Title: Week (6)
1Week (6)
- Work with colleagues and customers
2Introduction
- 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.
3Communication
4What 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.
5- 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
6On 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.
7Communicate 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.
8 Stages of communication
Channel
stage (2) Message is sent
- Encode
- Sender
- (stage 1)
- Sender has a message to communicate
Decode Stage (3) Receiver receives the message as
intended
Noise or interference
Feedback
Context
9Communicate 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 - Be polite, professional and friendly
- Use an appropriate tone
- Use appropriate body language
- Show sensitivity to differences
- Actively listen
- Ask questions to facilitate understanding.
10Communicate 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.
11Types of communication
- Communication can be
- Verbal/Oral
- Non-Verbal
- (body language)
- Written
12(No Transcript)
13Communicate 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.
14Communicate 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.
15Communicate 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!
16Communicate 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!
17Communicate 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.
18Non-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.
19Non-verbal communication
- Facial expressions the eyes are the window to
the soul. - We can often tell from a persons 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 - Upsetting or alienating haircuts
- Multi-coloured hair in a conservative workplace
- Excessive body jewellery as it may be unsafe
- Wearing political badges or clothing.
20Non-verbal communication
- Personal space the distance we require between
another person and ourselves when interacting to
feel comfortable. - Being aware of other peoples space is an
important part of communication. - Physical contact be very aware of what is and
is not appropriate in our workplace!
21Space
- 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
22Non-Verbal CommunicationSpace
- Research has shown that Australians speaking to
acquaintances or work colleagues leave about an
arms length of space and to friends and family
about half an arms length. - In intimate relationships people allow direct
and close contact.
23Non-Verbal CommunicationDress 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.
24Voice 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.
25 Cultural differences in Communication
- Cultural differences may include
- Modes of greeting
- Body language
- Formality of language
26What is this person communicating?
27What is this person communicating?
28What is this person communicating?
29What is this person communicating?
30Written 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.
31Written communication
- Whichever medium is used, good communication
depends on several elements - 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.
32What are on their minds?
33What is he communicating?
34What do you think President Bush is communicating
here?
35Is this man enjoying the food?
36What do you think is happening here?
37Factors 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.
38Effective 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?
39Effective 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).
40Formal, 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.
41Barriers 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 - 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.
42Barriers 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!