Recognize the communication process

Understand various communication barriers

Recognize the importance of effective communication

Identify different barriers to effective communication

Communication in the aviation industry

Communication is one of the important elements of customer service. Understanding customers’ expectations and fulfilling their needs requires good communication skills. It is an act of transferring information from one person to another; many people consider communication the skill of talking and listening. However, effective involves other behavioral aspects. It is the art of transferring information both verbally and non-verbally and ensuring the content and the information delivered and received remain unchanged. Communications in the airline industry are in the form of interactions between airline frontline service agents and customers.

Communication process

The communication process consists of the various elements: sender, encoding, message, decoding, receiver, response, feedback, context and noise.

Sender

This refers to the person who initiates a message. His or her intention is to deliver a message to a specific audience and seek their response.

Encoding

To deliver the message, the sender needs to transform the message into a form that the receiver will understand. This process is known as encoding. The sender must evaluate the best method to ensure that the encoded message is understood by the receiver.

Receiver

This refers to recipient of the message.

Channel

The message is next delivered via the sender’s desired channels of communication. The delivered message can be verbal or non-verbal and is usually transmitted via the various channels: face-to-face, handwritten formats, electronic mails, text messages and phone call conversations.

Decoding

After the message has been delivered, the receiver will need to decode the message and interpret it in a context that is understandable, whilst analyzing its meaning.

Response and feedback

After receiving the message, the receiver can choose to react with verbal or non-verbal responses or feedback. An example of a verbal response is a ‘yes/no’ reply and an example of a non-verbal response can be the mere nodding of one’s head to indicate acknowledgement. The response is an action used by recipient to signal acknowledgment of receiving the message and feedback is the action taken by the receiver in response to the message received.

Context

It refers to the situation or location where the communication process takes place. The communication process may vary according to different locations and context. For example, one-on-one personal communication differs from communicating in groups as the content may be interpreted differently based on the context.

Noise

Communication noise is a barrier that influences the effectiveness of the communication process. Noise within the communication process diverts the delivery of the message, leading it to be unable to be delivered successfully and the message may be misinterpreted, resulting in misunderstandings. These noise barriers may be created by machines, other background conversations and public announcements.

Figure 2-1: The communication process.

At the airport, a customer approaches the check-in counter.

Customer:

Excuse me; the self-check-in kiosk is not working. I am unable to check in.

Ground Agent:

Madam, my apologies. I can help you with this over here. Can I see your passport, please?

Breakdown of elements in the communication process within this conversation:

Sender	Customer
Encoding	The customer has conveyed her experience with the kiosk machine through verbal speech.
Message	To inform the service agent that she is unable to check in
Decoding	The ground agent decoded the message and understood the problem.
Receiver	Ground agent
Response/feedback	The ground agent replied by providing a solution and asking the customer to check in at the counter instead.
Context	Between the service user (customer) and the service provider (ground agent)
Noise	Potential background and environment noise at the check-in counter area include public announcements, other passengers’ conversations and noise generated from nearby machines and equipment.

The arc of distortion

Joyce Osland et al (2006) explained that the arc of distortion model takes place when the sender’s original intended message is interpreted entirely differently by the receiver. This discrepancy occurs due to communication gaps. A communication gap occurs due to various reasons that cause the receiver to decode a different meaning of the actual message.1

Figure 2-2: Arc of distortion.

When A (sender) is sending a message to B (receiver), the message may be understood in different ways due to the arc of distortion. The arc of distortion creates a communication gap containing various elements that results in ineffective communication. These elements are also known as the noises within the communication process that cause communication barriers.

Communication barriers

Dickson (1999) has defined several sources of noises. These noises create barriers to the effectiveness of the communication process.2

Psychological

The perceptual biases of the receiver often affect how a message is interpreted. Stereotyping often affects the delivery of the message as one individual judges another based on characteristics such as race, way of dressing and physical appearance. For example, one would usually assume that a customer who is wearing singlet, shorts and flip flops is taking economy class.

Semantic

The message can be distorted due to cultural differences and language barriers. Words, phases, signs and symbols may not be interpreted in the same way by people from different cultures. Words can have distinctive meanings in different contexts, time and situation. For example, the sentence “We saw her duck.” can be interpreted as either to look at a duck that belongs to a woman or to look at someone squatting down quickly to avoid something. Another example is when a cabin crew asks a customer who is not familiar with the local cuisine to choose between chicken noodles or a vegetarian meal. The customer may assume that there are three choices to choose from: chicken, noodles and vegetarian.

Environmental

The environment can create communication barriers due to the factors present at the actual communication channels. These include the layout of the location, temperature and lighting among the others. For example, before the aircraft’s final descent and landing, the purser will turn the cabin’s lights to the brightest while alerting passengers to fasten their seat belts.

Demographics

Factors related to demographics such as age, gender and nationality can influence the way a message is interpreted. An individual may shake their head to demonstrate that they disagree about something while another of same nationality may do the same as a gesture of agreement. In addition, the nodding of one’s head may be a universal sign of agreeing, it does not necessarily show approval.

Disability

Deafness, blindness or speech impairment are examples of physical disabilities that may cause communication barriers. External assistance may be needed in these instances to overcome these barriers in order for both the sender and the receiver to communicate effectively.

Organizational

The lack of communication between teams can also create a barrier to effective communication. For example, a customer seated in the first-class cabin told the cabin crew that he does not wish to be disturbed during meal time. However, the message was not conveyed clearly to the rest of the team and the customer became very upset when a serving member of the crew woke him up.

Eliminating barriers to communication

Clear and concise messages

Frontline service agents should always use simple sentences for efficient communication with customers, especially when dealing with complicated situations. This is to avoid any confusion and to ensure customers are able to follow the instructions and advices without any difficulty.

Customer:	I have booked my ticket through a travel agent in March and they have confirmed that I am getting a window seat. This was also confirmed when I called to reserve my seats two days ago. It is not right for you to give my window seat away and give me an aisle seat. This is unacceptable!
Service agent:	Mr. Smith, am I right to say that both your travel agent and our reservation agent have confirmed that you have been assigned a window seat?

The customer has raised several different issues in this conversation. The service agent immediately identifies the problem and addresses the customer’s concerns.

Avoid using slangs or jargons

Slangs and jargons are widely used within the airline industry. These phases are used for service agents’ own internal communication purposes and customers may not understand these terms. Misunderstanding and dissatisfaction can be created when service staff use slangs or jargons and this further confuses customers.

A flight is overbooked, and the airline is looking for passengers who are willing to give up their seats and board another flight.

Service agent:	Excuse me, sir, we are looking for two DB customers. Can you help us?
Customer:	I’m sorry but what are you talking about? I don’t understand.

The term “DB” or “Denied Boarding” is widely used in the airline industry to refer to volunteers who give up their reservations in exchange for certain benefits. If an insufficient number of volunteers come forward to allow the remaining passengers to board the flight, the air carrier may then deny boarding to passengers against their will.

Whisper down the lane

When a message is delivered through many parties verbally, the message may sometimes be altered in the process. This is mostly seen within the airline internal communication when the top management relays new information and asks the manager to spread the information down the hierarchy. As service agents pass the message down from one to another, it may get distorted and the meaning of the original message may be completely altered. This can result in inaccurate rumors that cause misunderstandings and damage the company’s reputation.

This can be avoided when the message is directly delivered to each receiver or sent out in a written format such as emails or text messages so as to minimize the chances of any potential effects of communication barriers.

At the check-in counter, the supervisor has informed a check-in service agent that “The flight to LAX is delayed for four hours, please give out a refreshment voucher to all passengers.” This message is passed along the check-in counters and by the time it reached the last counter, the final message became “The flight to LAS is delayed for 14 hours, give out a one-night complimentary hotel stay.”

Prejudging

Prejudging occurs when the receiver judges someone or something without going through all the facts. Airline service agents may assume that they already understand the customers’ problem without any clarification, hence leading to inappropriate answers or decisions being made.

Two customers approach the check-in counter.

Customer:	We would like to check-in.
Service agent:	May I have your daughter and your passport, please?
Customer:	Hey, who told you she was my daughter? She is my girlfriend.

The check-in service agent has prejudged the relationship of the customers according to their age and the customer was offended.

Cultural prejudices

This occurs when someone is judged according to their racial, cultural and religious group based on personal preference and experience. McLeod has defined prejudice an unjustified or incorrect attitude (usually negative) towards an individual based solely on the individual’s membership of a social group.3 For example, there is a stereotype that all African Americans are good at basketball and all Asians practices Kung Fu.

A Western customer is served by an Asian ground agent at the check-in counter.

Customer:

Can you please help me to get someone who speak English?

The customer assumes that all Asians do not speak English.

Effective Communication

Even though modern technology has replaced many of the traditional communication channels, face-to-face communication is still the basis of servicing customers. Every day, airline service agents interact with customers at the airports and on aircrafts on a direct level. Face-to-face communication is not just limited to verbal conversation, it also includes non-verbal elements such as the tone of one’s voice and body gestures. These three elements work together to ensure the message is delivered and that the level of customer service is maintained. On many occasions, customers prefer to talk to someone rather than communicate with a machine. The airline service agent can offer a much more personalized service, an aspect that machines are unable to replace. Effective communications include the effectiveness of how the message is delivered and received.

An effective message delivery

The objective of the sender is to ensure that the message is being understood. To confirm whether the message is delivered effectively, the sender should use appropriate wording, and the tone of voice and gestures help to facilitate the message delivery process.

Words

Face-to face-communication includes the use of words to deliver a message. The chosen words have a direct impact on the effectiveness of the communication. Using simple unambiguous words that are understood by the receiver is important. Avoid using jargons or slangs with the customers to avoid causing any confusion.

Message with jargons and slangs:

The flight is confronting severe turbulence; all passengers are expected to reappear to their allocated seats and have their seat belts secured.

Message that is worded in a simple manner:

We are now going through strong turbulence; all passengers are asked to return to your seats and have your seat belts fastened.

Tone of voice

One’s tone also plays an important role in the message delivery process and affects how customers interpret a message. The tone of voice includes rate of speech and volume. If a service agent is speaking too fast, misunderstanding may occur as the customer may miss out some words and not receive the complete message. However, on the other hand, if the message is delivered at too slow a pace, it makes customers feel bored and disinterested in the conversation. The volume also impacts the content and delivery of the message as customers tend to perceive loud oral communication as impolite, whilst soft verbal communication may point to a service agent’s lack of confidence and some information may be missed out.

Body gestures

Body language also impacts the effectiveness of the message being delivered. Body gestures that customers often notice include: facial expressions, whether the service agent is standing or sitting, eye contact and arm posture.

Smiling while delivering a message demonstrates happiness and customers will be more highly to accept the information. One’s posture also forms a part of the message delivery process. Sitting up straight indicates that one is focused and paying attention to the conversation. Eye contact between service agents and the customers also indicates that one is paying attention. Looking at customers straight in the eye when they are speaking indicates that the service agent is giving them their undivided attention.4 On the other hand, talking with one’s arm crossed gives off an impression of negativity. It may indicate nervousness, which is either driven by a lack of trust in the other person or a general sense of discomfort.5

Words are sometimes not enough to convey a message as customers take other communication elements into consideration. According to Albert Mehrabia, professor emeritus of psychology, UCLA, research on communication has shown that:6

7% of meaning are in the words that are spoken

38% of meaning in words are paralinguistic (the way that the words are said)

55% of meaning in words are in facial expression.

Effective listening

Listening is one of the most important skills that all airlines’ frontline service agent need to have as this is one attribute that not only affects their job effectiveness but also their relationship with other colleagues. Effective listening skills are a prerequisite in understanding customers’ needs and demands, and resolve any issues that crop up.

Once they have interpreted the message, they then need to internalize and process the content before coming up with an appropriate response. Joseph DeVito (2000) explained that active listening consists of the following elements: receiving, understanding, remembering, evaluating, and responding.7

Receiving

Receiving refers to the intention of hearing one’s message. The receiver’s task is to filter out the unnecessary communication barriers such as noise and pick up the crux of the message. The receiver also needs to pay attention to the sender’s facial expression and tone of voice when interpreting the message.

Understanding

The receiver then attempts to identify and “decode” the message. Due to various language barriers and cultural differences, the original meaning of the message may be perceived differently by the receiver. Based on this information, the receiver will process the information based on earlier related experiences.

Remembering

The receiver then needs to remember the message, or at least the important sections in order to follow up on it.

Evaluating

The receiver will evaluate the value of the message by using critical-thinking skills and determine whether it is important. Do they agree with the sender’s point of view? Is the sender’s argument logical? Are the requests reasonable?

Responding

After analyzing the message, the receiver then needs to respond accordingly. The receiver may choose to interpret the message or paraphrase it and reply to the sender to ensure it is received correctly. The receiver may also request for the sender to repeat the message verbally when he or she is confused.

According to Owen Hargie, the main purpose of listening includes the following:8

Identify the message sent and the background noise from the surrounding environment

Understand others’ communication style

Evaluate the message

Identify the non-verbal signals

Identify whether the receiver is paying attention to the sender

Build relationship by showing care and concern

Engage in a conversation, exchange information, debate on a topic and come up with an agreement.

Active listening skills

It is important to allow someone to finish conveying the entire message without any interruption. It is always a good practice to allow the speaker to finish the message before offering responses, and the listener should also remove all noise distractions. This can be done by stopping what they are doing and paying full attention to the speaker, and turning down the volume or turning off any devices which are sources of distraction.

It is also important that the listener demonstrates non-verbal communication techniques to indicate they are receiving the message and do not challenge what the speaker is saying even if they may not agree with the former. Non-verbal communication techniques include gestures such as maintaining eye contact and nodding one‘s head to show acknowledgement. These translate to the speaker that the listener shows interest in the conversation.

Evaluation should be only made after the complete message is received and the receiver should not demonstrate defensive actions at any point in time. Otherwise, the speaker will hesitate to continue the conversation. The listener is encouraged to ask questions when appropriate to clarify points that are ambiguous and to paraphrase the message whenever necessary to help in grasping and understanding the message. The listener may also pay attention to the speaker’s facial and hand gestures so as to gauge the latter’s feelings and emotions and to offer an appropriate feedback.

Barriers to effective communication for airline service agents

Speaking and listening related barrier results in the failure of the airline service agent to communicate with customers effectively. These barriers often cause confusion in which the airline service agent is either unable to communicate or ends up misinterpreting the customers’ intentions.

Environmental barrier

The surrounding environment affects one’s level of concentration. According to a study conducted in Cornell University, human performance is affected by the following environmental factors:9

Temperature—The room is too hot or too cold.

Brightness—The lighting is too bright or too dim.

Sound—This includes noise and other disturbances.

Air quality.

Vibration.

The majority of the environmental factors are controlled by the airport, and frontline service agent will have to get used to these. In the aircraft cabin, some environmental factors may be adjusted by the cabin crew to help enhance their level of concentration whilst at work.

Linguistic barrier

The way that a message is delivered can be also a barrier to effective listening. In this instance, the use of difficult words, another language, slangs and jargons are barriers to listening that can create confusion.

The tone used, volume of speech and speed of talking are other linguistic barriers that airline service agents need to take into consideration.

Psychological barrier

The emotion of the receiver also pays a part in effective communication. When the recipient receives the information in a state of anger, frustration or when with prejudice, this often causes the original message to be perceived and interpreted differently.

Perceptual barrier

The receiver may sometimes regard the same situation from a different point of view due to differences in societal background, cultural background, and physical appearance. A culture that relegates female to a lesser position can also cause less effective communication.

Content barrier

The receiver may also lose their concentration when the subject of the message is not interesting or not related to them. The main point of the message may also be altered or diminished when the speaker talks for too long. Barriers are also created when the speaker repeats the same message too many times, causing the receiver to lose their level of concentration.

The Confusing Armagnac

An Asian customer is taking a business-class flight. After the meal, a customer called for the cabin crew.

Customer:	Excuse me, can I please have an Armagnac?
Cabin crew:	I am sorry, Mr. Wang, what do you need?
Customer:	I would like an Armagnac. AR-MA-GNAC.
Cabin crew:	One moment please, sir.

Several minutes later, the cabin crew returned with a senior cabin crew.

Senior cabin crew:	I am sorry, Mr. Wang. We cannot offer any medicine to the passengers.
Customer:	I am asking for Armagnac. Do you understand? AR-MA-GNAC.? A drink?
Senior cabin crew:	I am really sorry Mr. Wang. We thought you wanted an ān mián yào.

The pronunciation of sleeping pill in Chinese is “ān mián yào” and it sounds very similar to the beverage Armagnac. The cabin crew should have clarified with Mr. Wang right at the beginning by asking additional questions to avoid the awkward situation.

Effective internal communications

Communication barrier may also be created during internal communications. On many occasions, the service agents are required to communicate with other internal staff through electronic devices such as a telephone or a walkie-talkie.

Communicating through electronic devices is much more difficult as compared to face-to-face communication as both the sender and the receiver are located in different locations and are very likely positioned in areas where there is environmental noise in the background. As such, the receiver needs to pay additional attention when listening to the message.

In this instance, one way of enhancing the effectiveness of internal communications is to use slangs and industry language.

Summary

Communication is one of the most important elements within customer service. Understanding customers’ expectations and fulfilling their needs require good communication skills. Even though modern technology is replacing many of the traditional communication channels, face-to-face communication still forms the basic communication channel in the service industry. There are times when speaking and listening barrier results lead to airline service agents failing communicate effectively with the customers. Hence, it is important for service agents to take a note of these barriers and improve on their existing communication skills.

Applying the Knowledge

True or false?

Are the following statements true or false? Put a tick in the right column.

Statement	True	False
1. Communication is a process in which two or more elements of a system interact in order to achieve a desired outcome.
2. Non-verbal communication is also known as communication without words.
3. Verbal communication is often more effective than non-verbal communication.
4. In the communication process, the sender’s task is to decode the message.
5. The sender’s tone of voice and rate of speaking are content barriers that can cause confusion.
6. One’s appearance, facial expressions and inflection are part of written communication.
7. Active listening requires rejecting messages based on one’s personal value systems.
8. The noise of aircraft engines is a likely source of environmental barrier.
9. The arc of distortion model happens when the recipient receives a different message from the actual one that has been sent.
10. It is most effective for service agents to use slangs or jargons when communicating with customers.

Short-answer questions

1 Identify and explain all elements of the communication process.
2 What are the differences between verbal and non-verbal communication? List their advantages and disadvantages.
3 What are communication barriers and how can these barriers be eliminated? Explain your answers in full sentences.
4 How do environmental and linguistic barriers affect the performance of airline service staff?
5 Read the following scenario. What can cabin crew do to avoid the confusion in this situation due to the language barrier caused by different accents?Cabin crew:How can I help you, madam?Customer:I would like some water.Cabin crew:Sure. One moment, please.The cabin crew returns with a glass of water.Customer:No. I want butter, not water.Cabin crew:My apologies. One moment, please.The cabin crew returns with some butter.Cabin crew:Here you go, madam.Customer:No … no. I don’t want butter. I am asking for vodka.Cabin crew:My apologies, I’ll be right back.The customer returns with a glass of vodka.Cabin crew:Here is your vodka, madam.Customer:Thank you.

Endnotes

1. Osland, J. S. (2007). Organizational behavior: an experiential approach. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice-Hall.

2. Dickson, D. (1999). Barriers to Communication. Interaction for Practice in Community Nursing, 84-132. doi:10.1007/978-1-349-14757-1_5

3. McLeod, S. (1970, Jan 01). Saul McLeod,: http://www.simplypsychology.org/prejudice.html

4. Skillyouneed.com. (2015). Non-Verbal Communication. Skillsyouneed.com: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/nonverbal-communication.html

5. Changing minds. (2015). Arm body language. Changing mind: http://changingminds.org/techniques/body/parts_body_language/arm_body_language.htm

6. Mehbrabian, A. (1972). Nonverbal communication, Aldine Atherton, Chicago.

7. DeVito, J. A. (2000). The elements of public speaking (7th ed.). New York, NY: Longman.

8. Hargie, O. (2011). Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice. London: Routledge, 182.

9. Hedge, A. (2004). Linking Environmental Conditions to Productivity, Cornell University.

A Practical Guide to Airline Customer Service

Подняться наверх