Message Handling Tutorial

Message Handling ICS-213 Sending the message - The Basics Efficient traffic handling means getting the message relayed with 100% accuracy in the least practical amount of time. 100% accuracy is especially important if you do not understand the content of the message. If it makes no sense to you, it MAY be appropriate to get an explanation before you put it on the air. This is a judgment call. If you are handling medical traffic, it is helpful but not necessary to understand what you communicating. But if you are communicating information you do not understand, accuracy is all the more critical. Send the message ONCE (right the first time). There are many elements of technique that contribute to getting it “right the first time”. The most important is, you SEND a message, you DON’T READ it. When you are sending the message, the person receiving it must write it down. Most people can’t write as fast as we talk. Therefore, you must slow your delivery to allow the receiving station to comfortably (and legibly) write the message down. If you are too fast, and have to repeat many times, the end result is that it takes longer. It’s better to slow your delivery so that the receiving station gets it the first time than to repeat all or part of the message. You might try composing a message and sending it to a tape recorder. Then play the tape back and see if you are comfortable writing it down at that speed. You will probably be surprised. When ...