Clear, accurate, and secure communication is critical to efficiently complete operations and for optimal mission performance. Combat conditions can often limit how well your team verbally communicates. Arm and hand signals, gestures, and even touch signs have become a standard part of communication in the military, especially when voice communication is difficult, impossible, or when you have to maintain silence for security or operational purposes.
Visual signals require sight lines and can be used to share basic messages quickly over short distances. In addition to arm and hand signals, flags, smoke, light, and sometimes whistles can be used to communicate among Warfighters too. The good news is that with some basic strategies, you can optimize your ability to complete this core task.
In everyday communication, people typically use a combination of words and gestures to express ideas or share information. But what if you were asked to repeat all the gestures and non-verbal signals you gave during a conversation? In fact, the amount of gesturing that a person uses can vary widely. Then a little further down the line, there are simple symbols that might replace some element of verbal communications for example, giving the OK sign or a thumbs-up.
The visual signals that Military Service Members use to communicate are actually quite unique. Before entering a situation where you know you might encounter lots of stimuli, review your communication signals, practice mindful breathing , and trust yourself and what you know.
On the plus side, these signals are tried-and-true, meaning they can quickly convey critical information for example, directional commands or details about the locations of other parties without the use of additional equipment. But like any mode of communication, there are challenges. For example, visual signals are limited in areas of poor visibility during bad weather, sand storms, or when lots of smoke is in an area.
Visibility can also be limited in areas with lots of trees and foliage or in urban areas with lots of structures obstructing sight lines. But one of the biggest challenges is sensory overload for the Warfighter. And the reality is these situations are often accompanied by fear, stress, or other feelings that can hamper focus on communication. But with a few strategies, you can boost your ability to stay focused, process, and recall the communication signals required for mission success.
While visual signals have long since proven their effectiveness, the limitations are still there. Tactile signals are a way to present information through touch and through the skin. Or think about how a horseback rider cues their animal with touch signals that communicate instructions on how to move by pulling on the reigns or using their feet to push on one side of the horse. Using special clothing, gear, or helmets, it could be possible to send the same types of touch communications to Warfighters in combat.
Balk, Y. Coping under pressure: Employing emotion regulation strategies to enhance performance under pressure. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 35 4 , — Brill, J. A wireless tactile communication system for conveying U. Army hand-arm signals. Headquarters, Department of the Army. Headquarters United States Marine Corps.
Your service member is probably as anxious to communicate with you as you are with him. Once deployed and actively engaged in his unit's missions, there's little that your service member can do to control when he'll be able to call.
This unpredictability can be a source of frustration for some loved ones, particularly since there's not a phone number at which they can reach their service member. This is where Internet access is truly helpful for most service members. It can make it harder for him. He needs his ways of dealing and to get his mind off of the deployment.
If the chow hall is having a themed dinner he may spend more time there with co-workers and friends than on the computer with me. He may spend more time with his friends at the gym. This doesn't mean that he does not want to talk to his family. Some duty stations have Internet access with varying degrees of reliability. Many service members don't take any chances and choose to bring their own laptops so they can use email and instant messenger IM while they're gone.
Spouses and partners report that they derive a great deal of comfort from being able to contact their service member online whenever they want. Another advantage of having Internet access is that it generally allows the service member and partner to communicate for longer periods of time. Beware, however, that there is a risk of misunderstanding when communicating online.
For example, you cannot read body language through an email and tone can be mistaken, causing confusion and conflict. Whenever possible, both you and your service member should give one another the benefit of the doubt when something that is expressed in writing just "doesn't seem right. Understanding the limits of the medium goes a long way toward preserving harmony while apart.
The Internet also enables service members to free video and voice software—such as Skype www. Sometimes, unreliable connections can make video-conferencing difficult, in which case you can switch to voice or text chatting only. Many military installations overseas also offer free video conferencing to their service members. Skype has probably saved marriages and families. It takes away so much separation. He got to see her walk for the first time for him while on video chat, too.
Facebook and other forms of social media can be terrific vehicles to communicate with your service member, family, and friends. Posting photos and deployment updates can streamline and personalize all communication.
Just remember to maintain operational and personal security while enjoying the benefits of online technology! If your service member does not have Internet access, be prepared for brief phone calls. Your service member may be relying on the Defense Satellite Network DSN , which limits call lengths to fifteen or thirty minutes.
During these calls, it's important to use that time to convey positive and supportive messages to one another, encouraging each other to persevere in the relationship. Any problems that you may be having as a couple are not likely to be resolved while your service member is deployed.
Think about the meaningful issues you'd like to discuss and focus on those. Don't spend the twenty minutes you have to talk on the phone arguing over small stuff; you will regret it in the long run.
Use this time apart to focus on what you love about your service member. Any negativity conveyed in the phone call may linger and haunt both of you. The last thing you want is your service member distracted or distraught when he's headed out on his next mission.
And, you definitely don't want to worry about or regret what was said, or not said, the last time you were able to talk to your service member on the phone. You have to remember that your deployed service member is not sitting on a computer all day chatting, and emails and calls may be slow at times. They have to be sensitive to the fact that sometimes we forget that back at home, too. Care packages with a little bit of a personal touch help and always say, 'I love you.
When communicating with your service member, try to focus on sending him uplifting messages of love and support. Before you launch into a new topic, ask yourself if what you're about to discuss accomplishes this goal.
If your topic of conversation doesn't strengthen your service member or your relationship, consider changing the topic, unless it's an emergency. Try to stay within the parameters you established with your service member in your pre-deployment agreement about what you two would share with one another while separated.
It is important to maintain your communication with friends and family, as they can be a source of strength and support. Conversely, you can provide support to them through checking in periodically with your service member's extended family and friends to update them and keep them involved in your own deployment experiences.
You can also touch base with a mentor or other confidantes to make sure that your perspective on the deployment experience is accurate. This excerpt is provided courtesy of the acclaimed free digital resource "Everyone Serves. My husband was talking about how he actually experiences military life as a fight for time.
And it was eye-opening. Stay positive! Stay busy! Sometimes, those bits of military spouse advice sound helpful. Sometimes, they sound like the These military holiday mail deadlines will help make sure your packages get where they are going -- on time. Read more. The American Red Cross has been helping military families deal with the challenges of military life for more than years.
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