12.1.1 The effect of ineffective communication
We only need to consider a few examples to realise that communication is one of the most obvious and, at the same time, most difficult aspects of our lives. For example, think about the following "communication breakdowns" between the service provider and the customer:
The cost of pour* communication
Many years ago I was 2nd mate on a ship loading bauxite in Weipa. The ship was nearly loaded to its marks but was trimmed a little too far by the stern. The mate made some rapid calculations and called to the leader operator "pour 50 tons in number one". He was understood by the operator to call for "450 tons in number one".
Since this was a nine hatch ship the effect of an extra 400 tons in the forward hatch (No.1) was that we left Weipa trimmed heavily by the head and over our marks as Weipa had no facilities for off-loading cargo. The outcome was that afterward all communication relating to ship loading was written on a simple order sheet and passed to the operator.
*A gold star if you got the pun without needing it explained!
The Christmas spirit
The ship was loaded with sulphuric acid and to discharge to a terminal on the Manchester Ship Canal . It came into the place of another ship that was to bring oil but was delayed at sea by weather. The wharfies were in a Christmas mood. Without checking the cargo papers the ship of sulphuric acid was connected to the oil tanks. Some railway tanks wagons were also filled. After a few hundred tonnes of cargo had been discharged, a manager from the terminal realised that a mistake had been made - a very expensive mistake. All the oil in the shore tanks as well as the railway wagons were contaminated.
Where are the grades of ore?
The ship arrived in Redwood City , California with three grades of chrome ore. At the pre-discharge meeting, the cargo plan was offered to the berth supervisor. He refused to take it. "We have all the paperwork and don't need anything from the ship" were his words.
Discharge started and went on for three days. They discharged each grade separately, moving it to the other side of the cargo shed where it was all collected in one big heap and loaded onto trucks for delivery to the factory.
On the third day the same berth supervisor came with a query, "Where are the other grades of the ore?"
More Christmas spirit
A restaurateur telephones his supplier to place his usual Christmas order. He informs the supplier that he wants this year's order of hams cut in half. When the order arrives he is shocked to receive the same number of hams as last year - with each ham neatly cut in half.
Getting it mixed up!!
A motorist was driving outside New York City when his engine stalled. He quickly determined that his battery was dead and managed to stop another driver, who agreed to push his car to get it started. He explained, "My car has automatic transmission so you'll have to get up to 30 to 35 miles an hour to get me started".
The second motorist nodded and walked back to his car. The first motorist climbed into his own car and waited for the Good Samaritan to pull up behind him. He waited - and waited. Finally, he turned around to see what was happening. There was the Good Samaritan - coming towards the stranded car at 30 to 35 miles per hour! (Whetton and Cameron 1984, p.200).
These exchanges demonstrate how easily misinterpretations occur - no doubt you can write some of your own? Communication is dynamic because it involves a continuous series of behavioural activities. Communication is interactive since it involves two or more people. The participants' knowledge and attitudes and their social and cultural backgrounds affect the accuracy of the message being communicated. Awareness of this fact is particularly important in the maritime industry as the international nature of the industry means that our dealings are frequently cross-cultural and misunderstandings are not only possible, but highly likely unless we take care to avoid them.
Activity 12.1
Our quoted examples are amusing, but they do serve a purpose. Look at each of the cases of miscommunication quoted above and for each of them:
- identify exactly what caused the problem; and
- suggest how is could have been avoided.
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