Communication Skills Can Save Lives

In some situations, not having proper communication skills can cost lives. That was demonstrated this weekend while I was reading Malcom Gladwell’s latest book, “Outliers.”

I’m about two-thirds of the way through the book – which is excellent and worth taking the time to ready, by the way – and Malcom has a section describing several commercial air crashes. Typically, an airplane crash is NOT a big error, but several small errors that are not corrected, but happen one on top of the other which leads to crashes. And it’s almost ALWAYS pilot error and lack of communication.

In some of the cases Malcom discusses in Outliers, and it a few other cases I’ve read about, much of the communication problems come from the heirarchy in the airline cabin. The ‘first seat’ will often mitigate the circumstances to the pilot, so as to not give a direct command to someone who is his superior. I’m sure you can see where in many cases this can be the final compounding problem of a plane that is on its last legs of fuel still 20 miles from an airport.

In other cases, the communication difficulty comes from the cultural differences. One case he described was a crash of a plane from South America making it’s way to JFK airport in New York City. There were some problems that arose towards the end of the flight that would have been easily resolved had the communication been better. But that was the final error that led to the crash.

It’s all fascinating stuff, and you can pick up the book here.

How important is communication in your personal and business life? Whether it’s ‘life or death’ or just getting out this week’s product, communication IS important. It not only helps define how your life is shaped, the proper communication can smooth you passage through tough times and advance you to greater heights. Or, if you lack the proper communication skills, it can hold you back from the things you want to do.