When we think about the skills required for a civilian aviation pilot, many of us primarily recall their technical skills and knowledge.

However, effective communication is one of the most important elements of a pilot's job. This is partly because pilots communicate not only with each other, but also with a large number of people involved in flight operations - air traffic control (ATC), airport staff, flight attendants, technical staff, the airline's flight control center, and even passengers.

They transmit and receive critically important information, make quick and balanced decisions, all under conditions that are often stressful and rapidly changing.

Effective communication in aviation is important not only for ensuring flight safety, but also for creating a positive working atmosphere within the crew.

Recognizing the importance of this aspect of a pilot's work, and the ability to effectively use communication skills, becomes a key element in preparing future specialists. This article is a short journey into the world of communication in the aircraft cabin, its peculiarities, and the role of each crew member in this process.

The transfer of information is a vital part of the crew's work process. The transfer of information ensures the exchange of important information among crew members, which helps them make the right and timely decisions. This could be information about the weather, the state of the plane, the situation in the airspace, and so on.

The importance of effective information transfer in aviation cannot be overstated. Deficiencies in information transfer can lead to serious consequences, including aviation incidents.

According to a study conducted by NASA, insufficient or incorrect information transfer can lead to incorrect data interpretation, which in turn can cause decision-making errors.

For instance, a study conducted by Dr. Steven J. Casner and his team at the NASA Ames Research Center showed that about 21% of 1,300 analyzed aviation incidents were related to problems with information transfer. Of these, about 80% led to situations that could have been avoided with more effective interaction.

Understanding how to effectively transfer information requires understanding some key elements of communication - the ability to clearly and accurately express your thoughts, as well as the ability to listen and correctly interpret the received information. This applies to both verbal and non-verbal communication.

It's important that the transfer of information in the aircraft cabin is not limited to just pilots. Every crew member, including flight attendants and all services supporting the flight, plays their role in ensuring effective communication. Effective information transfer in aviation requires teamwork, where each crew member understands their role and the significance of their contribution.

The importance of various forms of communication in aviation cannot be overstated. Aviation uses three main types of communication: verbal, non-verbal, and paralinguistic.

All these types of communication play an important role in ensuring the safety and effectiveness of flights. Understanding and using these various forms of communication is key to successful teamwork.

In aviation, where reaction time can be crucial, body language plays a significant role in communication. After all, we perceive information not only from words but also from gestures, facial expressions, and body movements.

In an airplane cabin, body language can be especially useful for transmitting non-urgent information or when words might be unclear due to noise. For example, a pilot might point a finger at a certain system or instrument that needs attention, or make a gesture signaling the need to perform a procedure.

But body language is also important for general understanding and good teamwork. Often, we immediately feel when something is wrong based on a colleague's gestures or facial expressions. It's important to correctly interpret these signals and respond to them.

Interestingly, research shows that the perception of body language can be intuitive. In one experiment, participants were shown photographs of people and asked to assess their emotions based solely on body movements and facial expressions. The results showed that most people are capable of accurately determining the emotions of others, even without words.

Non-verbal communication, such as body language, "complements" any verbal communication during face-to-face interaction, and it conveys a subjective message (sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle) that may contradict the objective one. Otherwise known as discrepancy.

Communication will inevitably suffer failures if conditions arise that complicate the smooth functioning of the process. These are referred to as barriers because they create obstacles to the progress of interaction.

Identifying these barriers is extremely important. Depending on the role of the transmitter and receiver of information, barriers can be classified as follows:

Each of these barriers represents a problem that needs to be addressed to ensure effective communication in an aircraft cockpit. To cope with these obstacles, it is necessary to provide training, practice regularly, and implement a culture of open communication.

Effective communication with people from different cultures is especially difficult. 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 speak the "same" language. When languages are different and translation is required for communication, the likelihood of misunderstanding increases.

When conveying information, it is important to follow certain rules and avoid common communication mistakes. Here we'll consider several key points:

Common mistakes in communication include the inability to listen, ignoring feedback, using unclear or ambiguous language, and disregarding cultural differences. By avoiding these mistakes and following the rules above, aircraft crews can significantly improve the effectiveness of their communication.

In conclusion, it's important to stress that the importance of effective communication in aviation cannot be overstated. When a crew communicates clearly, openly, and with all nuances considered, it operates like a well-oiled machine, which ultimately contributes to flight safety.

All elements we've talked about - from understanding the process of information transmission to considering body language and cultural differences - play a key role in this process. And, of course, potential barriers that can hinder communication should not be forgotten. They range from stress to a lack of knowledge and misunderstanding of cultural differences.

Finally, it's worth emphasizing that the ability to communicate is a skill, and like any other skill, it requires practice. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them. Over time, this will improve your communication skills and make you a more effective crew member.

Name of article: Communication skills
Release date: 7/13/2023
Acrticle author: Georgii Kurbatskii