Real-Life Communication -- Solution
You are helping a reporter record her story for the newscast. She
is unfamiliar with the technology, so you must explain the procedure more
carefully. This is what you could say:
You begin by flattening
the board, which means you push all the switches and dials down. This will
reduce the chances of having a technical problem, because you won't have
switches and dials set to levels used by someone else.
Next you adjust
the trim, the control that is used to adjust the input level. While you are
adjusting the trim, check the peak light. The peak light warns you of excessive
input levels. It lights up just below the point at which distortion will occur.
If it's producing a bright flash or a steady glow, you should lower the
input level.
Bringing up the master fader, which controls the output
level of the signals from the channel faders, means pushing the switch up
on the board.
The channel fader controls the channels being input.
Bringing it up means pushing the switch up on the board.
Next, bring
up the monitor level by pushing up the switch on the board. That adjusts the
level of the signal going to the speakers.
"Another way
communication skills are necessary in this field is that you may call all
over the world contacting tech support for certain equipment," says broadcast
engineer Jessica Rye.
"Sometimes they are difficult to understand, or
they assume you know more than you do, so you have to maintain the tact to
explain any issues you're having so that they can best understand, either
over the phone or via email."