Re[2]: LOFT Debriefing
nckrey_at_CCGATE.HAC.COM
Thu, 03 Oct 96 10:43:54 PST
Good morning CRMers!
Great discussion on this month's topic. In my couple of tours as an
instructor training guy (SimuFlite and FlightSafety), I found that a
critical skill which instructors must develop to debrief is the
ability to ask good questions. These lead the crew to the
instructional points without the instructor just blurting out how they
could have done better.
In the early days at SimuFlite, we got some excellent training in
facilitation skills which included an interesting approach to
questioning refered to as probing. The guy who did the training is
Paul Williams. His recent book, "Getting a Project Done on Time"
(AMACOM, 1996, ISBN 0-8144-0284-4), has a summary of the technique on
pages 12 through 18.
Essentially, there are two types of probing question, Open and Closed.
The Open Probe is a general quest for information from the crew's
perspective. Examples might be:
"Tell me about the first ILS approach."
"How did you make the decision to divert to the alternate?"
"What events led up to the GPWS alert?"
This type of probe requires the crew to talk and allows the instructor
to get insight into the crew's thought process. It also provides
additional topics for conversation based on what the crew found
relevant. A primary benefit of the Open Probe is that they can often
be preplanned, allowing them to be included in the lesson materials.
A side benefit is that they allows the crew to hear their favorite
sound, their own voice. That helps stimulate interaction. If you
establish the expectation that interraction is required, you will get
more of it. A higher level of learning will then result.
Closed probes typically are much more focused, often having only a yes
or no answer. Typical examples:
"Once you had begun the engine fire checklist, did you consider
turning control over to the First Officer?"
"Did you acknowledge the Captain's request for flaps 15?"
"Should the Flight Attendant have been involved in that
discussion?"
Used improperly, the Closed Probe will shut down discussion. As such,
it is most efffective for bringing a discussion to a close, or for
reaching a conclusion.
Effective facilitation involves the careful blending of these two
types of probes. Generally, start with open probes. This establishes
the crew's perception of events and refreshes their memory. Video and
hard copies can help this process. Use follow-up open probes to
surface additional information and focus the discussion on the
learning objective. Finally, use the closed probes at the end to seal
the learning point you want the crew to come out with. This sequence
can be repeated many times to address each item of interest from the
flight.
Best regards,
Neil Krey
76405.3621_at_compuserve.com
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/NeilKrey
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