Our method
Human factors, communication, debriefing: what makes the difference.
Our approach draws on high-risk professions — aviation, air traffic control, civil protection — where team performance depends as much on communication as on technical skill.
Operational communication
The tools of high-risk professions, applied to your organisation.
In aviation, a large share of serious incidents stem not from technical failure but from a communication or coordination problem. This finding gave rise, in the late 1970s, to CRM (Crew Resource Management), now adopted by hospitals, industry, nuclear power and emergency services. Our scenarios use its tools.
Tool 1
Read-back
Whoever receives an instruction repeats it; whoever gave it confirms.
Tool 2
Phraseology
Precise words, short messages, an expected structure.
Tool 3
Briefing
Objective, risks, who does what, when do we check in again? Two minutes that save twenty.
Tool 4
Assertiveness
“I can see… I’m concerned because… I suggest…”. Silence is often the first link in an accident.
Tool 5
The two-challenge rule
An alert ignored? Repeat it. Ignored twice? Escalate.
Tool 6
Closed loop
Every request gets a response, every action a report.
Human factors
Understanding why competent people make mistakes.
Human factors is the study of human capabilities and limitations at work: attention, memory, fatigue, stress, biases, group dynamics. The goal is not to find a culprit, but to understand the mechanisms in order to build safer, higher-performing organisations.
The 12 classic traps — hover over or tap a card to reveal the countermeasure
📭 Lack of communication
The information exists but doesn’t flow.
Countermeasure
Read-back, closed loop
😌 Complacency
“We’ve always done it this way.”
Countermeasure
Systematic checks
❓ Lack of knowledge
Acting outside your field without saying so.
Countermeasure
Dare to ask
📱 Distraction
One interruption, and a step is forgotten.
Countermeasure
Checklists, restart from the top
🧱 Lack of teamwork
Everyone optimises their own area, not the mission.
Countermeasure
Shared objectives
😴 Fatigue
Reduced alertness, often without noticing.
Countermeasure
Rotation, breaks
🪫 Lack of resources
Making do, at the expense of quality.
Countermeasure
Flag it early
⏱️ Pressure
The deadline becomes more important than safety.
Countermeasure
Know when to say no
🤐 Lack of assertiveness
You see the problem, you say nothing.
Countermeasure
Two-challenge rule
🌪️ Stress
Narrowed attention, tunnel vision.
Countermeasure
Step back, delegate
🙈 Lack of awareness
Weak signals go unnoticed.
Countermeasure
Regular situation updates
🛤️ Norms
Tolerated “shortcuts” become the rule.
Countermeasure
Question habits
Stress and performance
A little pressure stimulates; too much degrades (the Yerkes–Dodson law). Our scenarios build up the load so everyone can spot their own tipping point.
The 3 levels of situational awareness
Based on Mica Endsley’s model. In the debriefing, we identify the level at which the team lost track.
- Perceive — Did I see the right elements? Were they shared?
- Understand — What do they mean for the mission? Do we share the same reading?
- Anticipate — What will happen in 5, 10, 30 minutes? What is plan B?
The “Swiss cheese” model
For James Reason, an incident rarely results from a single error: it is the alignment of several weaknesses (organisation, procedures, communication, individual) that makes it possible. Every team member is a barrier: serious games show how everyone can close a hole.
Debriefing
The game reveals. The debriefing transforms.
Without a debriefing, a serious game is just a good activity. With a structured debriefing, it becomes training: the lived experience turns into awareness, then into concrete commitments.
Decompression
Everyone expresses in one word how they felt. We acknowledge emotions before analysing.
The facts
Rebuild the timeline: what happened, who knew what, and when?
Analysis
Which human factors were at play? What helped, what got in the way?
Transfer
Where do we see this in our daily work? What will we do differently from Monday?
📜 The golden rules of debriefing
- Behaviours, not people. “The instruction wasn’t repeated” rather than “You didn’t listen”.
- No blame. An error is information about the system.
- Confidentiality. What is said in the room stays in the room.
- Participants speak first. The facilitator asks more than they assert.
- Highlight what worked.
- End with action. No debriefing without a concrete commitment.
💬 Our facilitators’ key questions
- Which moment was the hardest? Why?
- What information were you missing? Did someone have it?
- Who made the key decision? Did everyone understand it?
- Was an instruction misunderstood?
- When were you overwhelmed? Did you ask for help?
- Did you see a problem without raising it?
- On Monday morning, what would you do differently?
Measuring impact
From experience to results.
A serious game is only worthwhile if it changes something in daily work. We build every engagement with you, before and after the session.
Scoping
Challenges, participants, situations to target. Scenario and debriefing are adapted.
Observation
A grid focused on communication, decision-making, cooperation and workload.
Report
A written summary: findings, human factors identified, strengths, development priorities.
Follow-up
Optional: a follow-up session after 1–3 months, further workshops.
Let’s put the method to the test with your teams
Let’s choose the scenario together — or design yours.