Ten Steps to Improve Hospitality Communication

You're celebrating your anniversary at a nice restaurant, you order your favorite meal, it's going to be a wonderful night... but the waiter is in a bad mood, the order is late, and the food is not what you wanted, you can hear an argument in the kitchen... You won't be going to that restaurant again, and you'll tell all your friends too.

Bad communication is bad news anywhere, and in the hospitality industry in particular. So how can we prevent Hospitality communication calamities?

1. Have well-trained staff. If you can't hire well trained staff, find people who are keen workers and willing to learn, and train them yourself. In fact, some employers prefer to train their own staff, rather than re-train experienced staff to meet their standards. Well trained staff is the key to providing professional service.

Ten Steps to Improve Hospitality Communication

2. Hospitality is all about service; stress that to your staff. Hospitality staff often serve people who are on vacation; they might have saved all year long for this one holiday, they are paying good money and deserve the best service you can give them and nothing less. They expect friendly and professional service and you and your staff are there to make sure they get it.

3. Good, two-way communication between all levels of staff in any hospitality business is essential to smooth and cost-effective running of your operation. When service staff at your cafe inform management that they are constantly running out of certain items on the menu, and nothing is done about it, it's bad hospitality communication, and bad for business. Act ASAP and your staff will know that you value their work and share their goal of providing the best service they can give.

4. Fulfill your guest's expectations. Good hospitality communication between staff and guests starts with good office work - you, as management, need to provide your staff with the best tools they need to offer the guests the service they expect. When guests arrive in their hotel room expecting free internet service, as advertised on the hotel's website, and find they have to pay for it, they raise their displeasure with reception staff, who are not to fault in this case. Somewhere along the line, someone provided incorrect information. A typical case of bad communication and bad feelings, that could easily have been avoided.

Make sure all the right information is passed on between different levels and departments. Make sure marketing staff is well informed, and advertise only what you know you can deliver. Building unrealistic expectations results in untold disputes - not good for business.

5. As the world is becoming increasingly digitized, 'computerizing' your business has become a necessity. Good hospitality management software is an essential tool these days. With the wide range offered, you are bound to find one that suits your needs and budget. From the basic hand-held PDA system for communicating between kitchen and serving staff, to an all-round management package that covers everything from inventory and hotel room reservations to an online booking facility for guests. The initial investment will streamline all communication channels and pay out in the long run.

6. Communicating with foreign tourists: You can't expect your staff to be fluent in all the foreign languages that they might encounter at work, but they should be aware of different cultures and respect them. Ignorance of cultural practices can upset guests unnecessarily, and we all want to avoid that.

Training your reception and wait staff in a few foreign language greetings will do a world of good to your business, by making your foreign guests feel just a little bit at home in your hotel or restaurant. It doesn't take that much, really.

7. Well informed staff: Make sure all your restaurant staff know the menu inside out and can answer any query regarding the day's specials. You will not impress your customers with wait-staff that have to run and ask the chef about the menu. Reception staff should be well informed about the region and be able to give advice and get information on the local attractions, transport, entertainment etc. It's part of the service your hotel guests expect to get - and you don't want to disappoint them with ignorant staff.

8. Quick response: If you run a food takeaway kitchen, your customers come to you for the food, not to sit and wait for it. Service has to be quick. The same applies to just about every other service in the hospitality industry, and an important part of good communications is quick response. Whether it's answering emails about reservation or other inquiries, providing service at the reception desk, or getting that meal on the table without delay. It's vital to the good reputation of your business.

9. Listen to your guests. Sometimes it's the little things that make the difference in customer satisfaction, and those can be easily overlooked in the busy hospitality environment. This is where your guests or customers can help - if you let them. Make it easy for them to let you know about things that they think can make your business give better service. You might not agree with them, but it never hurts to listen. Some customers are happy to let their complaints be known to everyone, and it's your job to make sure that every guest response gets conveyed to the supervisor or management (by ensuring proper hospitality communication channels). But others prefer to voice their complaint or suggestion anonymously, so make it easy for them, by placing suggestion/service evaluation cards in hotel rooms and service desks - let your guests know you value their feedback.

10. Listen to your staff: Your staff is your hospitality communication line to your customers. Listen to what they have to say. They will know that you value their opinion, and the changes you make will make them feel good in their work environment and proud of their job. You can be assured your customers will sense that they are being served by happy staff who want happy guests. And happy guests will come back for more positive experiences and pass on the word to friends and family. And that's what good hospitality communication is all about.

Ten Steps to Improve Hospitality Communication
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Leith James has been a chef for over fifteen years and knows the secrets of effective business management with a book titled "The Secret ingredient to finding hospitality staff". His vision is to improve hospitality quality and educate employers on effective hiring techniques through personality assessments. Read more articles like Hospitality Communication or Get instant Access for the Free hospitality mini course at [http://www.hospitality1.net/]

Different Types of Marketing

If you want your company to succeed, at some point you will need to begin marketing your products or services. The old adage that the worst type of advertising is no advertising is still true. No matter what your marketing budget may be, there are many different types of marketing that you can take advantage of. Let's take a look at a few of the more proven techniques that combine low cost with major results.

Online Marketing

Online marketing has opened up incredible avenues for small businesses. Thanks to companies like Google and Overture, you can place ads for your company right along side the big guns at competitive prices. Never before has it been easier to market your business than it is right now.

Different Types of Marketing

New forms of online marketing are also making headway. Online video ads are easy and cheap to shoot and give you the kind of exposure that was previously limited to expensive national television campaigns. With low production costs and reasonable pricing, you can run an online video campaign at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising.

Offline Marketing

The benefits of traditional marketing cannot be overlooked in our digital age. Many companies are reaping the benefits of combining online and offline marketing techniques. For example, you can use direct mail or local advertising to drive potential customers to your site. This is a great and proven combination that results in increased traffic and better conversions.

You can actually save money on print campaigns by relying on your website to do the actual selling while the print ad can function as a pointer. You'll save money using less words while building brand awareness. Radio ads are still a proven way to increase awareness of your company. If you are new to radio marketing, try placing a sample ad with a local station. They'll be able to assist you in producing your first ad until you get the hang of the process.

Word of Mouth Marketing

Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful forms of advertising on the planet. The best word of mouth comes from satisfied customers. Go the extra mile for them, and really work towards building relationships with your customers. This will result not only in more leads but they'll keep coming back to you in the future. Try running special promotions or coupons for these regular customers to help them feel that they are special and you'll really be able to continue to build on these relationships in the future.

The best marketing strategies take advantage of all the different types of advertising. By spreading your ad dollars around you can be assured of greater success and better interaction with the public. Start small by combining a special promotion that will run both in print and online avenues at the same time. You can keep track of the success of each method by using coupon codes to see which form suits your company the best.

Different Types of Marketing
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Overcoming Communication Barriers in Organizations

Although all communication is subject to misunderstandings, business communication is particularly difficult. The material is often complex and controversial. Moreover, both the sender and the receiver may face distractions that divert their attention. Further, the opportunities for feedback are often limited, making it difficult to correct misunderstandings. The following communication barriers in organizations and ways to overcome them will be the main topic of this article.

1. Information Overload. Too much information is as bad as too little because it reduces the audiences ability to concentrate effectively on the most important messages. People facing information overload sometimes try to cope by ignoring some of the messages, by delaying responses to messages they deem unimportant, by answering only parts of some messages, by responding inaccurately to certain messages, by taking less time with each message, or by reacting only superficially to all messages.

To overcome information overload, realize that some information is not necessary, and make necessary information easily available. Give information meaning rather than just passing it on, and set priorities for dealing with the information flow. Some information isn't necessary.

Overcoming Communication Barriers in Organizations

2. Message Complexity. When formulating business messages, you communicate both as an individual and as representative of an organization. Thus you must adjust your own ideas and style so that they are acceptable to your employer. In fact, you may be asked occasionally to write or say something that you disagree with personally. Suppose you work as a recruiter for your firm. You've interviewed a job candidate you believe would make an excellent employee, but others in the firm have rejected this applicant. Now you have to write a letter turning down the candidate: You must communicate your firms message, regardless of your personal feelings, a task some communicators find difficult.

To overcome the barriers of complex messages, keep them clear and easy to understand. Use strong organization, guide readers by telling them what to expect, use concrete and specific language, and stick to the point. Be sure to ask for feedback so that you can clarify and improve your message.

3. Message Competition. Communicators are often faced with messages that compete for attention. If you're talking on the phone while scanning a report, both messages are apt to get short shrift. Even your own messages may have to compete with a variety of interruptions: The phone rings every five minutes, people intrude, meetings are called, and crises arise. In short, your messages rarely have the benefit on the receivers undivided attention.

To overcome competition barriers, avoid making demands on a receiver who doesn't have the time to pay careful attention to your message. Make written messages visually appealing and easy to understand, and try to deliver them when your receiver has time to read them. Oral messages are most effective when you can speak directly to your receiver (rather than to intermediaries or answering machines). Also, be sure to set aside enough time for important messages that you receive. Business messages rarely have the benefit of the audiences full and undivided attention.

4. Differing Status. Employees of low status may be overly cautious when sending messages to managers and may talk only about subjects they think the manager is interested in. Similarly, higher-status people may distort messages by refusing to discuss anything that would tend to undermine their authority in the organization. Moreover, belonging to a particular department or being responsible for a particular task can narrow your point of view so that it differs from the attitudes, values, and expectations of people who belong to other departments or who are responsible for other tasks.

To overcome status barriers, keep managers and colleagues well informed. Encourage lower-status employees to keep you informed by being fair-minded and respectful of their opinions. When you have information that you're afraid you boss might not like, be brave and convey it anyway. Status barriers can be overcome by a willingness to give and receive bad news.

5. Lack of Trust, Building trust is a difficult problem. Other organization members don't know whether you'll respond in a supportive or responsible way, so trusting can be risky. Without trust, however, free and open communication is effectively blocked, threatening the organization's stability. Just being clear in your communication is not enough.

To overcome trust barriers, be visible and accessible. Don't insulate yourself behind assistants or secretaries. Share key information with colleagues and employees, communicate honestly, and include employees in decision making. For communication to be successful, organizations must create an atmosphere of fairness and trust.

6. Inadequate Communication Structures. Organizational communication is effected by formal restrictions on who may communicate with whom and who is authorized to make decisions. Designing too few formal channels blocks effective communication. Strongly centralized organizations, especially those with a high degree of formalization, reduce communication capacity, and they decrease the tendency to communicate horizontally thus limiting the ability to coordinate activities and decisions. Tall organizations tend to provide too many vertical communication links, so messages become distorted as they move through the organization's levels.

To overcome structural barriers, offer opportunities for communicating upward, downward, and horizontally (using such techniques as employee surveys, open-door policies, newsletters, memo, and task groups). Try to reduce hierarchical levels, increase coordination between departments, and encourage two-way communication.

7. Incorrect Choice of Medium. If you choose an inappropriate communication medium, your message can be distorted so that the intended meaning is blocked. You can select the most appropriate medium by matching your choice with the nature of the message and of the group or the individual who will receive it. Face-to-face communication is the richest medium because it is personal, it provides immediate feedback, it transmits information from both verbal and nonverbal cues, and it conveys the emotion behind the message. Telephones and other interactive electronic media aren't as rich; although they allow immediate feedback, they don't provide visual nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, eye contact and body movements. Written media can be personalized through addressed memos, letters, and reports, but they lack the immediate feedback and the visual and vocal nonverbal cues that contribute to the meaning of the message. The leanest media are generally impersonal written messages such as bulletins, fliers, and standard reports. Not only do they lack the ability to transmit nonverbal cues and to give feedback, they also eliminate any personal focus.

To overcome media barriers, choose the richest media for no routine, complex message. Use rich media to extend and to humanize your presence throughout the organization, to communicate caring and personal interest to employees, and to gain employee commitment to organizational goals. Use leaner media to communicate simple, routine messages. You can send information such as statistics, facts, figures and conclusions through a note, memo or written report

8. Closed communication climate. Communication climate is influenced by management style, and a directive, authoritarian style blocks the free and open exchange of information that characterizes good communication.

To overcome climate barriers, spend more time listening than issuing orders.

9. Unethical Communication. An organization cannot create illegal or unethical messages and still be credible or successful in the long run. Relationships within and outside the organization depend or trust and fairness.

To overcome ethics barriers, make sure your messages include all the information that ought to be there. Make sure that information is adequate and relevant to the situation. And make sure your message is completely truthful, not deceptive in any way.

10. Inefficient Communication. Producing worthless messages wastes time and resources, and it contributes to the information overload already mentioned.

Reduce the number of messages by thinking twice before sending one. Then speed up the process, first, by preparing messages correctly the first time around and, second, by standardizing format and material when appropriate. Be clear about the writing assignments you accept as well as the ones you assign.

11. Physical distractions. Communication barriers are often physical: bad connections, poor acoustics, illegible copy. Although noise or this sort seems trivial, it can completely block an otherwise effective message. Your receiver might also be distracted by an uncomfortable chair, poor lighting, or some other irritating condition. In some cases, the barrier may be related to the receiver's health. Hearing or visual impairment or even a headache can interfere with reception of a message. These annoyances don't generally block communication entirely, but they may reduce the receiver's concentration.

To overcome physical distractions, try to prepare well written documents which are clear, concise, and comprehensive. When preparing oral presentations try to find a setting which permits audience to see and hear the speaker clearly.

Overcoming Communication Barriers in Organizations
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Martin Hahn PhD has received his education and degrees in Europe in organizational/industrial sociology. He grew up in South-East Asia and moved to Europe to get his tertiary education and gain experience in the fields of scientific research, radio journalism, and management consulting. For more info visit http://www.martinimhahn.com

Communication - The Difference Between the Verbal and Non-Verbal Messages We Send to Children

What is communication? Communication is the way we, as humans send verbal, non-verbal (or both) messages from one person to another. It is important to note the difference between the messages we send to and from one another verbally, and the non-verbal messages we send to and from one another. Let's examine the differences between the two.

Verbal communication is defined as the actual words people use to speak. You may or may not be aware of this, but it only makes up 10% of the messages we send to one another. In actuality, 90% of the messages we send back and forth,require NO WORDS AT ALL! This is called non-verbal communication.

Non-verbal communication is defined as sending messages back and forth to one another, without words. These messages are sent to others through...

Communication - The Difference Between the Verbal and Non-Verbal Messages We Send to Children

Eye Contact
Facial Expressions
Voice tone
Voice volume
Rate of speech
Silences and Pauses
Hand Gestures
Body Positioning
Body Distance

The most successful people on the planet have the ability to tap into the 90% of communication that really reaches and leads people. If I had the choice to understand and apply verbal communication skills vs. non-verbal communication skills, I would prefer the nonverbal!

Why? Because if communication (verbal and non-verbal) was given as a test, I would rather receive a 90% and get an A! How would you want to score? With this new found knowledge you will begin to see that most parents rely to heavily on their words. The reality of communication is that your child or teen is not responding to words at all. 90% of the time, they are responding and reacting to these nine ways listed above.

Do you want to learn exactly how to eliminate your child's out-of-control and defiant behavior without using Punishments, Time-Outs, Behavioral Plans, or Rewards?

Communication - The Difference Between the Verbal and Non-Verbal Messages We Send to Children
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To Download and listen to my FREE audio recordings "Why Punishments, Time-Outs, Behavioral Plans, and Rewards Don't Work...But This Will" Visit: Free Audio Recordings

Jason Johnson (MSW) has worked with hundreds of toddlers through teenagers diagnosed with A.D.H.D, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Aspergers Syndrome, Bi-polar, and SEVERE emotional/behavioral issues.