For example, an inflight fire, loss of cabin pressure, or off-field landing. Not surprisingly, passengers usually listen to these briefings very carefully. Always deliver emergency briefings in a calm and clear manner because the emotion and/or anxiety you show, positive or negative, is contagious.

After a very thorough analysis of US Air Flt 1549, the Hudson River Ditching in 2009, the NTSB suggests (Safety Recommendation A-10-63 through-86) companies should try to become more creative and therefore effective, when delivering their briefings. Unfortunately, most passengers pay little attention to pre-flight safety briefings, let alone study, or even look at the briefing cards. Passengers often ignore these briefs because they feel they already know the information. For more information on the conclusions and investigation of the NTSB’s 2010 US Air 1549 Accident click here.

Several large commercial carriers have produced creative briefings illustrating neat ways to attract and keep the attention of the passengers onboard. These videos use humor, pop-culture, music, and even cartoons to convey required information. Keep these examples in mind and try to make a connection to your passengers to convey this vital and potentially life-saving information. The passengers will follow your lead in taking the material seriously which then directly translates to performance in an emergency.