Before you key your mike, gather your thoughts about what you are going to say. Many people with radios have a tendency to talk and/or repeat too much. Say what you need to say without unnecessary repeats. Keep in mind that you must strive to get your message through the first time.

Practising proper day-to-day radio procedures will make emergency radio procedures automatic and reduces confusion. Another way of saying this is that the secret to working quickly and efficiently in an emergency is to use common approved radio communication procedures and guidelines and practice, practice, practice.

1st, you MUST give the radio call sign of the station you are calling. This alerts that station that they are being called and that they should listen to determine who is calling.

2nd; say "THIS IS". The called station knows your tactical call follows. This is extremely important in cases where there is a lot of confusion or poor signal conditions.

3rd, give your radio call sign. Don't give your first name. Radio Call sign are important and first names are not, egos notwithstanding. Remember, we are licensed for radio to radio NOT person to person communications. You WILL create confusion if you reverse the first three steps, especially during emergencies and when you are communicating with a dispatcher or people who do not know you. If your practice is the reverse of the "norm", you will not be able to change "on the fly" especially during the added stress brought on by an emergency situation.

4th, give your message. Speak clearly. Don't speak too fast especially if the message needs to be written down. Pause after logical phrases. Do not use the word "break" when you pause. It is confusing, wastes time and has other connotations. Merely unkey and pause. If the other station has questions, they should key up and make their request known. This also permits other stations to break in if they have emergency traffic.

5th, you can end your conversation with “CLEAR” however it isn’t required.