Acronyms have meanings!

Between my experience in the Military and Aviation, I have learned that radio communication is it's own language, and in my opinion, the most functional/effective means of communication. It is designed to prevent ambiguity, increase brevity,  and be of proper etiquette. Radio messages are designed to have one meaning, be as short as possible, and eloquent enough to be heard by anyone. While there are minor differences between aviation and military radio jargon, the overall theme is the same. It is designed to convey a specific message accurately in a time sensitive manner. 

Radio communication is so effective that it is capable of coordinating missile/gun fire from aircraft and battleships, casualty evacuation from the most austere environments, global dispatch of emergency service personnel, and international air traffic control. Radio communication also sounds really cool and is a lot a fun, who doesn't love playing with walkie talkies? 

The reason radio communication is so effective, is because each transmission is carefully framed and sculpted. As you learn radio communication techniques, you learn that there are scripted outlines for nearly everything. For example, in aviation, you learn that the basic frame for nearly every radio call is "this is who I am, this is where I am, and this is what I want to do". When I was learning close-air-support and indirect call-for-fire basics in the military, I received an outline for each type of mission. Essentially: address who you want to talk to, who you are, where you are, where the bad guys are, what you want your support to do, and how. 

Transferring these skills to the workplace, outside of the field or in the air, empowers you to "carefully craft contexts by artfully accentuating certain interpretations while chiseling away others" (Clampitt, 2017, p19).   Framing and sculpting messages is an important tool for managers. "To hold the frame of a subject is to choose one particular meaning (or set of meanings) over another" (Clampitt, 2017, p19). Frames manage meanings, and assert interpretations that should be taken as real over other possibilities. 

The down side of radio communication is that it uses many acronyms and brevity codes that bleed over to everyday vocabulary. You have to know your audience. I see too many people talk "Radio" to someone that becomes immediately lost in conversation. In the appropriate setting, it's safe to use your workplace jargon and is usually expected. While it is fun to "talk tactical" to your friends and co-workers at times, when not on missions or flights, I have learned that the framework for certain radio communications can be applied to everyday communication and helps to clearly get your ideas across to a many different audiences.

Clampitt, P. G. (2017). Communicating for managerial effectiveness (6e).  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.