AS A NERVOUS FLYER, I USED TO LOVE LISTENING TO THE PILOTS TALK.
The radio offerings on long haul flights once included the transmissions of the pilots to other pilots and to air traffic control.
I loved the special language and the sound of the many voices.
It was particularly thrilling when I would hear the pilot of my flight request permission to climb to a new altitude, the tower confirm, and then the pilot would “roger that” and the plane would climb.
And I felt smug knowing it would happen before the other passengers who weren’t tuned in. Ah, control.
But those transmissions also taught me something powerful about communication: the importance of not just conveying information but confirming that people hear and understand it the way it was intended.
Think how often in organizations, management sends an email about a change and then is frustrated because no one is implementing the change. They feel that they have communicated when, in fact, they have only conveyed.
Confirmation is now more important than ever because so many of us are working remotely.
Repetition plus checking in matters.
Pilots developed a system of communication to prevent collisions.
Taking the extra step to confirm that people have heard and understood your message can prevent the communications crashes that cost money and time and erode morale.
Roger that.
#effectivecommunication #prismofvalue
