EMC137 Words, Words, Words!! 4/4
To:   Emergency Communications Units - Information Bulletin
To:   Emergency Management Agencies via Internet and Radio
By:   Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) of the
      California Governor's Office of Emergency Services  

EMC137 Words, Words, Words!! 4/4      For release  6/22/98

Now, let's look to the future and see how we can improve some
forms of communication to include both tone and body language.

Tone CAN be added to words, as can visual images. Today we can
add tones via the computer, telephone or voice radio, for those
who are NOT tone-deaf. However, many people are not able to
distinguish tones. An example of a person unable to distinguish
tones is the person who cannot recognize a voice - it just does
not register. That's okay. No criticism here, just what exists,
so we can be aware of the situation. Others literally cannot
hear what most of us recognize as music. Their mental processes
simply do not respond to vibrations others hear as music.

Interestingly, the same thing can occur with our eyes. We may
have difficulty agreeing with this, but here goes: what we see
-- quite literally -- is not so much determined by what our eyes
"see" as by what our minds register from the vibrations that the
eyes detect (which is seeing in a lay sense.) When our minds are
occupied with other concepts, ideas, thoughts and concerns, we
can literally not "see" something as plain as the thumb on our
right hand that we know is there because we can reach out and
touch it.

However, once we realize we can inadvertently close out what we
"see" by the way we think, we become more aware of that
potential and usually become better at "seeing" what is there to
discern in the body language of people. Some people, often
women, are much more adept at reading body language than others.
Yet, it can communicate 55% of content (according to that study
we mentioned.) So we really need to add opportunities to present
the body language _in_ our communications for effective messages.
Besides, messages capable of including visual body language can
be very interesting as well as enlightening.

Today, visual images can be achieved by television and by _some_
digital networks. Computer programs like Cu-SEE-Me allow visuals
and tone to be included in the system. While that process is not
yet perfected, it's important that we emergency communicators
focus our considerable talents to improve it.

We have the talent and ability to achieve realistic emergency
communications that can include images, tone and content in a
sharp clear image as realistic as if face-to-face and in
person.TV science fiction has provided images that we can use as
a springboard: "Let's see them on screen, Mr Worf". While there
are commercial interests developing hand-held devices for voice
and digital messages, we need to use our abilities to develop
true emergency communications that will allow those whom we
serve to read body language, study the persona and hear the
message all at the same time.  Amateur Radio Service licensees
pioneered many aspects over the years. It's my belief that we
_can_ provide such a full communications package if we set our
sights on that goal. Let's do it!

Now, let's hear YOUR ideas on HOW to do it!! Send your E-mail
to cary_mangum@oes.ca.gov or cary_mangum@bbs.macnexus.org.
s/s Cary Mangum, W6WWW, Chief ACS Officer, State of California
                                  ---
ACS Web page: http://acs.oes.ca.gov       FTP archive:
ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/packet/tcpip/incoming for new
bulletins and ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/races for earlier ones.
Landline BBS: 916-262-0856 (graphical & standard interface).
State Chief ACS Officer Cary Mangum: Cary_Mangum@oes.ca.gov
EOM EMC137