Transcript week (7) communications - Accommodation Services

Work with colleagues and
customers
Introduction
 The hospitality industry is about people. If you work in
this industry you will spend a great deal of time
interacting with your customers.
 Communication takes place everyday between a
variety of people and in various ways.
 It is not what we say but how we say it.
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Communication
What is it?
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What is communication?
 The word communication is about passing
information from one person to another.
 Effective Communication exists when the message
that one person communicates is received by another as
intended.
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Effective Communication
Good communication requires:
 the use of all our senses
 displaying appropriate body language
 Appropriate use of tone, pitch in our voice
 being an effective listener
 providing feedback
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On successful completion of this
chapter you will be able to:
 Communicate with others
 Maintain personal presentation standards
 Provide service to colleagues and customers
 Respond to conflicts and customer complaints
 Work in a team.
Communicate with customers
 Stages of communication
 The sender – how this person communicates is
determined by influences such as education, self-image,
cultural background, family, friends, attitude, feelings
and emotions.
 The message – the link between sender and receiver.
May be written, verbal, non-verbal or all three.
 The receiver – is affected by same influences as sender.
It is not relevant if receiver agrees with message, what is
important is that message is received as intended.
Stages of communication
Channel
 Encode
 Sender
 (stage 1)
stage (2)
Message is sent
 Sender has a
message to
communicate
Noise or interference
Feedback
Context
Decode
Stage (3)
Receiver
receives the
message as
intended
Communicate with customers
 Workplace communication is between ourselves
and our colleagues (internal customers) and
between ourselves and clients (external
customers).
 Irrespective of who we communicate with, it is
important that we be:
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Be polite, professional and friendly
Use an appropriate tone
Use appropriate body language
Show sensitivity to differences
Actively listen
Ask questions to facilitate understanding.
Communicate with customers
 Choosing the right channel – before sending the
message we need to consider:
 The intended audience
 The purpose of the communication
 The situation
 Degree of formality required
 Urgency/time frames
 Access of sender and receiver to equipment.
Types of communication
Communication can be:
Verbal/Oral
Non-Verbal
(body language)
Written
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Communicate with customers
Oral communication
 The most frequent form of communication. Can be
delivered:
 Face to face
 Over the telephone
 When using a two-way communication system.
 Three elements of communication are vitally important:
 Verbal – what we say
 Vocal – how we say it
 Visual – what the receiver sees.
All three need to communicate the same meaning to be effective.
Communicate with customers
Refining our verbal communication
 Whilst jargon is useful to industry
communication, we need to be careful not to use it
in the wrong circumstance.
 When speaking, we need to:
 Speak clearly
 Avoid slang
 Develop our vocabulary
 Make the content appropriate and relevant
 Put the words in the correct context.
Communicate with customers
Refining our vocal communication
 Includes our voice projection, tone, pitch, speed
and breathing techniques
 We need to:
 Vary our tone
 Be aware of pitch
 Project our voice
 Speak to consistent speed
 Remember to breathe!
Communicate with customers
Refining our vocal communication
 Includes our voice projection, tone, pitch, speed
and breathing techniques.
 We need to:
 Vary our tone
 Be aware of pitch
 Project our voice
 Speak to consistent speed
 Remember to breathe!
Communicate with customers
Refining our visual communication
 Arguably the most important element as people
watch what we do when we speak as much as what
we say. We need to:
 Be aware of personal space
 Maintain eye contact and be aware of facial expressions
 Maintain strong posture and develop appropriate hand
and body movements
 Maintain a high standard of personal presentation.
Non-verbal communication
 Types of body language - the non-verbal signals,
movements and gestures we use to aid/hinder
communication.
 They include
 Open body language means we are receptive to the message being
sent. We demonstrate this through signals such as maintaining eye
contact, smiling, and nodding head
 Closed may indicate we are not interested in the message, and we
indicate this through looking away, folding our arms or legs,
frowning, or rolling the eyes
Body language should not be interpreted in isolation and must be
read in conjunction with what is being said (verbal message), and
how (vocal). We must also allow for cultural differences.
Non-verbal communication
 Facial expressions – “the eyes are the window to
the soul”.
 We can often tell from a person’s face whether they are
happy, sad, angry .
 Dress and accessories – most enterprises will
have standards of dress, whilst still allowing for
individualism. We should be sensitive to others by
avoiding:
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Upsetting or alienating haircuts
Multi-coloured hair in a conservative workplace
Excessive body jewellery as it may be unsafe
Wearing political badges or clothing.
Non-verbal communication
 Personal space – the distance we require between
another person and ourselves when interacting to feel
comfortable.
 Being aware of other people’s space is an important part
of communication.
 Physical contact – be very aware of what is and is not
appropriate in our workplace!
Space
 How people use their personal
space and that of others
communicates a message.
 If you tower over other people
in a way that intrudes on their
personal space you may cause
discomfort and withdrawal
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Non-Verbal Communication
Space
 Research has shown that Australians
speaking to acquaintances or work
colleagues leave about an arm’s length of
space and to friends and family about half
an arm’s length.
 In intimate relationships people allow
direct and close contact.
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Non-Verbal Communication
Dress And Accessories
 This aspect of nonverbal communication gives you a
lot of information.
 The clothes a person wears can disclose economic
and social class, personality, occupation, values,
attitudes and self-concept.
Clothes are used to project an image and are used
to indicate group memberships and affiliations.
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Voice Tonality and Volume
Your voice is a reliable indicator of
nationality, regional origin, social
class, educational level, age and
gender. It also discloses the
emotional state of the speaker and
conveys attitudes.
Cultural differences in Communication
Cultural differences may include
 Modes of greeting
 Body language
 Formality of language
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What is this person communicating?
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What is this person communicating?
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What is this person communicating?
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What is this person communicating?
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Written communication
 Effective communication is reliant on the words
we choose, how we present them and the correct
use of grammar. Written communication is only
one option, and is can be used for items such as:
 Itineraries, confirmation of bookings, personal or
business letters, memorandums (memos), reports.
 They can be sent via:
 Email, facsimile, personal or business letter via post,
simple written message etc.
Written communication
 Whichever medium is used, good communication
depends on several elements:
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Clarity
Conciseness
Tone
Presentation
Correct language
Ability of the receiver.
If any of the elements are missing, or could be
misinterpreted, then written communication may not
be the most appropriate way to communicate.
What are on their minds?
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What is he communicating?
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What do you think President Bush is
communicating here?
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Is this man enjoying the food?
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What do you think is happening here?
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Factors affecting medium selection and
protocols
 Selecting the most appropriate medium is not always
obvious, and must consider the audience, purpose and
situation. We need to consider:
 Technical or operational features of the equipment used
 Access of sender and receiver to necessary equipment
 Required format for written forms of communication
 Degree of formality
 Urgency and time frames.
 Protocols are accepted codes of behaviour or set of rules
about the way in which we conduct ourselves. This may
also cover how we communicate, especially with customers
such as doctors, judges, diplomats, clergy and politicians.
Effective listening skills
 Hearing can be done unconsciously whereas listening requires
concentration and to actively participate in the communication
process!
 Our visual response is the best indicator of whether or not we are
listening. This includes:
 Are we looking at the speaker? Are we offering feedback? Are our faces
indicating understanding?
 Verbal and vocal cues include:
 Was the message sent without interruption? Does the listener ask
questions? Is the response as expected or appropriate? Could the sender
finish their sentences?
 When we are listening:
 Do we actively work at listening? Do we judge content, not delivery? Do we
listen for the real meaning? Are we concentrating on the speaker and
resisting distractions? Are we providing feedback? Do we let the speaker
finish before we speak or give our response?
Effective questioning technique
 All good communication including active listening
involves asking questions. We need to identify the
correct technique.
 Open questions are used to elicit more information
when we are unsure as to what is happening or what
someone wants. E.g. “Can you tell me about ...?”
 Closed questions are for when we need a definitive
answer e.g. “Were you unhappy with the actual
facilities?” (Try to obtain a “Yes” or “No” to narrow down
reason for complaint).
Formal, informal or the ‘grapevine’.
 Formal communication – structured communication
that includes passing information through accepted
channels such as letters, memos, policies and procedures
etc.
 Informal communication – is sent through
unstructured means such as oral communication. If this
is committed to writing then it becomes formal.
 The grapevine – is an informal channel whereby
information is passed from person to person by word of
mouth. It is usually unreliable or inaccurate however can
be an effective way to communicate information quickly.
Barriers to effective communication
 Those things that get in the way of effective communication are
called barriers. Apart from background differences, there may also
be interference. Examples include:
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Selective listening
Jumping to conclusions
Inconsistency in delivery
Cultural differences
Lack of confidence
Physical barriers
Lack of time
Thought speed
Impatience
Prejudice
Bad habits
Noise.
Barriers to effective communication
 How do we overcome the barriers?
 There are many reasons why communication may be
unsuccessful – if we can identify any of the elements of
interference in the previous slide as being ours, it is
easier to overcome the barriers.
 Step one – recognise they exist
 Step two - understanding the influences on both sender and
receiver
 Step three – make plans to overcome those barriers including
our own personal goals to change behaviour if it is interfering
with communication.
 Finally, practise!