When am I really good at situational awareness? On an airplane! How about you?
My awareness amps up
As soon as I sit down on an airplane, all of my situational awareness skills amp up. And the flight attendants are encouraging this!
- I notice the exits, the floatation devices, and the emergency lights.
- I know where my water bottle is, my earphones, and my iPad.
Throughout the flight, at least while I’m awake, I’m aware of sharing the arm rest. I know how far away the crying child is. I gauge when it’s a good time to get up and go to the washroom. Cues from a seat mate suggest that they might want to get up. I notice what books people are reading, what languages they are speaking, and what they are wearing.
The more I can take in, the more I can be at ease
At first glance, many flights appear to be the same, but they aren’t. It’s always a different combination of people, time of day, weather, and even what I ate beforehand.
Maybe my situational awareness skills kick in because it’s such a contained space and an isolated period of time. And maybe it’s because I’m not in charge. I’m just trying to be comfortable and enjoy a flight. The more I can take in of my surroundings, the more I can be at ease.
How about other situations, like in meetings?
What if we had flight attendants in our work meetings?
They could remind us, that even though we’ve given this update many times before, we should still look around the cabin.
Are there new people? Does the room feel hot? Is something else pulling people’s attention away?
When we rely on repetition, we’re at risk of missing an opportunity or being blind to signs of miscommunication. The more we notice what is different that day, the more relevant and engaging we can be.
Intentionally expand your situational awareness
Here’s an exercise to help strengthen your situational awareness muscle:
- Today, identify meetings on your calendar this week, that happen regularly. (Perhaps it’s a weekly team meeting, or a monthly update.)
- Then, choose a method to engage your “inner flight attendant.” (Maybe it’s a sticky note, or a timed reminder.)
- Through the week, when those meetings occur, challenge yourself to notice and jot down what is different that day. (Perhaps it’s the other topics being covered, or the timing of a deadline.)
- At the end of the week, consider how intentionally expanding your situational awareness had an impact on your experience.
