Because communication breakdowns or failures of one kind or another are one of the most common routes to negative outcomes, both great and small, it’s useful to examine what they look like in practice.
The short, simplified version goes like this: (1) a message sent is not necessarily a message received; (2) a message received is not necessarily a message understood; and (3) a message understood is not necessarily a message acted upon. Of course, it’s far more complex than this, and all three inevitably bleed across the porous boundaries between them. Still, it’s a very good starting point for identifying the weaknesses inherent in any communications chain — verbal or written, and whatever the purpose.
In this example, you could be sailing or landing a barge at a terminal or anchoring a barge.
With respect to item No. 1, if a captain or mate assumes that barking commands or questions into a radio mic at the deck crew — or anyone else — constitutes fulfillment of that requirement, they would be wrong. You simply don’t know. Perhaps one or more parties are on the wrong channel, have the volume turned down, or (surprise!) didn’t bring a radio with them. Or their radio is full of water from the torrential downpour that just happens to coincide with your evolution. Or you have a bad mic. Who knows?
For item No. 2, even if you are certain that your message was audibly received in its entirety — clearly and at sufficient volume — whether the recipient fully understands it remains unknown, although as events progress, you will surely find out. Remember that comprehension always starts with you and your choice of words.
For item No. 3, assuming you have fully achieved the first two in stellar fashion, that still does not ensure effective or timely execution. Why might that be? The list is long: indifference, ineptitude, difference of opinion (a.k.a. defiance), distraction, or a subsequent equipment failure.
Any of these can cause the final breakdown, leading to simple frustration or possibly something far worse.
