Sometimes I Wish People Could Speak in Half-Duplex Mode

When in conversation, the skill of listening is very important. But equally important is having patience to wait your turn to talk.

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who always interrupts the speaker? There have been several posts on this, most of them mentioning this interruption thing is a cultural or gender and personality type of thing. In any case, I personally cannot stand being in a conversation with an “interrupter.” My feeling is: I am talking now, please wait your turn.

Radio operators, either professional or amateur, understand what half-duplex means. For those not familiar with this type of radio protocol, I will explain the concept and you will understand my feelings about conversation interrupters.

Half-duplex means the person speaking is not able to hear others, and at the same time, the person on the receiving side (listening) cannot speak either. (Actually, anyone else can speak, but the person talking cannot hear them.) This can take a lot of patience, and the best ham radio operators have learned that listening is the most important skill in successfully completing difficult contacts – because of radio conditions or because of language barriers.

Without the skill of listening, good communication is extremely difficult or impossible. This can waste a lot of time in critical and life or death situations. Communication must be succinct, efficient and absolutely accurate.

The opposite form of radio communication, full-duplex, is like using the telephone – all parties can hear each other at the same time, even if one person is talking. There is no “mute” function, in most cases.

Can you imagine the chaos when everyone is talking and no one is listening? It would be impossible to exchange critical information from one person to another.

So, next time you are in a conversation, think about this and consider half-duplex communication: Listen carefully and wait for your turn to speak.

About Wayne Yoshida

Wayne Yoshida is a technical writer with sales management experience. Wayne currently works in the alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) industry and has worked for a wide variety of high technology companies, including aerospace and defense, photonics, lasers and opto-mechanics, two-way radio communications and telecommunications as well as a non-profit, educational organization. His personal passion for electronics and Amateur Radio opened many doors to some very interesting personal and professional experiences. Working as a ham radio consultant for the NASA Johnson Space Center during Space Shuttle mission STS-9 and the SAREX operation are among his most memorable experiences. Connect with him on BeBee and LinkedIn, and for a look into his personal passions, follow his blog and YouTube channel.