Steven Bentley has been an Aviation Auditor for more than 25 years and this is what he says about acting like an aviation auditor. “Being an effective auditor does not only depend on what you say, it also depends on how you portray yourself and how you are perceived by the auditee”.
How to Dress?
If you want to get the most from a person you must make him or her feel comfortable in your presence. So to dress in the appropriate way (It may be a suit but not necessarily) more important is to reflect the norms of the environment in which you are auditing so maybe just a shirt and tie would be ok or to take a jacket but to leave it off on arrival.
Manners Maketh the Man!
Good manners are both easy to cultivate and also extremely worthwhile they promote an atmosphere of honesty and integrity. Good Manners also promote respect and show you care about the person you are talking to.
Timing is everything?
Never be late for an audit and if you are unavoidable delayed make sure that you communicate clearly what is the problem and how long it will take to resolve no one likes to be kept waiting plus turning up on time is a way of showing respect.
The Professional approach!
What does it mean to be professional? Well do not lose sight of the fact that you are representing your company or your department. Please never allow the auditee to feel intimidated and always remember if you put the auditee on the defensive, then simply they will disconnect from the audit and you will significantly limit the chances of gathering the best insight into the issues and exposures.
Are you a good listener?
Having the capacity to listen and to process information at the same time and to do this without interrupting is a fundamental attribute of a good auditor.
Being able to show genuine interest will take this to a higher level. It is highly probable that no one knows this part of the business or process than the person you are talking to so listen to what they have to say and you will benefit significantly.
The hard part is being able to process evaluate and analyse the information so that you can determine where next you are going to go with you questions and how you can use these questions to better aid your understanding.
What is the Fear Factor?
Quite simply it is when for whatever reason you feel intimidated you are not able to give of your best. If you make people feel nervous they will trip up! In simple human factor terms when you feel pressure – for whatever reason it creates stress and stress leads to error.
Therefore by putting people at the ease, by talking to them in terms they understand and feel comfortable with will lead to a far better outcome for you the auditor.
The way you look at me and the way I look at you !
As small babies we understood about body language about a person who smiled and made us feel comfortable and a person who scowled and made us feel nervous.
So always give due consideration to body language there are many mannerisms which may be communicated without words including boredom. Show at all times you are interested and never try to appear superior in any way it will not work. Read any signs of nervousness or confusion on the part of the auditee and make sure you address these in an accommodating way.
Focus Focus Focus
Your No 1 Duty is stay totally focused on your goals and objectives – you are there to complete your audit in the fairest way possible without influence or bias and whilst maintaining a sense of balance.
As the audit proceeds keep a record of the names of the people you have spoken to and brief notes regard issues or potential issues and continuously manage the timeline so you remain in full control of the situation.
Sofema Aviation Services offers a range of EASA compliant vocational and regulatory training. For any comments or questions please email office@sassofia.com
Continue reading Part 2 and Part 3
