Evening,
I have a question about briefings, particularly the briefing the Captain gives the FO before the start of a trip. Though I am a Captain myself, and I have some experience with giving and receiving briefings, I am always looking for ways to improve. One thing that I have been tweaking is my briefing to my FO before we spend the next 3-4 days together.
So, for anyone who has experience with this, or anyone that has listened to enough briefings, what have you found that works well? What doesn’t work well?
I know there’s no such thing as a perfect flight. Same goes for briefings. I also realize that even a perfect briefing could lead to poor threat and error management. What I’ve learned is that it ultimately comes down to both pilots showing up with a high teachability index, a willingness to learn, and a mutual agreement about how to appropriately conduct oneself.
When I get paired with an FO with a humble attitude and enthusiasm for bettering themselves, we crush it. It’s almost as if these kinds of FOs don’t require a briefing, although I still give one anyway.
Occasionally I get paired with what I like to call a 3-bar Captain, which is part of the reason why I’m asking the question about briefings. 3-bar CAs approach flights with a chip on their shoulder. I would love to hear how others have dealt with this behavior. Some are easier to detect than others. That’s why I keep coming back to the briefing as it is the perfect time to set expectations.
I strongly believe that setting the right tone from the beginning is essential. With the experience that I’ve gained, I have revised my briefings multiple times. I am just curious to hear what others have to say about this.
Tory