ABSTRACT
This chapter examines general communication skills in the workplace, describes problems with communication and provides examples of the impact of poor communication on safety. It presents models of communication and different types of communication as well as suggestions to improve communication. Although one-way communication is faster and hence more efficient, two-way communication is more accurate because it relies on both the sender and receiver to work together to ensure that information is understood. Language is a form of communication consisting of signs and symbols and can be verbal or non-verbal. Different modes of communication, such as face-to-face conversations, email, telephone, should be employed to suit communication requirements related to the situation. Training in communication is typically included as a module of crew resource management training. The use of communication skills is particularly important during briefings which include Shift handover, Pre-mission/task brief and Debrief.
