How airplane pilots taught me to be a better child psychologist

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Have you noticed that many people don't listen that well during conversation? They interrupt, they usurp your story with their story that is even more dramatic, and they try to "win" arguments, rather than sharing a mutual learning experience. For some reason I've become fascinated with airplane-tower communications recently. On YouTube, you can listen to Sully talking to the tower before he successfully landed a commercial airliner in the Hudson river in New York. You can listen to planes in trouble right before they landed a wounded aircraft or, in some sad cases, crashed. What strikes me is how the aviators and the tower make sure they understand each other. An airplane-tower communication might go like this: Pilot: Horse 101, experiencing engine failure on right side, request return to airport. Tower: Tower to Horse 101, understand you have engine failure on right side? Pilot: Affirmative, Horse 101. Engine failure on right side. Do you have a runway for me? Tower: Tower, affirmative, suggest runway 27R. Let us know if you are declaring an emergency. Pilot: Horse 101, affirmative, declaring an emergency. Have control of aircraft, but request fire and medical. Tower: This is Tower, turn right heading 320, should have visual on runway 27R. Wind 5 knots from the SW. Not a factor. Pilot: Horse 101, turning right heading 320, will look for runway. Tower: Tower, 320 affirmative... The protocol for pilots and flight controllers is to make sure they've heard each other, and to respond in such a way as to make it clear that they've heard each other. I think we non-aviators can learn from them. With one of my kid clients, who listens poorly, I decided to try something. He is fascinated by my stick shift, and I let him sit in front ("shotgun") when we drive to the local park to shoot hoops and skateboard. I told him about how pilots, co-pilots, and towers communicate, and he was interested. I challenged him to be my co-pilot, and shift my gears, while we're driving in non-critical situations. It's worked perfectly! Here's what we sound like: Me: Pilot speaking, coming to an intersection. Request downshift from third to second gear to prepare for stop. Kid: Third to second, check (he shifts into second gear). Me: I'll take control as we make this right turn from a stop. Will request second to third gear once we're on the straightaway. Kid: Second to third, check. And on and on. He loves it, and he doesn't know that I'm teaching him active listening and clear communication skills. My hope is that he can generalize these skills to his interactions with family and friends, where he tends to interrupt a lot, listen poorly, and be "bossy" to a point where other kids eventually avoid him. Think it can work?