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Other Barriers to Communication
Radio waves travel at the speed of light - and even if they got to the dispatcher's end of the circuit without loss of signal, there is a living, breathing, writing and/or typing person there to interpret the transmitted information. (Trust me, your agency really doesn't hire Boxes of Rocks to work in the Comm Center!)
Rate of Speech
~ speaking vs writing~
Icantalkmuchfasterthanyouoranyoneelsecanwrite. Socanyou. Trust me. But it ain't funny when either one of us does it, okay?We - everyone, not just dispatchers - can understand the spoken word at a very fast rate, in conversation. However, most conversation is not critical information - nor is it carried on over the radio! Critical information needs to be provided more slowly for complete understanding and often for documentation purposes.
Talking faster on the radio does not necessarily get the message across faster. Avoid increasing speed in response to stress, excitement, or because everyone else on the channel is talking faster. The advantages of rapid delivery are completely lost if the message has to be repeated or the message is mis-heard.
Every dispatcher has a maximum work speed. If the traffic on the channel exceeds the dispatchers' limits, information will be lost, errors will be made, and field personnel may be placed in danger. When a channel is extremely busy, you may become aware that your dispatcher is repeating much more of the field unit radio traffic than s/he did earlier in the shift. This technique "paces" an overly busy channel, providing the following benefits:
- Obtaining confirmation of correct reception.
- Reinforcing the information in the dispatcher’s mind by repetition.
- Preventing further units calling before the dispatcher is ready to take the next message.
Over the years, I've watched dispatchers deal with motor-mouthed field personnel rattling off numbers and letters far too fast for anyone to catch the information with any sense of security or accuracy. Two of the sometimes unfortunate circumstances which can result from this behavior are:
- the dispatcher has to ask the officer to repeat the request and it's repeated just as quickly,
so a request for another repetition triggers a very slow and deliberate "try this, simpleton"
transmission (you can guess neither person at the ends of that exchange stay happy
campers afterwards.)
OR
- the dispatcher "runs" with the best guess on the request, makes a mistake and the officer has to repeat the information and they're both annoyed by the delay.
Don't run the risk of being told, snidely, that you'll have to repeat what you said because your dispatcher's "Speed Pen" was down.....
Emotions and Voice Tone
Speaking of "gotchas....."A calm, even tone of voice begets calmness. It's the same principle that proves panic breeds panic; both moods are contagious. It is important to avoid allowing emotion or excitement to affect your information delivery. A calm, steady voice can be a major factor in maintaining control during an incident where everyone is stressed and excited.
Dispatchers often think an officer's tone of voice, when under stress of the moment out there in the field, is directed to them. They think that anxious, annoyed, abrupt, or any other voice tone manifestation of "not a happy camper" means they're not happy with their dispatcher about something. Dispatchers will review the last few minutes, or hours of their shifts, in an attempt to figure out what the heck they did to tick off that officer. They don't realize that officers generally have NO idea how they sound over the air.
Field personnel have the whole panorama of visual cues, clues and evidence of situations that aren't going well for them. Dispatchers, on the other hand, have the picture they paint in their minds of the scene; and the brush they use to color those scenes is the information they receive over the radio -- from you. Not surprisingly, how you say what you say to us picks up and carries an emotional flavor.
And so we sometimes get a bad taste in our mouths as we interpret the message you send.
If you wonder why your dispatcher is suddenly copping an attitude -- and you sure don't need it NOW while you're dealing with that jerk in the field that's getting in your face right now -- try to keep that irritation out of your voice and watch the attitude from the Comm Center abate. Your dispatcher thought you were ticked off at him/her! (I'm not saying it's okay for dispatchers to get all moody with you! I've just been around long enough to see the dynamic in action.... kinda thought you might like a "head's up" or an explanation for it, that's all....)
On the other hand, there is a place for humour and personality in The (Public Safety) Radio World. An appropriate humourous or encouraging comment can be very valuable in reducing tension. These should, however, be used sparingly and should be the exception rather than the norm.
Remember that we're all here to do a job, not entertain each other - or the folks in ScannerLand. ANY voice on the radio is the voice of Your Department, and any comments made must never be offensive, derogatory or in poor taste.
Back to the Basics.
Forward to the Finer Points of information exchange.
(Thanks to many of my online peers for suggestions on this section of The Break Room. I am particularly indebted to Sergeant Andrew J. Brill, Training Manager, NZ Police Northern Communications Centre for a hefty chunk of information I'll probably plagarize in other areas, as well.....)
