SMCR Model
Sender-Message-Channel-Receiver (sender and receiver don’t have to be consciously aware of communication happening)
Sender/Receiver
Communication skills, attitudes, knowledge, social system, culture
Alignment needed for successful communication
Message
Encoded by sender - content, elements, treatment, structure, code
Channel
Decoded by receiver - hearing, seeing, touching, smelling, tasting
Nonverbal Communication
Paralinguistics - rate, tone, pitch, volume, prosody (rhythm, stress, and intonation), facial expressions, eye contact, body language, hand gestures - can have significant impact on receiver’s interpretation
Barriers to Communication
Sender deficiency: impaired skills, limited training
Receiver deficiency: hearing is not listening, selectively attending to one thing and not another (GPWS not heard)
Mismatches: disparity in attitude, knowledge, social system, or culture (steep flight deck gradient), language (jargon),
Message deficiency: encoded in a way that doesn’t reflex situation, too long/short (use NITS)
Transmission/reception barriers: physical (noise, oxygen masks, flight deck door), interruptions
NITS briefing
Nature: summary of situation
Intentions: what will happen
Time: time to land, time to begin to approach
Special instructions: anything receiver needs to do or know
Establishing a positive team atmosphere
Stroke - a social action that can temporarily satisfy recognition hunder of someone else (like saying hi or acknowledging someone’s presence)
need to be in first 4 minutes to maintain relationships
Can set negative tone if not done
Communication strategies for effective briefings
First 4 minutes determines how effective
Listen, understand, be calm, don’t interrupt, don’t judge, beware of biases, concentrate, don’t rehearse answers while listening
NITS or ASSIST
Brief crew for plans, threats, and actions
Primacy/recency effect: start and end have better recall
Deeper thinking = better recall (chronological recall)
Better recall if encoded in same environment
Stay ahead of the plane!!
Communication strategies for assertiveness:
Honest communication between both pilots - highlight unsafe acts
Communication strategies for assertiveness: first officer
vital for flight safety - many accidents from FO not speaking up to captain - should draw attention to threats captain does not go over in briefing, should raise concern if captain committed unsafe act, should take action if captain does not respond to first warning by giving command or going around
Communication strategies for assertiveness: Captain
should encourage FO assertiveness by having interactive briefings, setting tone so FO feels comfortable with speaking up, should respect FO’s decision if they take control
Fatigue
a physiological state of reduced mental or physical performance capability resulting from sleep loss or extended wakefulness, circadian phase, or workload (mental and/or physical) that can impair the crew member’s alertness and ability to safely operate an aircraft or perform safety-related duties - physical, not psychological
Effects of fatigue
microdamage from depleted energy in muscles and brain, negatively impacts info processing, S1 shortcuts, struggling with information processing, acute and and chronic fatigue, only remedy is sleep
Sleep
allows body to recover and repair, several stages (rapid eye movement REM and non-rapid eye movement NREM). Organizes memories and solidifies learning, good mood, better decision making and social interactions, neurons repair, immune system weakens without sleep, growth and development
Stages of sleep/Sleep physiology
Awake and engaged, awake and relazed, N1 sleep  (Stage 1 - transition, microsleep, somewhat aware), N2 sleep (Stage 2 - relaxed, slow breathing, 20 minute stages, 50% of sleep), N3 sleep (Stage 3 - slow-wave sleep, brainwaves 60x slower, restorative, difficult to wake up), REM sleep (brain activity similar to being awake, rapid eye movement, dreams)
Sleep inertia
Very difficult to wake someone up when they are in slow-wave sleep. Grogginess can last 30 minutes. When woken, the brain must reconfigure to run 60x faster. Effects people with chronic sleep fatigue worse.
Homeostatic sleep drive and sleep need
1/3 of our lives should be asleep. Adenosine and our biological clock determine our real need.
Biological clock, circadian rhythm, chronotypes, sleep urge
Subjective cycle where we become most drowsy. Most significant between 2-6 am.
Sleep debt
total sleep lost
Fatigue risk management strategies individual
Achieving high-quality sleep, nap effectively, insomnia and sleep disorders(Sleep apnea - Happens when the soft tissue in the back of the throat falls back and obstructs the airway. Increased chance of heart attacks and strokes), mitigating risk if fatigued(Sleep and Caffeine), sleep medications(Maintainers and Initiators. One keeps you asleep and the other helps to put you to sleep), jet lag(Number of hours difference = days it takes to adjust)
Fatigue risk management strategies organizational level
Uses biomathematical models based on circadian rhythms based on the Goode Sleep Study to suggest when actions may be impacted by fatigue.
Stress
A real or interpreted threat to an individual’’s physical and psychological integrity that results in biological/behavioral responses. Good stress is eustress, bad stress is destress. An effective stress management means a increased performance level.
Three types of stress
Environmental stress - conditions associated with literal environmental factors
Physiological stress - conditions of your body like illness and sleep loss
Psychological stress - Social and emotional issues like divorce, demotion, etc.
Acute stress
Known as short-term stress, ex: a test coming up
Chronic stress
Consistent sense of feeling pressured and overwhelmed
Social readjustment rating scale
a 43-item list of typically experienced life change events commonly used by researchers interested in the impact of stress on health and well-being.
Allostatic load
wear and tear on the body because of chronic stress, measurable through biomarkers. Correlated with impaired cognitive and physical performance, decreased immunity, increased risk for cardio vascular disease
Prevention of allostatic load
Recognizing a stressor and prepping, having solid networks, having a diversionary activity, and recognizing acute can become chronic
Management of allostatic load
Aimed at stressor: ABCs - avoid, buffer, contingency (if buffer fails). Aimed at individual: exercise, sleep, social support, rely on faith, locus of control, me time, outside help
Alcohol and drugs
These are the two most applied means of managing stress
Effects of alcohol
Slowed cognition, impairment of memory formation, motor, and sensory function, unconsciousness, death
Alcoholism in aviation
You may not operate or attempt to operate an aircraft within 8 hours of having consumed alcohol, while under the influence of alcohol, with a blood alcohol content of 0.04% or greater, while using any drug that adversely affect safety, federal offense
Performance strategies in relation to alcohol
use a 12 to 24 hour rule, reflect on your drinking practices, avoid social pressure to drink, use 0013 strategy 0 drinks 0 DUIs, 1 drink per hour, 3 drinks per outing
Performance strategies in relation to drugs
OTC (amount of time it has an effect x 5 is how long you wait) and don’t take recreational drugs
Effects of drugs
OTC: drowsiness, confusion, blurred vision and dizziness, may be more pronounced at altitude.
Drugs use in aviation
Must report drug or alcohol related incident to FAA within 60 days, HIMS program. If you can’t use heavy machinery using the medicine, you can’t fly an airplane.
Sleep Hygiene
No caffeine 4 hours before bedtime, no smoking 1 hour before bedtime, avoid alcohol, no aerobic exercise within 2 hours of sleep, consistent schedule, establish a regular bedtime routine