CREW RESOURSE MANACEMENT

An Aviator (pilot) will be able to understand Crew Resource Management (CRM) principles and explain the concepts and responcibilities of assertiveness and effective communications, to identify also hazardous situations and specific tools to maintain situational awareness in the aviation environment.

The necessity of CRM

Mishap information indicates that approximately 80% of all accidents are the result of human error. And further, that this human error is the result of both, a lack of technical and situational awareness training.

CRM, is the effective use of all available resources: hardware and software, in an effort to achieve a safe and effective outcome.

The pilot must be able for clear and concise communications and must be able to recognize and state problemw and solutions associated with sending and receiving messages. That means he must have COMMUNICATION SKILLS.

Communication skills are easy to improve through proper training. We simply have to say exactly what we mean and actively listen to others.

COMMUNICATION IS IMPORTANT

Psychologists say we spend an estimated 80% of our awake time communicating in some way. However, in a normal environment, only 30% is understood as the sender expected. The large majority of human error mishaps are caused by a failure of effective communications.

SENDING THE MESSAGE

We communicate our thoughts to others by 3 main methods

VERBALLY.
BY TONE.
BY BODY LANGUAGE.

Psychologists have determined that there are 6 steps that must occur for information to be properly transmitted, and received and then acknowledged, these are:

IDEA
ENCODE
TRANSMIT
RECEIVE
DECODE
IDEA

Solutions to sending problems

BE CONCISE

SAY EXACTLY what you mean.
(do not assume that that what you say will be correctly interpreted).

USE STANDARD phraseology.
(this eliminates confusing, shortens the message and is familiar to every member of the crew).

REQUIRE FEEDBACK.
(immediately ensures message was received). Good examples are altimeter settings and traffic alerts.

RECEIVING THE MESSAGE.

LISTENING SKILLS are just as important as sending the proper message. Active listening is an essential skill to ensure effective communications. Listening is made more difficult by the fact that we can think much faster than we normally talk. We talk at 125 words/minute and we think at 500-1000 words per minute. While the other person is talking we often prepare our own answer, think of ways to debate the speaker, try to predict, or worst of all, daydream about something else!!

Solutions to receiving problems

ACTIVE LISTENING which consisted of:

ASK QUESTIONS

PARAPHRASE or TRANSLATE the message (aloud if needed) TO MAKE IT MORE CLEAR.

ACKNOWLEDGE THE MESSAGE.

HOLD YOUR ARGUMENTS AND/OR CRITICISM.
STOP TALKING and LISTEN.