The Importance of Clear and Concise Communication: A Military Perspective

Effective communication is essential within the business world and critical in a military environment. Missions are planned and timed for execution but when there is a breakdown in communication the situation can quickly become calamitous. Communication is more than an email or memo posted on the wall, it involves both verbal and nonverbal communication and may be disrupted by individual biases, cultural differences, the environment, or even the emotional state of the sender or receiver. Understanding these communication barriers allows for effective leadership while strengthening team cohesion and adaptability. The following story illustrates a time where I did not consider the effect of some of these communication barriers which could have resulted in catastrophe.

 USS Kitty Hawk. The image was taken by Stephen W. Rowe  /  U.S. Navy via AP file and retrieved at http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21939749/ns/us_news-military/t/after-china-snub-us-sailors-celebrate-sea/#.X2KNQS2z18Z. 

On the morning of Thanksgiving Day, 2007, the crew of U.S.S. Kitty Hawk (CV-63) prepared to enjoy the holiday in the port of Hong Kong. The port visit was highly anticipated, and the excitement from the crew flooded the halls of the mighty warship. However, as the ship approached the port, the Hong Kong maritime authorities informed the ship that they did not have permission from the Chinese authorities to allow the ship entry. Patiently the crew waited; some were eager to enjoy the day in the popular city, and others were eager to meet their families that had flown to Hong Kong for a visit. As the day wore on, the crew became more and more anxious until around 1700 (5 pm), when the ship’s Captain made the dreaded announcement that the ship would not port in Hong Kong and would instead begin transit through the Straights of Taiwan. I can remember feeling frustration, disappointment, and confusion regarding the situation as many of the crew’s families were left stranded in a foreign port, lonely and confused as they spent the holiday without their loved one.

Even though the crew was demoralized they pulled together and performed their duties as expected. The ship steamed away from Hong Kong at a high speed toward the new destination with each department receiving new orders in preparation for transit. The helicopter squadron that I was assigned to was ordered to prepare a helicopter for an ATFP (Anti-Terrorism Force Protection) mission. In addition to preparing for this mission, we were also informed that we would be simultaneously recovering a helicopter from an allied nation. While these types of missions were not out of the norm for us, the fact that everyone on the entire ship was still thinking about Hong Kong and a denied port visit contributed to an ineffective communication environment.

 

 

Sailors perform flight operations on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson on Oct. 31, 2017. The image was taken by JAKE CANNADY/U.S. NAVY and retrieved at:https://www.stripes.com/news/navy/navy-sailor-hit-by-plane-being-towed-on-aircraft-carrier-1.496415

The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is known as one of the most dangerous environments to work. Aircraft are being launched from the ship’s catapult system at high speeds, propellors, and rotor blades are spinning at nearly imperceptible speeds, and the noise from the machines makes communication difficult. In this scenario, I was assigned the critical role of Flight Deck Coordinator and had the responsibility to ensure each individual understood his or her assigned position. In the military, communication is crucial to mission success, and according to Moran, Abramson, & Moran (2014), “when people communicate, they make certain assumptions about the other’s process of perceiving, judging, thinking, and reasoning patterns.… Correct assumptions facilitate communication, but incorrect assumptions lead to misunderstanding, and miscommunication often results” (p. 76). In demoralizing scenarios like this, it is easy for a leader to make incorrect assumptions regarding their follower’s cognitive abilities.

I held a meeting with all critical personnel to discuss the dual evolutions, but I did not consider if their minds were clear and focused. I did not know it at the time, but in retrospect, I understand that I was mission-focused, which caused me to be egocentric. According to the PSU (Pennsylvania State University, 2020), “At its basic level egocentrism is an inability to take on other people’s perspectives. If one isn’t able to take on another perspective, it is difficult to see what they want or need, but also to shape a message that they understand” (para. 3). I did not take their perspective into account, resulting in an incorrect assumption about my team’s mental status and ability to clearly process the situation.

The ship approached the Straights of Taiwan, and the weather began shifting towards a threatening storm. We successfully recovered the allied nation’s helicopter, but I realized my team was not communicating well when I witnessed some confusion regarding hand signals. Moran et al. state that “awareness of cultural influences is essential for transferring concepts, technology, or ideas. … In some instances, the gap will be significant and cause serious problems” (p. 77).  Fortunately, this gap amplified by my team members’ emotional state only caused minor confusion between the pilot and ground crew. Still, I believe, in retrospect, that it was the precursor to the serious consequences that followed.

SH-60 Helicopter launching from Flight Deck. Author unknown. Retrieved at: https://www.aviationtoday.com/2017/02/02/prevent-helicopter-accidents-ihst/

After the successful recovery, my team immediately began preparations for launching a separate helicopter configured for the ATFP mission. At this time, the weather had worsened significantly, and as the ship attempted to go around the storm, it caused periods of heavy rainfall and high winds. My crew did the normal preparations for launch as the wind and rain picked up. Communication was limited to hand signals, due to the weather and the normal flight deck operations of multiple jet engines being pushed to high power. The situation was extremely stressful, but we were confident we could accomplish a successful launch. According to myth, when a frog is thrown in boiling water, it will quickly jump out. However, if you place that frog in warm water and then slowly increase the temperature, the frog will remain in the water, not noticing the change and slowly be cooked. I believe that we were cooked frogs at the time, overconfident in our abilities despite the critical loss of communication. The PSU (2020) states that “being overconfident about one’s ability to communicate leads to an egocentric point of view when one creates and sends a message. That egocentrism leads to a roughly 20–25% disconnect in anticipated understanding and actual understanding” (para. 9). The egocentrism appeared after the pilots had started the engines, engaged rotors, and were preparing for launch.

The aircraft lifted approximately ten feet into the air, but suddenly the helicopter’s tail end began fishtailing. Both the plane captain (the person with the wands) and I watched in confusion as the pilot gave us the hand signal that he was attempting to shift the aircraft forward. As stated above, the flight deck is a hazardous place to work, and one quick and deadly fact about a helicopter is that the rotor blades become nearly invisible when they are spinning, especially at night. We could hear and feel the invisible blades as the helicopter approached the two of us. Sensing danger, I grabbed the plane captain’s float coat and moved both of us backward as the blades continued to advance.

The pilot noticed our retreat and directed the aircraft back towards the launch pad. He tried to make the helicopter lift the nose, but when he did, the tail dropped suddenly and struck the flight deck, damaging the aircraft’s tail. Immediately I realized the situation was out of hand, so I made the call and told the pilot to shut it down, he returned to the helicopter to the launch pad, but he refused to shut it down completely. He left the rotors spinning as he directed me to approach the helicopter’s side to inform him of why I was telling him to abort. According to Gamble and Gamble (2013), “nonverbal messages fulfill metacommunicative functions; that is, they communicate about communication, effectively helping to clarify … the meaning of verbal messages” (p. 186). At this point, the pilot’s nonverbal communication clearly communicated his frustration and clarified that he did not agree. I realized that my nonverbal communication was equally showing frustration at the situation, and according to Moran et al. (2014), “the frustration of one party leads to a conceptualization of the situation, to some behavior, to the reaction of the other party, and then to agreement or the lack of agreement” (p. 89). I knew that I needed the pilot (who outranked me) to think rationally and agree, so I took a breath and clearly explained that the helicopter had damage from striking the flight deck. He stated that no one within the aircraft had felt the impact and argued that he needed to get the aircraft airborne. I once again appealed to his rational side and informed him that the tail’s aileron had hit the ship’s deck, and he needed to abort. Visibly frustrated, he slowly struggled with an agreement to this fact as the ship’s Air Boss (officer in charge of the flight deck operations) continued to demand that the aircraft get airborne, the wind continued to gust, and the rain relentlessly poured. Ultimately, the pilot conceded and informed the Air Boss that we would not be launching.

My ground crew immediately began inspecting the aircraft and determined that the aircraft had struck the deck and received a significant amount of damage. We reviewed the recorded launch to determine what happened; first, both the plane captain and I had narrowly avoided being chopped into a salad when I pulled the guy back. Additionally, the recording showed the aircraft struggling with getting the tail of the aircraft airborne; indicating that tie-down chains might have been left on the back of the aircraft. These are normally removed before a flight, but due to the extreme circumstances, it was possible, they were over-looked. Luckily, in this circumstance, the damage was repaired, and no one lost their life, but the lesson I learned from the experience has aided my understanding of the importance of clear and concise communication, realizing the effect of biases like egocentrism, as they affect how both the leader and the follower receive and send communication.

Being in the military leader is a unique and rewarding experience that offers the chance to make a change in an organization and in another person’s life. Moreover, it is essential for a leader to understand human emotions and limitations, especially in a stressful environment. Gamble and Gamble (2013) stated that “The reality is that unless leaders understand their followers and stakeholders they can’t possibly lead them effectively” (p. 150). Effectively understanding followers yields powerful results for the organization and followers. Leaders in the military and in the civilian sector are granted a specific amount of power, and when used appropriately, the outcome is inspiring and transformational.

References:

Gamble, T. & Gamble, M. (2013). Leading with communication: A practical approach to leadership communication. Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications, Inc.

The Pennsylvania State University. (2020). OLEAD 410: Leadership in a Global Context [Online Course Lesson].  Retrieved from: https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2075490/modules/items/29697163.

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). Oxford: Routledge. ISBN: 9780415717359