearingthat someone is talking.
vs
Listeningto what is actually being said. We call it: to listen actively.

Active listening

Focus on the one sendingFocus on your own replySenderListenerMy reply…SenderListener
Attention goes one way at a time. Put it on the reply, and the message goes past.
  • Focus must be on the one who is sending the message, not upon your reply.
  • If you only focus upon your answer, you will prevent active listening.

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