Five key dimensions of communications - Part 1
Those of us in the business of hospitality are frequently told how the latest technological tools can improve the guest experience. No doubt these devices can provide significant value, but not everyone has the budget to invest in them. For me, the easiest and most cost-effective method to enhance the experience is to have better communication with one’s guests and staff. This though, is easier said than done.
In this “age of communication”, the hospitality and tourism workplace continues to be challenged by concerns related to communication. With decades of experience in the hospitality industry, I can vouch for this. Even very recently, I encountered serious gaps in the manner in which managers and so called leaders showcase their weaknesses in this area. Sad to say, there are many occupying high positions that lack the prerequisites skills of business communication – in one or many spheres.
The hospitality and tourism workplace is people oriented. It relies heavily on manpower resources to get things done, where the day to day business environment calls for a continuous flow of information, delivered promptly, accurately and efficiently through the most appropriate medium.
One of several important skills a manager must possess is the ability to communicate meaningfully. Leadership is mostly about influencing people and is a key characteristic that a leader can have to competently exert it – for example when communicating a vision to motivate staff to move towards fulfilling that vision successfully.
An educational degree in tourism and hospitality management can open doors everywhere and one of the priority skills hotel management students learn during their studies is communication. However, the majority of those who graduate ignore mastering the various forms of communicating properly and effectively; in the mistaken belief that simply being able to talk and write, accompanied by critical thinking, is enough to take them where they want to go.
Whilst professional knowledge is critical to work efficiency, today’s job scenario has dramatically shifted. The ‘Are you a graduate?’ question at interviews has now drifted to “How skilled are you?” Newer technology and specific demand for professionals with specialized skills have put ‘up-skilling’ and re-skilling’ in the spotlight - leading to skills been classified into Domain skills and Soft skills.
Domain skills, also known as hard skills are all about having specific knowledge and training on a particular topic or profession. Soft skills are more relatable to traits like leadership, communications, time management, and other overall skills that can be put to use in any profession. Soft skills also refer to interpersonal skills requiring a great deal of competency when dealing with people and attitudes.
Research conducted by scholars established the top ten soft skills necessary in business. They are:- Integrity, Communications, Dependability, Team work, Creativity, Problem solving ability, Time management, People management, Decision making and Organisational skills. Note that communication skills ranked in second place in order of importance. In fact, the University of Kentucky researched and developed 10 traits that one could view as the building blocks of professional Emotional Competency, where communications was listed as the number one skill.
Studies also show that in the hierarchical ladder of hospitality, managers spend as much as 80% of their day interpersonally communicating with others, whilst those at the bottom rungs, need use less than 10% of their work time.
You have probably heard about the saying “Treat your staff like customers.” Unfortunately, many companies still fail to adhere to this mindset. As Paul Barton explains, “Don’t take an unemotional, military-like tone with your employees, and then, expect them to deliver, warm, efficient service to customers. You need to talk to your staff like you want them to talk to your customers. People often don’t remember exactly what you said as much as they remember how you make them feel. That’s certainly true with employees.”
Many of us mistakenly believe communication and Interpersonal skills are similar. While they both revolve around interactions with others, there are some major differences between Communication and Interpersonal skills. In a way, communication skills fall under the radar of interpersonal skills. Let’s however, deal with more of that later.
The world we now live in has evolved to the extent that the next generation of highly motivated colleagues and subordinates, simply won’t put up with sub-standard communication and communicators - whatever their job title. If you expect your staff to deliver exceptional standards of communications, be it a face-to-face interaction at the hotel reception or at the restaurant, or an email or a written quotation to a guest, or even a telephone conversation with a prospective customer, you better lead by example and be at the top of your game.
Communication exists on five key dimensions which currently form the foundation of high literary standards, namely; Oral, Listening, Written, Non-verbal and Digital communication skills.
Oral communication is the sharing of information between a sender and a receiver involving speech. When communicating a message, it is vital that hotel employees understand how to send it, so that it is understood in the way that it was intended, and that it is not distorted. Oral communication implies both what is said and how it is said. This is where interpersonal skills kick-in.
Good communication skills are a ‘learned’ art and not a natural skill, so one should consider training to enhance such skills. A person who talks a lot could think that he or she is a good communicator. Not necessarily. In most cases such people, turn out to be poor communicators - because they never stop to listen to others or to themselves. I once had my restaurant supervisor tell me, “I’ll take the orders from that table” as we were all very busy that evening; only to then start talking to someone else, completely forgetting about the guests who were waiting impatiently to place their orders.
Ilzaf Keefahs is a freelance writer who enjoys focusing on hospitality related matters that he is passionate about, and likes to share his views with hoteliers and customers alike. He delves into the heart of hospitality to figure out both customer service and consumer trends that impact the industry.
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