The first thing to understand is that fear amongst passengers is inevitable — Page 208, Lesson 306

I want to walk you through what happens when an emergency situation develops on board. The first thing to understand is that fear amongst passengers is inevitable. That fear can lead to panic, disregard of authority, and possible medical problems caused by anxiety, hypertension, or hyperventilation. Let me define those terms: hypertension means abnormally high blood pressure, and hyperventilation means breathing too fast or too deeply, which upsets the body's carbon dioxide balance. Both can be triggered by extreme stress. Now, the excerpt describes two different reactions based on personality. In the strong, the desire for self-preservation may overcome self-discipline — that means even normally composed people might act selfishly or ignore instructions. In the weak, there may be a tendency to give up there and then — they become passive and unresponsive. Both are dangerous in an evacuation. But here's the key principle: the cause of fear is ignorance. The best way to overcome that fear is to brief the passengers fully — and also the cabin crew — about three things: what has happened, what is being done, and what is likely to happen subsequently. That's the core of the communication strategy. If a decision is made to carry out an emergency landing or ditching — and ditching means landing on water — the time between advising the passengers that this will happen and just before the event should be used in preparing the cabin and the passengers for the event. A continual stream of advice and instructions, information and practice, will occupy the minds of the passengers. That serves two purposes: it prepares them mentally and physically, and it keeps them focused so they don't panic. The authority of the commander — that's the captain — and the appreciation of the implied skill level of the crew will be reinforced by PA messages from the flight deck. PA stands for public address. When passengers hear calm, professional announcements from the flight deck, they trust that the situation is under control. The visual presence of the flight attendants in the cabin until they have to take up their landing positions will reinforce the opinion that the situation is fully under control. So the crew's visible calmness is itself a tool. Now, any procedure employed before an emergency landing or ditching must include a comprehensive brief to the passengers concerning the evacuation of the aeroplane after the event. That brief must stress the authority of the cabin crew, with the requirement that the passengers do as they are told. In a ditching situation, the correct fitting and use of life preservers — which are the life jackets — must be restated. This should have already been covered during the initial passenger brief at the start of the flight. The passenger brief card — one at each seat — will repeat and reinforce the information. Moving on to evacuation: in the event of an emergency landing, ditching, or following a precautionary landing — that's a landing made out of caution, not immediate emergency — rapid evacuation of the aeroplane is essential to prevent loss of life. In any emergency, the possibility of fire cannot be ruled out, and the only action passengers can take in the event of fire is — and the excerpt cuts off there, but the principle is clear: speed is everything, and passengers must follow crew instructions without hesitation.