Chapter 3

COMMUNICATION
SKILLS

What is communication
Two-wayprocessof

reaching
mutualunderstanding, in which
participantsnot onlyexchange(
encode-decode)information,news
,ideasand feelings but alsocreate
andsharemeaning. Ingeneral,
communication is ameansof
connecting people orplaces.

Communicate with
Customers
The
aim to communicate well with customers is to know

basically what customers want, need, demand,

complaint, comment and suggest, understanding well.
The four objectives in communication are:

To
To
To
To

be received
be understood
be accepted
get action

communication is considered successful when the

speaker has convey the message through an
appropriate medium, understood by the listener and
action has been taken.
Customers may receive a wrong message when the
speaker has chosen the way of communicating wrongly.
The body language is another means of transmitting the
message to guests.

Various Ways of Communications

Verbal

Communication

Part of face-to-face, group and telephone

communication and influences the impression
created.
Good communication skills involve the ability to
listen carefully to customer requests and respond
to the needs.
The following steps help to create a professional
and calm impressions:

Plan what you want to say

Gain attention
Relay the message
Repeat the key points
Say thank you

Various Ways of Communications

Non-verbal

Communication

Covers all aspects of communication that are not

spoken or written down.

Main components of non-verbal communication:

body language, posture, gesture, facial expression
and eye contact.

Body language is classed as one of two types: open

body language (positive) and closed body language
(negative).

Smiling is the single most important aspect of nonverbal communication.

Another components in which the customers

interpret other non-verbal clues: smell, appearance
and noise.

Various Ways of Communications

Written

Communication

A permanent record if made of a message.

Examples of written communication used by
hospitality organizations include:

Menu
Tariffs / price list
Letters, e-mail
Bills
Brochures, conference packs and leaflets
Advertisements
Signs and messages
Notice board
Faxes
Operating instructions for in-room safe

Key Factors in Successfulcommunication

Conceiving

the message

(Analyst)
Encoding the message (Convert
to code)
Selecting the communication
channel
Decoding the message ( Convert
to Message )
Interpreting the message
( Understand the Message)

Sender-Message-MediumReceiver
4

main elements:

Two are HUMAN the sender and the

receiver
Two are NOT the message and the
medium(on some occasion is HUMAN i.e.
receptionist)
Communication

is about effective
liaison among yourself, the
organization and your customer, to
ensure that the flow of information is
free, clear and undisturbed.

Barriers to Effective
Communication

We

must be aware of the barriers and to strive

to prevent them from occurring.
Some factors cannot be controlled.
Two types of barrier:
Environmental factors
Noise
Distractions
Distance

Personal factors

Muffled speech
Language
Dialect
Inaccurate pronunciation
Misuse of grammar
Ambiguity (having more than one possible meaning)
Hostile attitude

Telephone Courtesy
Why

is effective
telephone
communication
important?
To convey a message
quickly
Time saver on travel,
memo and letter writing
Faster problem solving
Faster decision making
Reduce mistakes and
understanding
Obtain information
faster

Telephone Courtesy
Common problems
Some common problems involving telephone
communication in a typical office are
When there are several calls coming in at the
same time, the operator is not able to handle or
channel calls
Taking a wrong message or message given to the
wrong person
Taking down a message with insufficient
information, and therefore wasting time to verify
the call in order to respond accordingly.
Putting a person on hold for too long
Not able to find the person caller is looking for

Telephone Courtesy
Telephone Telecommunications
Tools
VOICE
Clear
WORDS Easily understand, no
jargons
TONE
Friendly, helpful, calmnot rushed, enthusiastic-not
monotone
MIND
Positive attitude

Telephone Courtesy
Creating the Right Impression
Attitude

Answer promptly. The best is to answer by the third ring

Identify your name and your department
Be friendly and interested in the call
Get the caller's name and use it during the
conversation." May I know who's calling please?"

Voice

Vary your voice. Stress some of the words in a sentence.

Put a smile in your voice. Smile as you talk.
Speak clearly and distinctly.
Hold the telephone mouthpiece near your mouth.

Telephone Courtesy
Creating the Right Impression
Words
Use courteous words and phrases
Avoid emotive words. These are blaming words
and can arouse anger.
Use plain simple words. Avoid jargon.
Manners

Greet the caller appropriately.

Inform the caller if you need to put them on hold,
Apologies if they are put on hold longer than the
intended time
End the conversation in a positive note

Telephone Courtesy
Building telephone skills
If the message is urgent, mark it
as such.
It is also a good practice to repeat
the telephone number back to the
caller to check accuracy.
Finally, sign your name and follow
your propertys procedures for
storing or delivering the message.