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Work effectively with customers and

colleagues
D1.HRS.CL1.18
D1.HOT.CL1.01
D2.TCC.CL1.01
Trainee Manual
Work effectively with
customers and
colleagues

D1.HRS.CL1.18
D1.HOT.CL1.01
D2.TCC.CL1.01

Trainee Manual
Project Base

William Angliss Institute of TAFE

555 La Trobe Street
Melbourne 3000 Victoria
Telephone: (03) 9606 2111
Facsimile: (03) 9670 1330

Acknowledgements

Project Director: Wayne Crosbie

Chief Writer: Alan Hickman
Subject Writer: Nick Hyland
Project Manager/Editor: Alan Maguire
DTP/Production: Daniel Chee, Mai Vu

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August 1967. The Member
States of the Association are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.
The ASEAN Secretariat is based in Jakarta, Indonesia.
General Information on ASEAN appears online at the ASEAN Website: www.asean.org.
All text is produced by William Angliss Institute of TAFE for the ASEAN Project on “Toolbox
Development for Priority Tourism Labour Division”.
This publication is supported by Australian Aid through the ASEAN-Australia Development
Cooperation Program Phase II (AADCP II).
Copyright: Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2012.
All rights reserved.
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to ensure that this publication is free from errors or omissions. However,
you should conduct your own enquiries and seek professional advice before relying on any fact,
statement or matter contained in this book. ASEAN Secretariat and William Angliss Institute of TAFE
are not responsible for any injury, loss or damage as a result of material included or omitted from this
course. Information in this module is current at the time of publication. Time of publication is indicated
in the date stamp at the bottom of each page.
Some images appearing in this resource have been purchased from various stock photography
suppliers and other third party copyright owners and as such are non-transferable and non-exclusive.
Additional images have been sourced from Flickr and are used under:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en
http://www.sxc.hu/
File name: TM_Work_effectively_with_cust_&_colleagues_310812
Table of contents

Introduction to trainee manual........................................................................................... 1

Unit descriptor................................................................................................................... 3

Assessment matrix ........................................................................................................... 5

Glossary ........................................................................................................................... 7

Element 1: Communicate effectively ................................................................................. 9

Element 2: Establish and maintain effective relationships with colleagues and customers
....................................................................................................................................... 45

Element 3: Work in a team .............................................................................................. 73

Presentation of written work ............................................................................................ 87

Recommended reading................................................................................................... 89

Trainee evaluation sheet................................................................................................. 91

© ASEAN 2012
Trainee Manual
Work effectively with customers and colleagues
© ASEAN 2012
Trainee Manual
Work effectively with customers and colleagues
Introduction to trainee manual

Introduction to trainee manual

To the Trainee
Congratulations on joining this course. This Trainee Manual is one part of a „toolbox‟
which is a resource provided to trainees, trainers and assessors to help you become
competent in various areas of your work.
The „toolbox‟ consists of three elements:
A Trainee Manual for you to read and study at home or in class
A Trainer Guide with Power Point slides to help your Trainer explain the content of the
training material and provide class activities to help with practice
An Assessment Manual which provides your Assessor with oral and written questions
and other assessment tasks to establish whether or not you have achieved
competency.
The first thing you may notice is that this training program and the information you find in
the Trainee Manual seems different to the textbooks you have used previously. This is
because the method of instruction and examination is different. The method used is called
Competency based training (CBT) and Competency based assessment (CBA). CBT and
CBA is the training and assessment system chosen by ASEAN (Association of South-
East Asian Nations) to train people to work in the tourism and hospitality industry
throughout all the ASEAN member states.
What is the CBT and CBA system and why has it been adopted by ASEAN?
CBT is a way of training that concentrates on what a worker can do or is required to do at
work. The aim is of the training is to enable trainees to perform tasks and duties at a
standard expected by employers. CBT seeks to develop the skills, knowledge and
attitudes (or recognise the ones the trainee already possesses) to achieve the required
competency standard. ASEAN has adopted the CBT/CBA training system as it is able to
produce the type of worker that industry is looking for and this therefore increases
trainees‟ chances of obtaining employment.
CBA involves collecting evidence and making a judgement of the extent to which a worker
can perform his/her duties at the required competency standard. Where a trainee can
already demonstrate a degree of competency, either due to prior training or work
experience, a process of „Recognition of Prior Learning‟ (RPL) is available to trainees to
recognise this. Please speak to your trainer about RPL if you think this applies to you.
What is a competency standard?
Competency standards are descriptions of the skills and knowledge required to perform a
task or activity at the level of a required standard.
242 competency standards for the tourism and hospitality industries throughout the
ASEAN region have been developed to cover all the knowledge, skills and attitudes
required to work in the following occupational areas:
Housekeeping
Food Production
Food and Beverage Service

Front Office
Travel Agencies
Tour Operations.
All of these competency standards are available for you to look at. In fact you will find a
summary of each one at the beginning of each Trainee Manual under the heading „Unit
Descriptor‟. The unit descriptor describes the content of the unit you will be studying in the
Trainee Manual and provides a table of contents which are divided up into „Elements‟ and
„Performance Criteria”. An element is a description of one aspect of what has to be
achieved in the workplace. The „Performance Criteria‟ below each element details the
level of performance that needs to be demonstrated to be declared competent.
There are other components of the competency standard:
Unit Title: statement about what is to be done in the workplace
Unit Number: unique number identifying the particular competency
Nominal hours: number of classroom or practical hours usually needed to complete
the competency. We call them „nominal‟ hours because they can vary e.g. sometimes
it will take an individual less time to complete a unit of competency because he/she
has prior knowledge or work experience in that area.
The final heading you will see before you start reading the Trainee Manual is the
„Assessment Matrix‟. Competency based assessment requires trainees to be assessed in
at least 2 – 3 different ways, one of which must be practical. This section outlines three
ways assessment can be carried out and includes work projects, written questions and
oral questions. The matrix is designed to show you which performance criteria will be
assessed and how they will be assessed. Your trainer and/or assessor may also use
other assessment methods including „Observation Checklist‟ and „Third Party Statement‟.
An observation checklist is a way of recording how you perform at work and a third party
statement is a statement by a supervisor or employer about the degree of competence
they believe you have achieved. This can be based on observing your workplace
performance, inspecting your work or gaining feedback from fellow workers.
Your trainer and/or assessor may use other methods to assess you such as:
Journals
Oral presentations
Role plays
Log books
Group projects
Practical demonstrations.
Remember your trainer is there to help you succeed and become competent. Please feel
free to ask him or her for more explanation of what you have just read and of what is
expected from you and best wishes for your future studies and future career in tourism
and hospitality.

Unit descriptor
Work effectively with customers and colleagues
This unit deals with the skills and knowledge required to Work effectively with customers
and colleagues in a range of settings within the hotel and travel industries workplace
context.
Unit Code:
D1.HRS.CL1.18
D1.HOT.CL1.01
D2.TCC.CL1.01
Nominal Hours:
30 hours

Element 1: Communicate effectively

Performance Criteria
1.1 Relay information in a clear and concise manner using appropriate communication
techniques
1.2 Use language and tone appropriate to a particular audience, purpose and situation,
taking into account the relevant factors involved
1.3 Use active listening and questioning to facilitate effective two-way communication
with others
1.4 Identify potential and existing conflicts and seek solutions in conjunction with all
involved parties
1.5 Complete routine workplace documentation accurately in a timely manner

Element 2: Establish and maintain effective relationships with

colleagues and customers
Performance Criteria
2.1 Meet both internal customers‟ and external customers‟ needs and expectations in
accordance with organisation standards, policies and procedures and within
acceptable time frames
2.2 Assist to resolve workplace conflict and manage difficulties to achieve positive
outcomes
2.3 Use formal feedback and informal feedback to identify and implement improvements
to products, services, processes or outcomes for both internal customers and
external customers
2.4 Handle complaints positively, sensitively and politely in consultation with the
person/s making the complaint
2.5 Maintain a positive and co-operative manner
2.6 Use non-discriminatory attitudes and language when interacting with customers,
staff and management consistently

Element 3: Work in a team

Performance Criteria
3.1 Request or provide assistance so that work activities can be completed
3.2 Provide support to colleagues to ensure achievement of team goals
3.3 Discuss and resolve problems through agreed and/or accepted processes
3.4 Recognise and accommodate cultural differences within the team
3.5 Identify, prioritise and complete individual tasks within designated time lines
3.6 Acknowledge and respond to feedback and information from other team members

Assessment matrix
Showing mapping of Performance Criteria against Work Projects, Written
Questions and Oral Questions

Work Written Oral

Projects Questions Questions

Element 1: Communicate effectively

1.1 Relay information in a clear and concise manner

1.1 1,2 1
using appropriate communication techniques

1.2 Use language and tone appropriate to a

particular audience, purpose and situation, 1.1 3,4 2
taking into account the relevant factors involved

1.3 Use active listening and questioning to facilitate

1.1 5,6 3
effective two-way communication with others

1.4 Identify potential and existing conflicts and seek

1.2 7,8 4
solutions in conjunction with all involved parties

1.5 Complete routine workplace documentation

1.1,1.3 9,10 5
accurately in a timely manner

Element 2: Establish and maintain effective relationships with colleagues and customers

2.1 Meet both internal customers‟ and external

customers‟ needs and expectations in
accordance with organisation standards, policies 2.1 11,12 6
and procedures and within acceptable time
frames

2.2 Assist to resolve workplace conflict and manage

2.1 13,14 7
difficulties to achieve positive outcomes

2.3 Use formal feedback and informal feedback to

identify and implement improvements to
2.1, 2.3 15,16 8
products, services, processes or outcomes for
both internal customers and external customers

2.4 Handle complaints positively, sensitively and

politely in consultation with the person/s making 2.1, 2.2 17,18 9
the complaint

2.5 Maintain a positive and co-operative manner 2.1 19,20 10

2.6 Use non-discriminatory attitudes and language

when interacting with customers, staff and 2.1 21,22 11
management consistently

Work Written Oral

Projects Questions Questions

Element 3: Work in a team

3.1 Request or provide assistance so that work 3.1, 3.2 23,24 12

activities can be completed

3.2 Provide support to colleagues to ensure 3.1 25,26 13

achievement of team goals

3.3 Discuss and resolve problems through agreed 3.1 27,28 14

and/or accepted processes

3.4 Recognise and accommodate cultural 3.1 29,30 15

differences within the team

3.5 Identify, prioritise and complete individual tasks 3.1, 3.3 31,32 16
within designated time lines

3.6 Acknowledge and respond to feedback and 3.1 33,34 17

information from other team members

Glossary
Term Explanation

An area in the workplace which is not in the view of the public.

Back of House These areas normally comprise kitchens, storerooms,
reservations areas

The imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or

Communication
information by speech, writing, or sign language

A person that is partially or totally unable to use one or more

Disabled
limbs; a lame or disabled person

External customer A person who purchases goods or services from another

Feedback Information in response to an inquiry or experiment

Being in accordance with the usual requirements, customs,

Formal
conventional

An area in the workplace which is in the view of the public.

Front of House
These areas normally comprise restaurants, bars, reception

The act or an instance of harassing, or disturbing, pestering,

Harassment
or troubling repeatedly; persecution

Not according to the prescribed, official, or customary way or

Informal
manner, irregular, unofficial

Someone with whom you have a professional relationship

Internal customer with the aim of working together to provide a product or
service: staff and suppliers

Fit or allowed to be eaten or used, according to the dietary or

Kosher
ceremonial laws

A combination or products and services that are provided to

Offering
an external customer

Prioritise To arrange or do in order of priority or importance

Element 1:
Communicate effectively
1.1 Relay information in a clear and concise
manner using appropriate communication
techniques
Application of the unit
This unit applies across the service industries to all job roles and levels and in particular
to the full range of tourism and hospitality industry sectors and environments.
It applies to those who deal directly with customers as well as back of house staff.

Introduction
When working in the hospitality industry, there is a need to communicate with both
customers and colleagues. In essence colleagues are other staff in your business.
However it may also apply to people working in external businesses that help provide
products or services provided to your customer. This can include contractors or suppliers.
It is important that all of these communications, whether with customers or colleagues,
are conducted in a polite, professional, clear and concise manner.

Who might communication occur with?

This unit is applicable in many workplace situations within the hospitality, tourism and
events industry.
Depending upon the enterprise or specific situations, customers and colleagues can
include:
Workmates
External customers and clients
Members of other tourism and hospitality industry
sectors
Individuals or groups such as consultants and
committees
Government agencies and private organisations
Local residents
Visitors
Media.
This broad list serves to highlight the diverse nature of the people with whom we are likely
to interact in the course of work.

The situations and contexts in which this unit might be applied include:
In an office environment
Back of house – where there are no customers
Front of house – in situations where there is customer contact
including kitchens, stores
Reception areas –front office, restaurants, cafes or leisure
facilities
On tour
On site
At an event
Using a phone.
Again, this highlights the potentially wide-ranging nature of our role within industry, and
the continual and diverse way in which we may be called on to interact with all manner of
individuals.
Remember, all communications with both customers and colleagues should be conducted
in an open, polite, professional and friendly manner. The information provided must be
clear and concise.

What types of communication are there?

There are a variety of communications mediums used in the industry. Some may be
specific to a particular establishment or industry sector, and others are quite general
across all industry types and venues.
The basic communication options include:
Verbal –including face to face communication and talking on the phone. This also
embraces the use of languages other than English and the use of Indigenous
languages
Written format which includes electronic mail and hard
copy communications such as letters, signs, labels,
posters and advertising and warning material
Non-verbal – facial expressions, gestures, sign
language
Use of an interpreter to interpret verbal and printed
language.

What should I be aware of?

To help ensure your communication is polite, professional and friendly, the following tips
will assist:
Follow all establishment policies regarding communication with customers and
colleagues. These may exist for greeting customers, interacting with staff and
answering the phone
Use a person‟s name where it is known. If you don‟t know a customers‟ name use „Sir‟
or „Madam‟
Be honest – but be sensitive, tactful, caring and respectful
Use „please‟ and „thank you‟ a lot
Don‟t interrupt
Speak at an appropriate pace and volume – don‟t‟ yell, don‟t whisper
Make sure your non-verbal language matches the verbal communication you are
sending. This commonly means smiling when it is appropriate to do so, and displaying
a serious demeanour when something serious is being discussed.

1.2 Use language and tone appropriate to a

particular audience, purpose and situation,
taking into account the relevant factors
involved
Introduction
Whether communicating with others in verbal form (face to face or
by phone), or in written format it is vital to make sure that the
language and tone is appropriate to the nature of each individual
communication.
This highlights that many communications need to be undertaken
taking into account the context in which each communication
occurs.
This means there is a need to modify most communications to suit the individual set of
circumstances that apply, and to take into account the individual with whom the
communication is taking place.

The ‘internal’ customer

Customers come from outside the business and may be referred to as „external‟
customers. That is, they are external to the business.
By contrast, „internal‟ customers are other staff, workers and colleagues from within the
business.
It is as important to serve and communicate with internal customers with the same care
and attention that is used to serve and communicate with external customers.

The need for effective communication

All communication, whether verbal or written, needs to be effective in order to
demonstrate our intention to meet customer and colleague needs and to deliver service
and responses quickly.
To help achieve effective communication, the following five rules apply:
Every message must have a purpose
Messages should match the interests and abilities of the
receiver
Unnecessary words should be eliminated
Chosen words should be within the experience range of the
receiver
Verbal messages should be clear and concise, using the correct words and their
pronunciation, along with appropriate inflection, tone, language, speed and volume of
voice.

This means that in some instances, written communication may need to:
Use graphics or pictures to help clarify meaning
Be produced in a language other than English
Be printed in a font that is easy to read and in a print size
that encourages people to read it
Be available in „take away‟ form so that people can take a
copy with them to read later and or in more detail.

Clear verbal communication skills

Verbal communication involves sending and receiving messages via language or speech
(verbal communication) or via body language (non-verbal communication).
Many people think that communication is a one-way thing where you send a „message‟ to
a customer or staff member, or vice versa.
In actual fact, for communication to occur there must be
„feedback‟. The receiver must also send a message that
indicates they have understood the message that has been
sent.
Without feedback, there is only monologue, not dialogue.
Without feedback it is possible to argue that no real
communication has occurred.
It is now recognised that communication comprises both „verbal communication‟ and „non-
verbal communication‟:
Verbal communication is questioning, listening and answering – the spoken word
Non-verbal communication is body language – facial expressions, eye contact,
gestures and posture.
It is important for the body language to match the verbal message because where there is
a mismatch. This occurs when a positive verbal message is sent while the speaker is
frowning and or looking annoyed), the listener will nearly always:
Be confused about what they are hearing or seeing
Believe the message that the body language is sending, rather than
believing the verbal message.

Check your establishment policies

Many venues have policies and procedures to guide communication so it is necessary to
find out what these are.
Even where no formal printed policies and procedures exist, there are usually many
generally accepted and unacceptable communication techniques. The best way to
determine what applies in your workplace is to:
Read the policies and procedures
Look and listen to what others do
Ask your supervisor.

What do we communicate?
Communication takes place with customers and colleagues on a constant basis. Whilst
the content of the communication may vary for different audiences, the success of
effective communication is vital to ensure the success of the customer‟s visit to your
establishment.
In this Section, we will explore the different types of communication provided to:
Customers
Colleagues.
Communicating with customers
Communication with the customers visiting your property is primarily aimed at providing
information about such products and services. It not only means providing a standard
answer to questions that may be asked, but to provide information tailored to the needs of
each individual customer.
You have to be able to supply relevant information immediately in an accurate and
concise manner in order to build your credibility in the eyes of the customer, and to
optimise the potential to make sales.
It is important that staff not only have communication skills,
but a good understanding of product knowledge. In this case
„product‟ knowledge, not only refers to all the products that
your establishment provides such as beds, pools and gym
equipment, but also all the „services‟ that are also provided.
Examples of services may include massage services, kids‟
club and cooking demonstrations.
Another reason to develop knowledge is that a customer may be indecisive about making
a choice and you might be able to assist by providing information that will allow them to
make a decision more suited to meet their needs. This may refer to where to visit, what to
eat, which room to choose or which wine to select.
The better you meet their identified need, the greater the
chance of them making a purchase, returning to the venue to
spend more money at a later date, and recommending us to
their friends.
Whenever you identify an opportunity to improve your product
and service knowledge, seize it! By effectively communicating
this information, all stakeholders benefit. Customers are
happy as they are having their needs met, staff are happy
through greater tips and service and managers are happy
through increased sales and repeat business.

Methods to improve product knowledge

There are many ways staff can improve their product and service knowledge. This can be
achieved through:
Speaking with colleagues
Attending staff meetings
Attending product launches
Speaking with customers to obtain feedback, opinion and
thoughts
Speaking with friends and family
Speaking with sales representatives
Speaking with industry representatives
Listening to, or reading, the media
Visiting other venues within the industry to see what they
are doing.
Types of product knowledge
Your supervisor is likely to advise you of areas about which you should generate product
knowledge. There may even be „required reading‟ such as an Induction Workbook, so that
you can learn details about the business and its products and services.
The following are areas where knowledge should be sourced and relevant details
remembered:
General property features, services and facilities as
appropriate to your workplace. This means taking into
account the type of business you are working in such as
commercial catering, hotel, restaurant or bar. It may
include matters relating to layout, trading hours, senior
personnel or emergency information
Special features – times when the venue is offering a special event, such as religious
events, festivals or holidays
Benefits available to customers, taking advantage of certain offers, promotions or
packages that you offer
Disadvantages. You need to know the bits about your
venue that are not particularly attractive. For example,
you should know the accommodation rooms that are not
especially quiet (usually the ones closest to the lifts), and
the dining room tables that are not the best (perhaps
they are near the entrance, near the toilets, or near the
kitchen doors)
Price. You have to know the bargains, the discounts, happy hours, when certain
savings cut in and out, what packages are currently available including what they
contain and the value they represent

Special offers. These can be in any area of the property from dining, to retail shops,
gaming, bars and through to accommodation. Some of these specials may also
include off-site activities such as tickets to a live show, entry to the zoo, free day tour
of the local tourist attractions
Availability. You don‟t have to necessarily keep up to date at all times with vacancies,
occupancy rates or table bookings. But, you should at the very least know where to
go, who to ask or what number to ring to find out. There is little point in convincing a
guest to stay an extra night or two, and then find out you are fully booked
How to purchase or order. Even though you may work in a bar area, it is part of your
establishment knowledge that you can inform a guest or potential customer of how to
make a booking in other areas of the property. This maximises revenue and provides
outstanding customer service.
Golden rule when communicating with customers
It must be a Golden Rule for you when working in the industry to never say “I don‟t know”
to a customer, and leave it at that.
If a customer asks a question and you do not know the correct answer you should:
Be truthful – tell them you don‟t know the answer
Apologise – where appropriate
Inform them you will find out the answer to their question
Find out the answer. This may involve accessing a web site, contacting another staff
member, looking up information in a brochure or making a phone call
Pass on the information to the customer – either verbally or in written form as
appropriate.
Communicating with colleagues
Communication with colleagues is different to that provided to customers. However the
objective is the same i.e. to ensure each customer has an enjoyable experience at your
establishment.
Communication used between colleagues may come in different formats, whether through
meetings, emails, documentation or phone calls, but the purpose normally is
„operationally focused‟ relating to relaying information in one of the following:
Operational performance – financial summary, feedback of activities or customer
complaints
Upcoming events – times, dates, inclusions, staffing requirements and
requirements for ordering of stock
Products and services – new or amended offerings
Promotional activities – scheduled activities, merchandising,
promotional codes, inclusions in packages or promotions, prices and
availability
Specific customer issues – VIP status, special requests, bookings or
complaints.
Regardless of the information communicated, the importance of having
clear and concise communication channels can never be underestimated.

Non verbal communication

„Body language‟ is also called „non-verbal communication‟.
Non-verbal communication is anything other than words that communicates a message.
It includes:
The way we stand including the use of „space‟ and where
we stand in relation to others
The way we talk
The clothes we wear and the accessories we use
Our facial expressions.
All these things communicate something.
In dealing with other people, the non-verbal cues are often used, consciously or
subconsciously, in making judgements about people, about what they say and about their
honesty and deceptiveness.
It is important to remember that while we are making judgements about customers based
on their non-verbal communication, the customers are also making judgements about us
based on the non-verbal communication we consciously or unconsciously send.
Major aspects of non-verbal communication
Five distinct aspects of non-verbal communication have been identified.

1) Emblems

These are the explicit type of gestures and body language that are used with complete
intention, and whose meanings are generally accepted and
understood.
Examples are:
Cupping the hand to the ear to indicate „I can‟t hear you‟
Holding the forefinger vertically in front of the lips to indicate
„Shhh, be quiet‟.

2) Illustrators

These are mannerisms that are unique to individuals.

They are what people do when talking. They are used to reinforce the
verbal message they are sending.
They are usually related to the use of the hands, but they also include
things that mark a person‟s speech, such as the way one person may
end a sentence, pauses in their speech, and emphasise on certain
words.
While these mannerisms are all individual, the people are usually not
aware that they do them until they see or hear themselves recorded on
video or audio sources.

3) Affect displays

These are the ways in which our facial expressions or our body movements reveal
our emotions.
In everyday life, people tend not to monitor or intentionally control their affect displays.
Their true emotions are allowed to show.
In certain workplace situations however, staff may be required to display emotions that
are contrary to their real feelings.
This is the case where staff are primarily in contact with customers that requires them to
smile all the time and present themselves as happy and nice when they may even feel the
opposite.

4) Regulators

Everyone expresses themselves using regulators.

They are behaviours such as:
Nods
Stance
The direction and the duration of someone‟s gaze
Vocal pitch
Raised eyebrows
The position of the head.
These behaviours regulate the verbal message, for instance, making it stronger or
gentler, more authoritative or friendlier, casual or more formal. Just like illustrators,
regulators are hardly noticed by the person speaking, but they are certainly noticed by
others.

5) Adaptors

These are unconscious behaviours that are mainly nervous in nature.

People are generally unaware of making them.
Examples are:
Doodling during meetings
Itching your nose in a meeting
Picking your nails in a meeting
Scratching.
Importance of non-verbal communication
Body language has a positive impact on communication when it supports the verbal
message, and when it signifies genuine interest and attention.
Body language is negative when there is no match between the verbal and non-verbal
messages. In other words, the spoken message and the body language should say the
same thing. If they don‟t, the result is negative, because the two different signals are
confusing.

In most instances where there is a conflict between verbal and non-verbal

communication, the body language is the one that people tend to take more notice of.
Actions do indeed speak louder than words.
Reading body language
The following information can be used to help read the body language of others, and used
to assist in sending the required non-verbal communication when communicating with
others.
Kinesics
Kinesics is the art or science of decoding body language.
There are many aspects to be considered:
Space. The allocation of space is important. There
is a direct relation between a person‟s power and
space. More important and powerful people have
bigger offices, and people tend not to stand as
close to them
People also have a need to stake out a claim on a
piece of ground so that it is their own territory,
within which they have control. Attempts to invade
this are commonly resisted or, at least, evoke
negative or defensive behaviour. For example, staff may seek to establish their own
space in and around their work station
People also move around with an imaginary bubble of private space surrounding
them. They regard this as their own personal space. Only known people or loved ones
can break into this area. When others cross into this personal space, it is a negative
experience causing concern
The size of the „bubble‟ depends on the nature of the context. It is different in a
crowded room to what it is in a social gathering where there is no crowd, and different
again to what is acceptable for a fleeting social meeting or a talk with a senior or junior
colleague
While children use touch quite instinctively as a means of
communication, adults tend to steer away from it in most
cases, although some individuals are very much „touchy-feely‟
people
As a general rule, touching guests has little or no place in
hospitality, tourism or events. Exceptions are hand shaking,
and the placement of a reassuring hand following some
anxious moment or event
Legislation regarding harassment has meant that many people
restrict natural touching instincts. Certainly it is more
acceptable for women to touch men socially, than it is for men
to touch women.

Orientation and posture

The physical position in relation to the person we are communicating with, and the
posture we adopt, all have the potential to convey signals.
Standing side by side tends to indicate compliance and a willingness to assist. Standing in
front tends to indicate confrontation.
For this reason it is seen as unproductive to conduct an interview of any kind with the two
parties sitting opposite each other, especially across a desk. Armchairs at ninety degrees
and a low coffee table are preferred to encourage a non-threatening, non-confrontational
situation.
Other examples of the impact of position and posture is the effect that a standing person
has on someone who is sitting, the impression that hunched shoulders conveys, and the
different impression that standing upright with, say, hands on hips gives.
Similarly, a person who talks to you while they continue walking and doesn‟t stop to
communicate gives a certain impression that is different to a person who stops and talks.
Facial expressions
Facial expressions are the ones that humans are best able to control.
While much can be read from them, it must be remembered that they can be controlled or
manipulated, and must be interpreted together with the verbal messages.
Eye movement
Eyes contribute a significant amount to total body language.
Eyes can indicate interest when regular, but intermittent, eye contact is maintained.
Very long periods of eye contact can indicate a desire for intimacy and is therefore to be
avoided in a business or workplace setting.
The listener looks at the speaker far more than the speaker usually looks at the listener.
Long periods of looking away from the speaker or listener can indicate disinterest.
Looking is very tied to obtaining information and feedback. The person talking will quickly
receive the „not interested‟ signal where the person to whom they are talking looks away.
Gestures
Movements of the arms, legs, hands and feet all send information. They can be used to
supplement information given verbally.
Examples of some body movements and their meaning or purpose include:
Pointing - to reinforce the direction given to a customer or to indicate the
location of an item
Throwing up the hands in alarm - to reinforce emotions
Moving the head or other body parts to stress certain things – especially
to support the spoken word
Using wide and energetic gestures - to convey a certain personality type
or to express self-image
Mirroring the stance of the other person, where two people are talking about
something they share to indicate agreement or submission, and to express or
reinforce person to person relationships.

Silence
Many people will say that „silence is golden‟ but in reality it is not.
Generally speaking, most people find long periods of silence awkward and embarrassing
in conversations and communication.
It may also be seen as threatening and can be misinterpreted as boredom or rejection.
However, it does have its place in genuine communication:
When the receiver of a message keeps quiet to allow the sender to send their
message
When allowing a customer to think about information they have been given so that
they can make a buying decision.
Time
The interpretation that a person puts on „time‟ is very much an individual thing. One
person may regard a 30-minute conversation as a brief natter, while others see it as a
long ordeal.
Another aspect of the impression you make in
valuing other people‟s time is the ability to turn up
at a meeting when required or when you say you
will. Being either early or late says something.
Again, what is regarded by some people as getting
something done quickly and therefore being
efficient, eager to serve, willing to please, may be
seen by others as almost the opposite. They might
see it as too hasty and therefore as being
disinterested, detached and impersonal.

1.3 Use active listening and questioning to

facilitate effective two-way communication
with others
Introduction
The use of questions and effective listening are keys in nearly all effective two-way
communication.
An important fact is to realise that just because we talk and listen on a regular basis, we
are not necessarily good at it.

Listening
Listening is sometimes referred to as the neglected skill.
It is without doubt a much underrated skill, especially when you
consider we have two ears, and only one mouth!
Because we listen so often, we assume we are good at it and do not
need to spend any time worrying about how to do it, or how to improve
doing it.
Fortunately, if we practise, we can improve our listening.
Effective listening:
Encourages others to fully transmit their message by indicating our interest and
concern
Increases the likelihood that the receiver is in possession of all the relevant facts
before proceeding
Improves the quality of relationships – staff to staff, staff to customer and staff to
management
Assists in problem resolution
Enhances the chance of a proper understanding between people
Reduces many problems and conflicts found in the workplace
Improves staff morale
Raises workplace productivity.
When we listen effectively we gain the appreciation, gratitude and
respect of the other person, whether a customer or staff member.
We have two listening options. One involves listening only (active
listening). The other involves you giving verbal feedback that ensures
the channel of communication continues clear and without conflict
(reflective listening).

Active listening
When engaged in active listening, you do not speak, but listen.
You allow your body language to encourage the speaker.
Active listening is:
Showing sensitivity to the talker and showing all due respect
Displaying empathy with the person speaking
Demonstrating your attention to all the non-verbal signals you
send
Not interrupting the speaker
Encouraging the other person to continue talking by using encouraging behaviour –
nods, murmurs, short words of encouragement
Concentrating on what is being said rather than allowing yourself to drift off and
thinking of something else
Not being judgmental about the way the speaker looks, or what they are saying.

Reflective listening
In this variation, you still listen to the speaker, but you encourage them to continue with
your words rather than non-verbally.
Reflective listening is especially useful where emotions are seen to be clouding the issue.
This form of listening enables you to acknowledge the way the person is feeling.
Reflective listening requires you to:
Paraphrase what the speaker says i.e. sum up what has been said and repeat it using
similar words
Read between the lines of what is actually being said factoring in their body language
Utilise questioning to sum up or clarify the situation. In
many situations, an effective communicator will ask lots
of questions
Continue being non-judgmental
Refrain from making comments or interrupting
Continue being sensitive which means taking into
account the way the speaker feels, as well as what they
are saying.

Questioning
The asking of questions is a powerful tool in communication.
Questioning is not simply a method of eliciting information, although it naturally performs
that primary role.
„Reflective questioning‟ is the same idea as reflective listening, in that it involves repeating
back to the speaker what they have just said. In addition, as its name states, reflective
questioning puts the words in the shape of a question.
It frequently begins with the word „So ...‟ For example, “So, you feel really angry when you
see someone walk out of the room and not turn out the light?”
This method:
Shows the speaker that you have listened to what they have
said
Gives them feedback as to whether or not you have focused
on the main points of the issue as they see them
Encourages them to go on and provide more information
Encourages them to clarify what they have already stated.
Many people will provide extra useful information when
encouraged to keep talking.

Open and closed questions

When asking questions we can use „closed‟ and „open‟ questions.
Closed questions are asked in such a way as to elicit only a „Yes‟ or „No‟ answer. They
are suitable only in rare customer-service instances because they do not encourage the
speaker to talk.
A much better choice is the use of „open‟ questions.
These are questions that probe the talker for more information and encourage them to
supply further detail.
They are questions that begin with:
What
Why
How
Where
When.
These questions dig for further information, show attention, interest, concern and a desire
to assist, as well as giving another opportunity to gain facts. An open question cannot be
answered with a „Yes‟ or „No‟.

Methods to aid effective listening

Effective listening requires practice, and concentration is the key.
Practice should be focused and based on the following points:
Prepare yourself to listen. Get rid of things that may interrupt
or act as blocks to communication. Get into the right frame of
mind
Become interested. Focus on what is being said and get
caught up in it. Make sure you find some way to find
interesting what is being said. Ask questions, look interested,
ask yourself how you can use what you are being told
Keep an open mind. Do not pre-judge the situation, do not
interrupt and do not tune-out. Make sure you don‟t try to make
what is being said fit into your pre-conceived notions, ideas
and prejudices
Identify the main idea. Listen to what is being said with the
intention of extracting the core message. Realise that this may
come at the start of the message, the middle or the end. There is no set rule
Listen critically. Weigh up what is being said without simply accepting what is being
transmitted
Don‟t get distracted. Focus your attention on the speaker and what they are saying
Take notes. Don‟t be afraid to write down vital points; it demonstrates interest and that
you are taking things seriously
Help where necessary e.g. where the speaker pauses, prompt them into continuing
Reflect on what has been said. Restate a point the speaker has made. For example,
“You said that ...”
Keep quiet. Realise that interrupting is a major cause of communication breakdown,
and often annoys the speaker.

1.4 Identify potential and existing conflicts and

seek solutions in conjunction with all involved
parties
Introduction
Whenever a potential or existing conflict is identified, action must be taken to attempt to
resolve the issue.
It is never acceptable to ignore this situation and simply hope things will resolve
themselves.
Note however that you are never expected to put yourself in a position where you are in
danger, or where you risk physical harm. In some conflict and complaint situations your
course of action may be to notify a supervisor (or security) to deal with the situation.

What is conflict?
A conflict is a state of opposition between persons, ideas or interests.
For all employees, it is far better for them to be able to identify swiftly the potential for
conflict and try to resolve the situation before things get worse.
Ignoring the warning signs and failing to act only inflames the situation.
Firstly, let‟s look at some situations where a conflict may arise in the hospitality workplace.
Conflict may arise with colleagues or customers.

A colleague
There may be many reasons why conflict may flare up amongst colleagues.
Some reasons include:
Pressure of work
Lack of, or bad communication which may cause
misunderstandings
Prejudices –issues of ethnicity, gender, body shape and age
Ineffective working systems where the internal operations of the
venue cause the problem
Difference in opinions. We are all entitled to different views
Difference in beliefs. It would be a pretty boring world if we all believed in the same
thing!
Misunderstanding. This can be caused by barriers to communication, not listening
properly, putting a different interpretation on a word or phrase than what was intended
Team member not pulling their weight – staff not contributing 100% to a team effort.

A customer
Once again, there may be many reasons for a conflict situation to arise with a
customer.
Examples include:
Lack of service or poor service. This can involve the
guest having to wait „too long‟, the quality of products
being sub-standard, staff who are disrespectful, rude or
offensive
Expectations not being met. The advertisements that
your venue runs, coupled with word of mouth
advertising, create these expectations and they may
often be unrealistic
Dissatisfaction with the accommodation or services e.g. a steak may have been
tough, the room too noisy or the view not what was anticipated
Unhygienic conditions; perhaps the room showed a lack of proper attention to detail
and incorrect housekeeping practices
Low comfort levels – an area of the property could have been too cold, too noisy or
too crowded
Rowdy and unacceptable behaviour displayed by other patrons – the gaming room
may have been patronised by a noisy and boisterous group who were swearing
loudly, and making suggestive comments
A mistake with an account e.g. the guest account may have charged for items that
should have been on someone else‟s bill
Error in the reservation or reservation not found. The guest may have arrived late at
night, after a long drive in bad weather only to find there was a problem with a booking
that they had been led to believe was guaranteed and problem-free
Special requests not being adhered to. The flowers and champagne that were ordered
for 4pm were not delivered and spoiled a very special occasion.

Warning signs
At all times during a shift, you should be aware of various „warning signs‟ which may be
displayed by either another colleague or by a patron that can indicate that a problem
exists or is imminent.
These warning signs will always be verbal, non-verbal or a combination of both.
The warning signs given by a workplace colleague are usually quite different to those that
we may observe in a guest.
Colleague warning signs
The workplace colleague is inclined to:
Avoid verbal and visual contact. He or she may take
their breaks in physically different areas, avoiding
walking down the same corridor, asking for shifts that
help avoid the chance of contact, sitting so that the
other person is not in the direct line of sight

Indulge in negative facial expressions. The person may sneer your way, roll their eyes
and shake their head slowly from side to side, or purse their
lips
Make negative remarks. This can spill over into areas that
are outside the initial cause of the conflict. For example, a
staff member may be annoyed that you did not help do the
cleaning up after a function. Their perception was that you
are a slacker, you are lazy and not a team player
The truth is that the boss told you to go home because you had been at work for
twelve hours that day and were required back early the following day. The negative
remarks will not stop at your perceived laziness, but will usually involve unrelated
areas such as your attitude, your relationships with others, your personal habits, and
so on
Make rude gestures or remarks. These can be offensive remarks (perhaps of a sexual
nature), or finger and forearm gestures designed to convey a specific message.
Most establishments have bullying and harassment policies that make these sorts of
actions unacceptable in the workplace. If encountered, you should seriously consider
reporting them to management as they constitute workplace harassment.

Customer warning signs

A customer or guest in the workplace may, by comparison:
Look angry or aggressive. This is part of their non-verbal
communication and an aspect that frequently is very
accurate at reflecting their state of mind. When a guest
looks angry or aggressive, it is likely that that is exactly
how they are feeling
Appear flustered or frustrated. The majority of our guests
are in an environment that is strange to them, and it is to
be expected that they are somewhat confused. We need
to be able to differentiate this level of confusion from the
higher level of frustration that accompanies the onset of
conflict. The fluster and frustration associated with conflict is usually more intense,
and often accompanied by other verbal and non-verbal cues too
Contorted facial expressions. Many people are unwilling to verbalise their anger or
frustration, and so they „make do‟ with „pulling faces‟ about the situation. The point to
note here is that just because someone hasn‟t said they are upset or annoyed, doesn‟t
mean that they aren‟t!
Glance around as if seeking assistance. Once again, this person may be unwilling to
ask for help, but is giving off plenty of body language that indicates they are seeking it.
It is part of our job to look for these signals and to respond appropriately
Physically touch another guest or colleague. This can be the real signal that the guest
has a problem and that conflict could ensue. Most people are reluctant to invade
someone else‟s space, let alone touch a stranger, so this action is highly indicative
that a problem exists, and help is being sought
Become too loud. As the customer becomes more and more annoyed, their volume
level rises. This is another method of attracting help and a way of inflaming the
situation, by letting others know about the problem

Slamming room doors. This is a characteristically frustrated response. It is obviously

socially unacceptable to hit someone, or to break something but the customer can find
a lot of satisfaction in releasing frustration by slamming a door.
When, and if, this does happen, it is a common mistake for the „discussion‟ to then
focus on the „door slamming episode‟. The smart operator will recognise the slamming
as a symptom of a bigger problem. Strive to fix the main problem rather than getting
bogged down in arguing over the door
Throwing something. This is a variation on the „door slamming‟ although with the
obvious potential for more damage or injury. If nothing is damaged or injured it may be
better to ignore the action and focus on the problem that caused it.
On the other hand, security may need to be informed. The key, though, is to see the
„throwing‟ for what it is, rather than misconstrue it only as a hostile act
Being argumentative. This is very common and stands to reason. What else can the
customer do? If we are not prepared to listen to them, or to remedy a problem, there is
little else left for them to do.
At all times, you should be alert to the above warning signs.

Other possible reasons for conflict

Conflicts may also flare when:
A colleague feels they are being treated unfairly. This may be due
to their shift on the roster appearing less attractive than someone
else‟s, not being given the opportunity to work overtime or not
being selected to work on a certain function. This feeling may also
be caused by staff who fail to share information, refuse to help and
co-operate in the workplace, and who favour some colleagues
over others
A customer feels they are being treated unfairly. This can be caused if they are served
out of turn, if a promise has not been kept, or if they become aware that another guest
has secured a better deal
A misunderstanding between a colleague or customer. This can be a simple
misunderstanding brought about by poor communication, the use of a certain word
that has different connotations for both parties, unintentional slurs and statements
which were spoken in jest but not received the same way.

Seeking solutions
By identifying the risk of a possible conflict via a warning sign you will have a greater
chance of stopping a conflict from escalating into an unwanted situation.
The moment you identify one of these warning signs, you should do everything in your
power to stop the problem getting worse. This means you must take swift action and act
in a tactful manner. Not acting is the worst thing you can do.
There is an old saying that you should „nip it in the bud‟ (act now before things get worse),
and it is very true.
The majority of conflicts can be overcome, or simply avoided if someone does something.
The customer has to see that we are taking their problem seriously and that we are doing
something about it.

Being tactful means that you have to show a sense of what is appropriate for the
circumstances at the time.
It means being considerate when dealing with others, especially to their emotions and
their needs. It also includes showing skill and sensitivity when dealing with people and
ensuring that they know you are doing your best to help them.

Conflict resolution techniques

When faced with a conflict situation, it is standard operating practice to apply generally
and widely accepted conflict resolution techniques.
While the techniques presented here are widely
recognised and used, you should be aware that your
individual workplace may have a different approach.
Naturally, house rules and policies must be followed
where they differ from what is presented here.
Definitely finding a speedy resolution to a conflict should be your main aim. The quicker
things can be resolved, the better. Remember that not only will the conflict affect the
guest, but it also has the potential to rub off on to anyone else who hears or sees the
conflict taking place. Conflict situations are bad PR for the establishment.
Various tools have been tried and tested and found to be useful in helping to help reach a
resolution. Some of those tools include:
Listening and discussing the conflict
When confronted with a conflict, the first thing the employee should do is listen to what
the parties involved have to say.
Listening to the parties allows you to collect facts about the situation. It is very true that
situations are rarely what they appear to be „on the surface‟ or at first glance. The more
information you have, the greater the chance that you will select the right course of action
to resolve things.
By discussing specific points of a conflict a more in-depth picture may be gained and the
time you spend doing this also helps send a message that you are genuine in your
attempts to resolve the situation.
Show empathy
Empathy means showing understanding and understanding
another person‟s feelings. The employee should always try to
put themselves into the other person‟s shoes.
Within the limits of your authority or discretionary power you
should aim to „take the customer‟s side‟. It is useful if you can
become the advocate for the customer rather than be seen as
an „enforcer‟ for the venue.
Being empathetic also involves verbally recognising that you realise not only the problem
that has caused the conflict, but that you also appreciate the emotions and feelings that
are now caught up in the whole thing.
Remember that when dealing with a complaint from a customer not to take the matter
personally, and be aware that when you deal with a complaint you represent the company
you work for.

Compromise
To compromise means finding an acceptable solution that is less than
the initially expected position. The steak may have been tough and
cold but that‟s something that can‟t be changed.
The question is: what can we do to try to put it right?
Perhaps we can offer not to charge for it. Perhaps we can offer a free
item and a verbal apology from the manager. The possibilities for
compromise are endless. You just have to make sure that you don‟t
step outside the limits of your powers.
When seeking to compromise, it is important to make sure that all
parties involved accept the resolution that is finally agreed on. If we
agree to do something then that should be an end to the conflict, as
opposed to a partial solution.
Compromising, too, requires the parties to be flexible in their approach to the situation,
and to arrive at a workable outcome.
Unfortunately, though, compromising may not always reach an outcome that is
satisfactory to all concerned, but it generally brings the parties at least closer together and
helps to set the groundwork for eventual resolution.
Cooperating
When handling a conflict situation, you may decide it is best to
cooperate with the parties involved.
This generally means agreeing with the parties in a positive
manner and working with them to find a speedy resolution.
In most conflict situations, cooperating is an excellent technique to
use because it gets the customers what it is they are after.
However, you must never agree with the parties‟ requests or
demands if they are not in line with the establishment‟s policies
and procedures or if they are beyond the limits of your personal
jurisdiction.

Defining the conflict

Once all parties have voiced their concerns, you should verbally summarise the conflict,
defining the key points. This will ensure that you fully understand and appreciate the
issues in the dispute. It further demonstrates that you have been paying attention to what
has been said.
Consider using a notepad to write down key details to show
the customer you are taking the matter seriously.
You should then make sure that all parties involved are in
agreement with the summary you have given. It is important
that you have not left out any points that the guests see as
critical.
Be prepared to amend your summary to factor in any further
points that are made.

Developing solutions
Any solutions decided on with the conflicting parties will greatly depend on the guidelines
set out in the workplace policies and procedures.
For example, a hotel may permit their reception staff to give away a complimentary
restaurant meal to a guest who has complained. Another property may stipulate that only
managers are authorised to give away complimentary restaurant meals to guests who
have complained.
It is important for the employee to have the skills, ability and knowledge to find resolutions
for conflicts that not only meet the needs of the conflicting parties. Adhere to all
establishment policies and procedures as well as any Health and Safety regulations.
In some cases, you may choose to ask the conflicting parties what they would consider to
be a satisfactory resolution to the situation. This saves you having to try to determine
what they are seeking. There is always the risk that you may misinterpret their demands
when you don‟t ask them specifically what they want. Misinterpreting demands, even
when done innocently, will only serve to inflame the situation.
Wherever possible, try to accommodate the parties‟ suggestions, but accept that this will
never happen 100% of the time.

Personal characteristics to employ when resolving conflict

At all times when handling a conflict situation, you will need to display certain personal
characteristics.
These have been found to be useful and effective when trying to negotiate a solution to a
problem, and they include:
Being assertive without being aggressive. It is up to you to lead the discussion and
determine the solution
Being constructive. It is important you realise that whatever has caused the problem is
past and has gone forever. Your main concern must be in suggesting and identifying
action that can remedy the current situation and enable everyone to move on
Being well-informed. You must know all about house policies and procedures, your
personal limits of authority and discretion, and all about the in-house rules and
regulations and how far you can bend them before they are broken
Acting on workplace policies and procedures. Like it or not, there will be certain
boundaries that you must not cross. Where you believe these boundaries should be
crossed, you should involve a more senior person who has the power to do so
Exercising patience. You must realise that no conflict can be solved instantaneously.
Most people demand an opportunity to voice their displeasure, vent their anger or „get
it off their chest‟. In many cases it is only after this has been allowed to occur, can real
progress be made on finding a solution
Showing tolerance. There are many times where you will be told that you are the
worst in the world, and you must be prepared to accept and put up with that. People
will often take their frustration out on you, but you should bear in mind that what they
are saying is not personal, even though it may sound and feel like it! When dealing
with the paying public, being „dumped on‟ goes with the territory. You can‟t change
that, it‟s just the way it is. Accept the abuse and criticism as a part of the resolution
process, and get on with finding the solution. Don‟t let it cause further conflict.

Understanding the total picture. Try to see things from the other person‟s perspective.
Take into account their feelings as well as considering what has
happened to them
Compromising – be prepared to negotiate a way out of the conflict
Being consistent. When dealing with guests it is vitally important to
be consistent. Failing to be consistent sends a message that
certain guests are rated differently. That is likely to spark a whole
new rash of conflict situations!

1.5 Complete routine workplace

documentation accurately in a timely manner
Introduction
Each position will have its own specific tasks which will have its own specific
documentation for completion. This Section will explore:
Different types of generic written communication that is used in a hospitality or tourism
organisation
Examples of specific documentation that may be produced for key job roles in the
hospitality and tourism industry.

Purpose of written documentation

Regardless of the type of written document you are producing, the objective remains quite
similar.
A document with a clear purpose has all the information the reader
needs without being long or containing too many words.
When identifying your purpose, determine first:
Key messages you want to give your reader
Action you want your reader to make in response to your written
communication.

Types of written documentation

Different types of generic written communication that are used in a hospitality or tourism
organisation include:
Letters
Memos
Faxes
Emails.
They are used to communicate with others to:
Provide information in a clear and concise manner
Inform work team members of a change in policies or procedures
Reply to a booking inquiry or guest complaint
Record decisions made at a meeting.

Letters
In your working day, you will need to write many different kinds of letters. The layout of
any letter should be clear and have all the information set out in an easy to read manner.
Letters are often used to communicate to individuals outside an organisation. Common
business letters include:
Covering letter
The covering letter briefly describes what is being sent (e.g. brochure) and the
purpose of sending it
Letter of inquiry
Asks for information
Information letter
Written in response to a letter of inquiry (e.g. the letter confirms details of a guest
booking).
Parts of the letter
Most business letters have a standard structure.
Please look at the sample letter on the next page, with a guide for the standard parts of a
letter.
If your organisation has a specific style for business letters, follow that format. Otherwise,
business letters are commonly formatted full-block, with every line starting at the left
margin and usually a business letterhead at the top of the page and one or two blank lines
between each part of the letter.

SAMPLE LETTER
Luxury Hotel
PO Box 2345
Jakarta, 10002
Indonesia

4 January, 2012

Mr X
24 Sunrise Road
Jakarta, 10002
Indonesia

Dear Mr X,

Congratulations on your recent engagement. We are delighted that you are considering
Luxury Hotel as a possible venue for your Wedding Reception. Here at the Luxury Hotel,
we pride ourselves on our catering facilities and the entire team of staff are excited at the
prospect of helping you with your big day.

Please find attached our Wedding Package, detailing menus and inclusions. We
appreciate the multitude of tasks involved with organising your wedding, and so we are
only too happy to help with suggestions for flowers, cars, photography, cake etc.

Included with our compliments will be your Bridal Suite, complete with spectacular City
Views, a Champagne breakfast and late check-out.

If we can be of any further assistance, or should you wish to view our Reception facilities,
please do not hesitate to contact us on 9922 2211.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Luxury Hotel, and to working with you to make
your Wedding Reception truly memorable.

Kind Regards

Nick Hyland
Banquet Manager

Memos
A memorandum or memo is used to send a brief message to a large number of people
within the organisation.
Format of memos
If your organisation has a specific style for memos, follow that format. Otherwise, memos
are commonly formatted with the Date, To, From and Subject (usually last) headings
appearing on the left-hand side of the memo with a blank line between each section.
Please refer to the sample memos that appear on the next two pages.

SAMPLE MEMO #1
Memorandum

To: All Department Managers

From: Nick Hyland, General Manager

Date: 4 January 2012

Subject: Recycling Program

Please be advised that our recycling program, implemented in 2010, is being significantly
expanded:
Two full-time employees have been hired to concentrate on recycling with mixed paper
now being picked up from guest rooms
The number of recycling containers and locations has been increased so that their
locations are convenient for all employees.
We expect the cost of waste disposal to decrease by about 20% so all managers are
required to stress the importance of recycling in the daily operational meetings. This
message should be reinforced with the latest cost savings.

SAMPLE MEMO #2
Organise your information in letters, memos, and other documents. This is particularly
important for documents such as timetables and instructions where it is essential that
readers receive information in the right order.

Memorandum

DATE: 4 January 2012

TO: Finance Director

FROM: Mr Peters

SUBJECT: Travel reimbursement

Mr Peters requests reimbursement of expenses associated with attendance of a recent

business meeting.
Listed below is a breakdown of expenses (attach receipts).

ITEM US Dollars ($)

A Airfare 1,000

B Taxi fares 150

C Hotel 2,000

D Meals 500

E Miscellaneous (other) 100

Total Reimbursement Requested 3,750

Should you require any further clarifications, please feel free to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Mr Peters

Faxes
A coversheet has details so that the recipient knows what the fax is about.
Some businesses have pre-printed fax coversheets.
You can write the details in by hand.
The easiest way is to use a fax template. You can type
in the details on the computer.
If no fax coversheet or no template is available, you
might need to produce one.
The next section tells you about the parts of the fax in
a fax template, or in a fax coversheet that you make.
Parts of the fax
You send the coversheet as the first page. A coversheet has information about what is
inside. A coversheet has details about the communication. These details are the same for
emails, memos, and faxes.
Sample fax coversheet

Fax BIG HOTEL

To: Mr Rodgers
Date: 4 January 2012
From: Reservations

Fax: 03 822 3489 Fax: 01 241 2632

Phone: 03 852 1272 Phone: 01 241 2633

Re: Room reservation Pages (including coversheet): 2

Dear Mr Rodgers
Attached please find the details of your room reservation from 1-5 February 2012.
Please contact me if you have any questions or if I can help you with anything else.

Sincerely
Reservations Department
Big Hotel

You can make a fax coversheet like this one, if you want to. Here is how to fill in the
details:
Put the name of the recipient in To
Put the recipient‟s fax number and phone number below their name. You will need to
have the fax number so that you can send the fax
Note that „Re‟ is short for „regarding‟. It is the subject of the message
Put your name in from
Put your fax number and phone number below your name. This is useful if the
recipient wants to talk to you
Put the date in the space for the date. (The sender‟s fax number and the date and
time are usually printed by the recipient‟s fax machine on each page, but it is also a
good idea to put this information in the details)
Put the number of pages. The recipient can count the number of pages in their fax
and make sure that they got all the pages
Type or write a message to the recipient on the coversheet.

Emails

Emails are electronic. Letters often use paper. Compared to

letters, emails are:
Faster – almost immediate delivery
Cheaper – no postage costs
Tree-saving – you do not have to print out every email
Easier to sort and file – you can sort emails electronically and
the computer does the work for you.

In the days before email, memos were printed and sent to staff. Now, you can send
memos by computer, so memos and emails are almost the same thing.
Emails can be made in different programs (MS Outlook and MS Outlook Express). But the
parts of an email are usually the same. And the actions (reply, save, delete, add
attachments) that you can do are usually the same, too.
Some email programs have features (font type, font size, text alignment, bullets,
underline, bold, adds pictures and more) that are the same as the programs for writing
letters. You can make emails look as good as letters.
To produce an email, you first need to open the email program and then get a New
Message on the computer screen.
You should have the necessary information and communication technology skills to open
email programs.

Parts of the email

To fill in the To: box, first, you need the person‟s address. For other staff members,
usually this is easy to find. For guests:
Use the property‟s database. Guest information often includes their email address
Look in the email address book as there might be previous email communication with
that guest
CC (now) means „courtesy copy‟. Put in the email addresses for the people whom you
want to tell, just for their information. You do not have to fill in this space.

The Subject should tell you what the email is about. Put words such as „Confirmation of
booking Oasis Hotel‟, „Blue Water Restaurant closed tonight‟, or „John‟s farewell party‟.
Do not put words such as „Hello‟, „Important‟, or „Read this‟ because they do not give any
information.
For a formal greeting, you can use „Dear‟, the same as for letters. For an informal
greeting, you can use „Hi‟.
Follow your property‟s policy and procedure on emails. If there is not a policy and
procedure especially for emails, you can follow the rules below. You should follow email
rules because:
It makes your work professional
It makes your messages efficient
It protects your property from misunderstandings, lawsuits, and angry customers.

Another name for these rules is „etiquette‟. Here are some rules, or email etiquette, that
you should use when you write the information:
Keep the email short
Do not write long sentences
Do not use abbreviations. These can cause confusion or the recipient might not
understand them. Some people use abbreviations such as FYI (for your information),
BTW (by the way) and B4 (before) to make emails short, but it is better to write words
in full
Talk about only one subject in the email. If you need to talk about many things, write
many emails
Check your punctuation. Make sure that periods, commas, capital letters are all
correct
Do not write in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS because it is like SHOUTING
Do not use fancy fonts, because the recipient might not be able to see them on their
computer. Use standard fonts like Arial or Times New Roman
If you use colour in your writing, make sure it is easy to read
Use plain text, and not HTML, if you are not sure about the recipient‟s computer
Do not send big attachments. They can make the recipient‟s email box full
Compress large files, or send smaller size files if you think this will be useful

Before you send the email, read it to find mistakes and do a spell check. Make sure
that the message means what you want it to mean, and that there can be no
misunderstanding
In the same way that letters can have enclosures,
emails can have attachments. You can send (as
separate electronic files) pictures, brochures,
itineraries and text documents. Attach any
necessary files
At the end of the information, you can write
„Regards or „Thanks‟
Finally, put your name. Write your full name and
position for „business to customer‟ emails. For internal emails, this may not be
necessary.

Types of job specific documentation

As previously mentioned, there are many generic types of written communication that can
be used in any position, within any organisation. The following are examples of specific
documentation that would be completed for F&B and Front Office departments within a
hospitality organisation. They only provide a brief example and are not for specific roles,
as there are many roles within each department.
These documents are commonly prepared using the previously mentioned types of
documents.
Food and Beverage
Reservations – including booking information, special
requests, receipts and confirmation to customers
Menus – including specials of the day, menus for specific
groups, drink lists and menus in different languages
Banquets – menus, schedule of events, invitations, enquiry
letters, invoices, name cards
Conferences – schedule of events, enquiry letters, confirmation letters, secretarial
services
Financial documents – daily checklists, sales sheets, register dockets, reconciliation
sheets, breakage sheets, „comp‟ (complimentary) sheets, forecasts and budgets.
Front Office
Activity Sheets – arrivals and departure sheets and VIP
Lists
Registration Cards – for completion and signature by
customers
Guest Accounts
Customer Surveys and complaint forms
Currency exchange documents
Payment forms, vouchers, letters and receipts.

Work Projects
It is a requirement of this Unit you complete Work Projects as advised by your Trainer.
You must submit documentation, suitable evidence or other relevant proof of completion
of the project to your Trainer by the agreed date.

1.1 To fulfil the requirements of this Work Project you are asked to submit a video of you
communicating effectively that provides evidence you can:

Relay information in a clear and concise manner using appropriate

communication techniques
Use language and tone appropriate to a particular audience, purpose and
situation
Use active listening and questioning to facilitate two-way communication
Complete routine workplace documentation.

1.2. To fulfil the requirements of this Work Project you are asked to submit evidence of
three conflicts you have handled in a successful manner including:

A description of the conflict

Possible solutions
Involvement of others including customers, staff or management
Solution reached.

1.3. To fulfil the requirements of this Work Project you are asked to submit a written
communication (such as an email, memo, report or letter) between yourself and
either a colleague or customer informing them about a particular issue (you decide
the issue that will be the focus of this Work Project). The submission needs to
provide evidence you can:

Take into account the audience you are writing to when preparing the written
communication
Follow standard and establishment protocols for the type of communication you
elect to write.

Summary
Communicate effectively

Relay information in a clear and concise manner using appropriate communication

techniques
Identify who you may communicate with
Understand different types of communication.
Use language and tone appropriate to a particular audience, purpose and situation,
taking into account the relevant factors involved
Identify the difference between an internal and external customer
Understand the need for effective communication
Use verbal communication skills
Identify what we communicate
Use non-verbal communication.

Use active listening and questioning to facilitate effective two-way communication

with others

Appreciate importance of listening including active and reflective listening

Establishing questioning techniques including open and closed questions
Understand importance of effective listening.

Identify potential and existing conflicts and seek solutions in conjunction with all
involved parties

Identify types of conflict

Identify warning signs
Implement conflict resolution techniques.

Complete routine workplace documentation accurately in a timely manner

Identify purpose of written conflict

Utilise types of written communication
Utilise types of job specific documentation.

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Element 2:
Establish and maintain effective
relationships with colleagues and
customers
2.1 Meet both internal customers’ and external
customers’ needs and expectations in
accordance with organisation standards,
policies and procedures and within acceptable
time frames
Introduction
As a staff member, it is your role to fulfil the needs of all stakeholders of the business.
This includes both the „internal‟ and „external‟ customer.
An „internal‟ customer is anyone who is associated with the
provision of services to customers. In summary this includes:
Management and staff of the organisation
Suppliers and contractors who provide services to your
organisation.
An „external‟ customer is anyone who receives the products and services provided by the
organisation. In summary this includes:
Customers who enjoy the „offerings‟ at the venue –
restaurants, functions, accommodation and bars
Customers who enjoy the „offerings‟ that are supplied to
them, at a location not at the venue. This is common where
a hotel provides catering at the customer‟s location, or
where a tour is conducted in multiple locations.
Regardless of the type of customer, it is vital that all staff provide suitable service and
assistance to all its customers.
In order to provide service to customers it is necessary to identify their needs and
expectations. It is always dangerous to assume we know what these needs and
expectations are because we might get it wrong.
Sometimes customers will tell us what their needs and expectations are, and in other
cases we will have to ask questions.

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Servicing customer needs

As service industries we must do all that we can to meet the needs of our customers.
It is necessary to state, though, that these needs and requests must be of a „reasonable‟
nature. You are not expected to:
Break the law
Humiliate or demean yourself
Meet any requests that involve you in doing anything that is unsafe or dangerous.
Where you are asked to perform anything that you consider dubious, you should excuse
yourself, and immediately contact management.
Fortunately, most requests from guests are perfectly acceptable and well within our ability
to satisfy.
While it is essential to treat all customers as individuals, every customer defines „service‟
differently. It is up to you to determine the individual definition of what follows, and provide
it.
The following notes will indicate how to service customers, both with and without special
needs. However, some general techniques apply.
There is no doubt that when dealing with customers who have needs you need:
A genuine service ethic
Patience
Excellent communication skills, especially non-verbal
skills
A sense of humour
The ongoing need to be polite and courteous
Warmth and empathy
To know when to back off and allow people to help themselves. By all means make
the offer, but accept that not all people need your help. Don‟t let this „rejection‟ affect
your offer the next time
To be yourself – don‟t try to be someone else when dealing with those who have
needs
To know your own personal limitations and realise when to:
- Involve another staff member
- Obtain an interpreter
- Refer them to somewhere, or someone, else
- Redirect them to another section, department or area within the store
Consistency. Make an offer to all people with needs so that they are able to rely on
your willingness to help whenever they call in
To research what in-house support exists, or can be obtained, to help you serve these
people.

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Internal customer needs

As mentioned, „internal‟ customers are those associated
with the provision of products and services to the „external‟
customer, and hence their communal aim is ensuring they
have the necessary resources to be able to complete their
job roles and responsibilities in a professional manner.
Communication amongst internal customers is extremely
important. Teamwork and understanding of each other‟s
needs is vital. The saying „a team is only as strong as its weakest link‟ is very true. An
external customer does not see all the staff involved in the provision of products and
services. They only see the end result. Therefore if a problem exists, it does not matter
who is to blame, a problem still exists.
Whilst each „internal customer‟ has their own needs that relate specifically to their job role,
there are a number of common needs which must be recognised by all staff.
These needs include:
Knowledge –understand and perform their job role, product
knowledge, menu knowledge, external customer preferences,
upcoming events, policies and procedures and schedule of
events for particular shifts
Skills – the ability to practically perform selected tasks
including making beds, cooking meals and checking in guests
Training – both practical and theoretical training to ensure
staff skills sets are appropriate to provide quality customer
service
Equipment – this can include mechanical equipment
(computers, ovens, blenders) and associated tools of the
trade (plates, glassware, pens, cleaning cloths)
Time – staff need adequate time to perform their tasks in the correct manner
Appropriate allocation of work – appropriate allocation of customers per staff member
to be able to deliver quality service. Management must ensure adequate levels of staff
are on duty to perform the necessary
Support – staff must receive support and guidance from management
Fairness – equality in areas of pay, work rate, scheduling of activities.

Identifying internal customer needs

Identification of internal customer needs normally is reflected in the requirements of their
job responsibilities. However, at times these may change. The best method of identifying
internal customer needs is through constant communication:
In meetings, whether at a departmental or senior management level
In staff briefings at the start of a shift
During a shift as needs arise
In staff debriefings at the end of a shift
Through comments in handover documents between shifts
Through emails, memos and telephone calls.

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External customer needs

Generic customer needs
Whilst every customer to the organisation has their own individual needs, there are a
number of generic needs that staff must address when providing quality customer service.

These needs include:

Value for money
„Offering‟ reflecting what was advertised
Expectations met or exceeded
To feel respected which is why we use “Sir” and “Madam”
To feel welcomed which is why we give all our customers a warm, genuine and
sincere smile and welcome. We really are pleased to see them
To be served by friendly staff which is again why we smile and why we spend that
extra few seconds with them, talking about how their day went and so on
To be dealt with in a prompt and courteous manner which is why we don‟t keep them
waiting at reception, the bar, for room service, meals etc.
To receive assistance when necessary which is why we have excellent product and
local knowledge and why we look for opportunities to pass this on to them whenever
we can, even without their having to ask
To be in comfortable, clean surroundings which is why we make sure the facilities,
rooms, grounds and equipment are spotless
To feel remembered and recognised which is why we use the customer‟s name as
often as we can
To be heard and understood which is why we listen to complaints and adopt the role
of their advocate whenever there is a complaint, problem or dispute. We want to fix
their problems, not create new ones.
Customers have perceived expectations of what level of service they expect when visiting
a venue arising from:
Past visits
Advertisements and promotional messages
Competing hotels
Industry standards
Comments from family, friends and colleagues
Price charged for the offering.

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Specific target market needs

A hospitality and tourism business will have customers from a number of different target
markets, each with their own specific needs. It is important that staff recognise the needs
of each target market and tailor their service accordingly.
The following are different target markets and their specific needs:
Business – computer and internet access, newspapers, executive lounges, laundry
services, business or executive centre, business and news channels. Businessmen
are more likely to frequent a hotel bar and eat in the restaurant
Women – hairdryers, larger mirrors, healthier food options, specific bathroom
amenities, fashion magazines, bath. Businesswomen are more likely to use the gym
and eat room service
Family – interconnecting rooms, costs, entertainment options, child care facilities,
children‟s television programs, package deals and safety
Leisure – cheaper rates, local attractions, concierge services
Elderly – single beds, medical facilities, suitable food options and cheaper rates
Groups – need for large allocation of rooms, cheap rates, meeting rooms, specialised
menus, bus access and parking.

Identifying external customer needs

Identifying needs of the external customer are varied and are not the same for everyone.
In fact, the needs for the same customer may change on a daily basis. It is important staff
remain aware of the satisfaction of customers and look for ways to improve the
experience for all customers.
In reality, most customer needs are quite simple and
easy to accommodate. It may relate to needing more
pillows or towels, steak cooked a certain way,
accommodation with a specific view or need for wake up
calls or taxis. Quite often customers will let you know of
their needs through the use of direct questions.
However, some customers will not let you know if their
needs are unmet and will leave a venue disappointed
with little or no prospect of a return visit.
Staff must be pro-active and try to anticipate the needs of guests where possible. This
can be achieved through:
Observation. Quite often the body language of a customer will indicate their true
feelings. They could be looking around for staff to serve them, angry or frustrated, or
simply disappointed in what has been provided
Asking questions. Offer recommendations or find out if they want things done a certain
way
Putting yourself in the shoes of the customer. Ask yourself „What would I like if I was
in their position?‟ If guests have arrived from a long flight and look tired, a speedy
check in service is vital. You may also want to arrange room service dinner for them
whilst they are checking in so they can eat quickly and go to bed sooner.

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Special needs customers

As mentioned, all external customers will have their own individual needs that a venue
must try to meet as a minimum, and exceed as standard protocol.
There are some customers with special needs that a venue must accommodate.
Customers who come to us with special needs may be categorised as:
Disabled
Unable to speak English
Having other special needs. These needs can be „here today and gone tomorrow‟
needs.
We must make every effort to respond to those with special needs with the same
professionalism as we respond to requests made by other customers.
Preparation and knowing what the venue can offer are the keys to dealing with customers
with special needs.
We will normally identify people with special needs by sight, or through listening to them.
Where we are unsure about what specific needs they have we should use questions to
identify what their needs are.
Disabled customers
In general terms the same approach that is taken with other
customers should apply to customers with a disability:
Don‟t ignore them. Ensure you interact with disabled
people in the same way as other customers
Greet them warmly and in a genuine and friendly
manner. Don‟t reserve your welcomes just for those
without a disability
Make an offer of assistance in relation to what you can
offer or do for them. Recognise that disabled people
aren‟t stupid, they are disabled. Shouting won‟t make
you better understood. Disabled people have similar
needs for information as do those who are not disabled
Don‟t assume you know what they want. Let them finish sentences and don‟t prejudge
a disabled person‟s wants from their disability
Ask questions and listen to the responses. Adopt the same professional manner and
strategies as usual
Talk to the disabled person initially and then to their support person if there are
difficulties. Never ignore the presence of the disabled person and never give the
impression they aren‟t there or are an irrelevancy
Make an offer of physical assistance where the person is physically disabled. Realise
that most people treasure their independence. Consider sitting when talking with
someone in a wheelchair so that communication levels are equal and you are not
adopting a superior position

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Where people with a disability are regular customers, encourage their patronage.
Contact their association to discover if there are any specific steps or actions you can
take to facilitate their experience with you.
Customers who are unable to speak local language
Customers of the hospitality and tourism industry traditionally come from all corners of the
globe, so it is common practice to have many customers on a daily basis who do not
understand the local language.
When faced with a language barrier, staff should attempt to communicate through the use
of gestures, signs or simple words.
While this is obviously not a perfect situation, it does at least show your desire to
communicate.
Gestures are preferable to saying nothing and risking the customer feeling ignored.
Attempts at gestures may include:
Pointing to indicate a location
Holding fingers up to establish quantities
Rubbing your hands to indicate temperature
Nodding your head in agreement
Shaking your head in disagreement
Using facial expressions to relay your feelings
Removing adjectives (descriptive words) from your speech
Slowing your speech down and speaking clearly and concisely
Avoiding using local idiom or slang.
Where possible documents should be printed in a variety of languages to enable
customers to understand information relating to the property and the surrounding region.
The printing of a selection of documentation in various languages should include, but not
be limited to:
Information compendium
Emergency procedures
Menus.
Most businesses now employ staff who are multilingual. This enables staff to be able to
answer direct questions from customers and be able to provide tailored information to
meet their specific needs.

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Finding assistance
When dealing with people from different countries or cultures, it may be necessary to
seek assistance.
The type of assistance or information required can vary a great deal.
Call on the experience of other staff members if you get stuck.

Other sources
Written information on cultures and their differences may be also found through:
The Internet – type key words in the search engine
Media – cultural newspapers, radio stations and magazines
Local cultural centres
Local library – books, tapes and videos
Language centres
Industry groups or organisations
Purchased or borrowed books.
Colleagues
Teachers – in-house industry trainers
Family and friends
Regular customers.

Convey a willingness to assist

Being proactive is the best way to convey willingness, both verbally and non-verbally, to
assist any customers you believe have special requirements.
Verify your perception about their requirements by approaching them and asking them if
you can help them.
Don‟t wait for them to come and ask you.
Waiting for them to do so only increases their anxiety and makes their situation worse.
The important ingredient is „equality‟. This means treating everyone equally, but treating
those who need it more equally than others.
Being proactive to people with these special needs can easily become your Unique
Selling Point (USP). Word will spread quite quickly and can result in a very profitable
surge in sales from this group of special needs people.
A willingness to be of service to these people may also be conveyed by placing an
appropriate sign somewhere in the property including reception, in-room compendiums
and posters.

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This may advertise or indicate:

The venue is a supporter of a certain group, club or organisation
The property welcomes people from XYZ
Staff speak XYZ languages
The business is „wheelchair friendly‟
„Our staff have kids too!‟
„Senior Citizen‟s card accepted here‟.
These signs can be duplicated in other media advertisements, in any flyers the venue
does, and on any accounts or newsletters printed or distributed.

Overseas visitors
With the ever-increasing number of overseas travellers to Asia, it is important that we
know a little about the people who are likely to be our customers.
The following information illustrates differences between cultures and nationalities. Take
note of these so that you might learn how to better serve your patrons, to cater to their
special needs and expectations, and to deliver the products, services and information
they want.
American
Initial contact via a firm handshake and direct eye contact is acceptable. Men usually
wait for women to offer their hands rather than initiating the handshake
Realise that when an American gives you a detailed food
or drink order (even down to what sort of bread they want
for their toast, and how they want it done), this is what
they do at home. They aren‟t trying to be difficult,
obsessive or irritating
Take some time to show an interest in the very fact that
they are American and maintain eye contact during
conversations
They find silence in conversations uncomfortable
Make an effort to explain things to Americans. By their nature they are used to asking
questions before making a buying decision and expect respectful, intelligent and
helpful answers
Americans at home are used to being supplied with a bottomless glass of iced water
at table. Ensure this is supplied where you work.

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German
The initial handshake is usually a brief encounter with only one or two shakes, rather
than an extended affair
Provide quick, efficient, no-frills service
Germans will interpret a sloppy personal appearance and presentation as potential
incompetence
When speaking with them remain polite and treat them respectfully using „Sir‟ and
„Madam‟ to indicate your recognition of their position
Do not be offended by what you may see as abrupt treatment and speech. There is no
hidden meaning behind it other than an attempt to obtain what they want
They expect as a matter of course to be served quickly and may become annoyed at
having to wait, especially where no reason for the delay in
service is provided
An upright thumb, means „one‟, and rapping of the knuckles
by guests at table is a way of saying hello to the others there
Refrain from attempting to entertain them as there is always
the risk that your humour will either not be appreciated or
will be misunderstood. Leave the entertaining up to
professional entertainers
Attempt to give Germans accurate and decisive information, rather than vague
generalities
Realise that the direct method of communication is the accepted way of Germans and
that there may be little regard for what we may consider to be the niceties of general
conversation. They may not use „Please‟ and „Thank you‟ to the same extent that we
do but this is not to be misinterpreted as ill-mannered or uncivil action, but rather a
representation of the fact that different people are, simply, different.
Jewish
There are variations on the degree to which individual Jews adhere to the principles
and requirements of their faith. Do not expect all Jews to act in the same way
Their traditional religious day (the Sabbath) is Saturday. Many Jews will refrain from
much activity on this day including driving a car, and using electrical appliances
Catering may be required to be done by a Rabbi and there may be special
requirements regarding cooking areas, equipment and cutlery
Pork is unacceptable and meat, including chicken, must be specially slaughtered and
prepared – see below
Fruit and vegetables are acceptable, but the modern hybrid types are shunned
Traditional Jews will drink Kosher wine, which is usually presented unopened to allow
the guests to open it themselves
There is an expectation that guests will be able to wash their hands under running
water
Jews may bless their food prior to consumption and so may not thank service staff in
the same way that others might
Fish meat should only come from fish with scales and fins.

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Kosher food
Jewish customers may wish to eat „kosher‟ food – meaning food that is deemed by them
to be „proper‟ according to Biblical beliefs and laws.
A full understanding of kosher food is complex and the following notes are designed to
provide an overview rather than a detailed study.
Kosher meat may only be sourced from certain allowed animals such as ruminants with
split hooves, domestic birds (such as chicken and turkey) and fish with fins and
removable scales.
All ruminants must be slaughtered by special slaughtermen according to Jewish law, and
during food preparation, other special considerations must be observed such as ensuring
that milk and meat are not mixed together.
Special requirements also apply to the equipment used (that is, making it kosher),
including special cleaning techniques and resting periods between usage.
A limited number of establishments have addressed the needs of those seeking kosher
food and provide all necessary prerequisites, supervision and requirements. They
advertise their ability and capacity to provide these services and a web search will readily
identify them.

What timeframes apply?

When dealing face to face with a customer the standard timeframe for meeting requests
from customers and colleagues is „as soon as possible‟. This generally translates into
„immediately‟ wherever this is practicable.
In other situations, such as dealing with requests that arrive on the internet, fax, by post or
as a result of a telephone request for information the timeline options include:
As soon as possible/immediately
Before the end of your shift
Within 24 hours.
There may be other service requirements for colleagues that have longer timeframes.
For example the preparation of reports, the provision of trading figures, or the ordering of
stock may have to be completed:
Same day
By the end of the week, month or designated trading period
On a nominated day or at a nominated time.

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relationships with colleagues and customers

2.2 Assist to resolve workplace conflict and

manage difficulties to achieve positive
outcomes
Introduction
Regardless of how smooth the operations of a hospitality enterprise runs, with endless
interactions and actions taking place on any given day, at times things may not go to plan
and conflicts arise. With everyone having their own expectations and opinions about what
quality customer service involves, there will be instances where disputes will take place.
Workplace conflict can be defined as any conflict that takes place in a workplace. This
could be between:
Staff at all levels of an organisation including line staff,
supervisors and managers.
Staff and suppliers
Staff and customers
One customer and another customer.
It is the role of staff to be able to identify where conflict exists and find a suitable solution
as soon as possible, with an outcome that, hopefully, meets the expectations of all parties
concerned.
In essence, a conflict normally will exist where a person feels:
An expected product or service is not as expected
Their opinion, advice, customs or beliefs are more appropriate than that of another
person
They were not treated in a fair, helpful or polite manner.
In Section 2.4, a standard approach to handle workplace conflict is identified. However
there are some issues to keep in mind when trying to resolve workplace conflict:
Consider every conflict as important. Whilst the conflict may seem small or irrelevant
to you, it obviously is not treated as such by the parties involved
Try to handle the conflict as soon as possible. Don‟t expect it to go away by itself
If you are unable or do not have the authority to handle the conflict, refer the matter to
the most appropriate person as soon as possible
Every conflict has a solution. Try to approach the experience in a positive manner
Try to look at the situation in a factual manner. Whilst it is important to acknowledge
that the situation contains emotion, try to take the emotion out of it when trying to find
a solution
Be flexible in your approach to reach a suitable solution
Involve both parties when trying to reach a suitable solution. What you consider to be
a suitable solution may not appear that way to the parties involved. If they are able to
reach a mutually agreed solution, that will be accepted
Be diplomatic and sensitive. Keep the details of the conflict confidential, and those
who are required to be involved in finding the solution to a minimum.

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2.3 Use formal feedback and informal feedback to

identify and implement improvements to
products, services, processes or outcomes for
both internal customers and external
customers
Introduction
Every complaint or conflict identifies a flaw in some aspect of an organisation‟s operations
and delivery of service.
Whilst handling conflict is often stressful and difficult on all parties concerned, it is a great
opportunity to address an issue which may lead to improved service to customers.
As the saying goes „every cloud has a silver lining‟; each complaint or conflict can lead to
a positive outcome for all.

Importance of feedback
It should be imperative that any business, regardless of what it does or provides, actively
collects feedback from all stakeholders of an organisation.
Any comments, whether positive or negative, help direct the operation towards greater
success. The saying „a rolling stone gathers no moss‟ is a great way to identify the need
for gathering feedback. A business and its operations will always be a „work in progress‟
and must always find ways to not only keep up with the demands of its customers, but to
have a competitive advantage over the competition.
When handling complaints or conflict, a large amount of comments, opinions, suggestions
and information will be presented. This is called feedback.
In most cases feedback will come without prompting. The parties involved are happy to
get their point across. Whilst feedback will contain both relevant and irrelevant
information, it is a valuable source of identifying current thoughts about a particular issue.
This feedback can become the template towards change for the better if handled
correctly.
At times, however more feedback is required to get an „all round‟ understanding of an
issue.
In this Section we will explore the importance of feedback.

Types of feedback
Feedback can either be defined as positive or negative.
Positive feedback is information confirming that a particular action has been received in a
complimentary manner. It reinforces that the current actions or operations are acceptable
and should be continued. Suggestions or recommendations for improvement are also
considered positive feedback.
Positive feedback validates what customers identify as successful and should be
continued.

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Negative feedback relates to comments about a poor or inadequate action, comment or

performance. It explains what is „bad‟ or what was done incorrectly.
In essence, all feedback can be deemed as positive, as it provides an opportunity for
improvement.

Collecting feedback
Collecting feedback should be an ongoing activity of all organisations and can be
obtained using a combination of formal and informal avenues.
Formal feedback
This approach is used when established avenues have been established to collect
information.
These approaches include:
Customer comment cards. These are established documents aimed at getting
responses to a wide range of questions covering all facets of an operation
General Manager cocktail parties. This approach involves selected guests enjoying
refreshments with senior management. It is common for management to ask
questions about their stay and suggestions for improvement. This approach is also
beneficial in finding out more about the customer, which can be used to provide more
personalised service
Interviews and follow up calls. At times management may contact customers to find
out about their experiences or visits
Meetings. Staff meetings are held on a regular basis
and normally will explore the performance of
operations. At these meetings, comment cards from
customers are discussed with strategies for
improvement implemented
Performance reviews. This approach is used by
management when providing feedback to staff
regarding their performance. During these reviews, management will also ask staff for
their suggestions or recommendations for improvement. At times, causes of poor staff
performance will identify faults in the operation (lack of training, understaffing, limited
or faulty equipment) which can be improved.
Informal feedback
This approach is a very effective way to get feedback. This information may come in the
form of „gossip‟ or „through the grapevine‟, however is the provider of the largest amount
of feedback.
Informal feedback involves collecting information and feedback outside the above
mentioned formal avenues. This includes:
General discussion with fellow staff and customers. By interacting with people, you
can get a good feel of what they are thinking
Observations. This is a great form of feedback. Staff need to be encouraged to
observe the actions and reactions of customers and fellow staff. Most people are often
uneasy about truthfully giving negative feedback, so this approach is useful in getting
an accurate reading of what people are thinking in different situations.

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2.4 Handle complaints positively, sensitively and

politely in consultation with the person/s
making the complaint
Introduction
Complaints are a common part of any organisation. Every day complaints will be made by
any stakeholder in the organisation. This includes staff, management, customers, owners,
suppliers and the general public.
Complaints can come in an array of circumstances and be based on endless situations.
Regardless of the situation there is a standard approach which can be applied to help
resolve the complaint.

Dissatisfaction
Usually, before someone makes a complaint, they give outward signs of their
dissatisfaction.
It is essential to pick up on these signs before an
unnecessary incident occurs.
Some signs of dissatisfaction include negative changes in:
Body language
Voice
Actions.

Taking action to resolve the situation

The following are keys to successfully resolving customer dissatisfaction:
Listening to the issue and making sure you have a full understanding of what is the
cause of the problem. You have to make sure you are treating the root cause and not
a symptom
Offering a solution which includes encouraging the customer to identify what will solve
the issue
Agreeing on a solution ensuring that once the agreed solution is implemented, the
issue that gave rise to the dissatisfaction will be finished
Taking action – implementing the agreed solution. This should be done as soon as
possible and must be exactly in accordance with the agreement that has been
reached
Checking with the customer to verify that the solution has successfully addressed their
dissatisfaction and that the agreed solution has, in fact, been implemented
Changing any necessary standard operating procedures to help reduce the likelihood
that a similar problem will occur again with a different customer.
This process will be explained in more detail later in this Section.

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Scope of authority
Most staff are given guidelines as to what action they can take in the workplace without
having to get special permission from management.
This is referred to as their „scope of authority‟.
The scope of authority may relate to:
Their ability to act on behalf of the venue
Their authority to spend money on behalf of the venue
Their authority to act in given situations such as when there is a complaint (as well as
in emergencies, accepting bookings, making special deals).
In relation to resolving customer complaints, establishments may
give staff standard scopes of authority to respond in one (or more)
standard ways such as:
Offering a free product e.g. a glass of drink or free dessert
Offering a service such as dry cleaning
Offering a set percentage discount on advertised selling prices.

Organisation policies
Formal, written policies on dealing with customer complaints are
useful because they:
Provide guidance on what to do in order to resolve situations
Give consistency when dealing with customers
Relieve staff from having to make decisions. The policy sets out
the decisions that management have made.
These policies may address issues such as:
Who should deal with problems or complaints at different levels
When management (or security staff) should be involved
The limits of scopes of authority
Situations under which the property will not try to resolve a conflict
regardless of what the customer may allege
Documentation that needs to be completed to record the complaint
Training that staff should receive before they are expected to resolve issues on their
own.

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Handling complaints
It is important to deal with all complaints in a friendly, efficient and
thorough manner.
You must always give the customer time to explain themselves fully.
This means never cutting them short when they are complaining, or
putting words into their mouth.
Three keys in responding to customer complaints are to be positive,
sensitive and polite at all times.
In short, we must be sensitive to the customer, their needs, the
nature of the complaint and their mood.
The customer, guest or patron must be given the time to explain fully, without the
employee cutting them short or placing words into their mouth.
It cannot be emphasised enough how important it is for the person to say their piece.

Take responsibility for doing something

Having listened fully to the person, ask questions and recap what has been said to verify
what has been said. You should take responsibility for resolving the complaint by telling
the customer that you will do everything in your power to resolve the situation.
As mentioned above, you may elect to ask the guest what they want done to fix the
problem.
By taking this responsibility, it ensures you never ignore complaints, but instead take
constructive measures to ensure they enjoy a speedy and mutually satisfactory resolution.

Establish the nature and details of the complaint

A critical aspect of resolving the complaint is to identify the extent of the complaint.
In most cases, the complainant will tell you what the problem is, but their offering is
certain to leave out relevant information. This information may be information which
lessens their case, or which puts a different slant on their allegations.
Or it may be information that would really help them if they only knew it.
The fact remains that you must talk to the customer. Ask questions to determine the full
nature of the conflict. In the first instance, this detective work may simply serve to alert
you to the fact that the issue is beyond your ability or scope of authority to remedy,
thereby indicating that a manager needs to become involved.
When talking to the person(s) involved you should attempt to find out various bits of
information. The more detailed and accurate the information, the better:
Names of those involved
Promises that the establishment may have made
Service or products that failed to live up to promises or expectations, including how
they failed to deliver on quality or expectations
Timelines relating to the complaint
Costs, money or charges involved

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The factual details, as far as can be determined, as to what was said and by whom
Actions – or inactions – taken or not taken by the staff.
In all cases, it is advisable to try to remove the complainant to a private area so that
others are unable to overhear what is being said. Doing this also removes the person
from a potential audience to which they may decide to play. The offer of a cold drink or a
coffee may also be appropriate.
When you have uncovered all the details about the issue, repeat them back to the person
to ensure you have interpreted them correctly and to give them an opportunity to clarify
points or to add further comments.
The next step is to seek agreement about what can or should be done to fix the problem.
Whatever is decided on must be described and explained in detail so that there can be no
room for misinterpretation about what you are going to try to achieve. If you can‟t get
agreement on the proposed solution, how is „fixing it‟ going to resolve the problem?
When such agreement is forthcoming, your next step is to take action to achieve your
objective.

Take appropriate action

The commonly used Six-Step Method for dealing with all complaints is the recommended
course of action.
Some of the points set out below have been covered earlier, but is useful to see the
model laid out in one place in its entirety:
Step 1: Listen carefully
Listen, listen, listen to everything the customer has to say even
though it may be the last thing that you feel like doing! Recognise
and respect the customer‟s thoughts and feelings. Show genuine
interest in their needs and expectations.
Step 2: Acknowledge
Establish the scope and nature of the problem along with any
history that might accompany it, or the complainant.
Verbally summarise the conflict and ensure that the parties
involved agree with your summary.
Step 3: Respond
Inform the customer of the action you wish to take. This course of action may have been
proposed by them, by you, or arisen through negotiation. Check to see if this action is
deemed acceptable.
Make sure the action is in line with establishment policies and procedures and that you
have the authority to make that decision. If not, seek information from a higher authority.
Inform them of the timeframe that you expect to apply to implementing the resolution.
Never make up excuses or blame another colleague for a problem – even if it may be
true!

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Step 4: Take action

This is usually what the guest wants you to do!
You now have to act to implement the agreed upon solution within a
reasonable time frame. If ever there looks like being a delay in
executing the resolution you absolutely must inform the guest at the
earliest possible opportunity and provide a full explanation of the
delay.
Never let a delay just drag on and on, without keeping the guest up
to date and informed.
Step 5: Report
It is part of your role to inform a higher authority of a complaint where necessary.
These instances are usually where the person:
Was very, very irate
Made threats
Indicated they would complain in writing
Damage was done
Is a regular patron.
Step 6: Follow-up
There may be an in-house meeting to debrief with other staff or management, or to
complete relevant documentation as requested by the establishment.
There is commonly a timeframe within which such follow up must occur – within 24 hours
is common.

Referring complaints
In any situations where you believe a complaint to be beyond either
your expertise to resolve, or outside your area of delegated authority,
you must refer this type of complaint to the appropriate person.
Written policies of the venue together with an understanding about
your individual scope of authority will help you work out whether or not
the complaint needs to be referred.
The appropriate person
The appropriate person, in some situations, may just be a co-worker
who has more experience than you, or it could be the supervisor or manager. In other
cases it may be appropriate to notify security.
Organisational policies and procedures will indicate who should be involved.
Referring complaints is not necessarily an admission of failure on your part. It may quite
simply be the most appropriate thing to do in the given situation. You might simply be
unable to do, or authorise, whatever it is that is required to resolve the complaint.
A key to referring complaints is to do it quickly.

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Where you have tried to resolve the situation yourself, and are quite obviously getting
nowhere, you must quickly get someone else in to help.
When a complaint situation has arisen, time is critical,
and your failure to notify the relevant person has the
potential to greatly inflame the situation.
And, as we all know, when you are upset or annoyed,
one minute seems like ten.
Finally, no one expects you to be able to manage all
complaints on your own, so don‟t try to battle on when
you feel you‟re out of your depth.
An escalated complaint
An escalated complaint may be seen as one where one or more of the following applies:
The organisational policies specifically call for the complaint to be handled by
management or some other nominated person
Every genuine effort on your part to resolve the issue has been unsuccessful
A situation where the customer is becoming agitated and you believe there is a
chance the situation could further deteriorate into a physical confrontation
A situation where the customer is swearing, making threats or drawing substantial
attention from other customers or members of the public
The customer is alleging impropriety, dishonesty or other fraudulent activity on behalf
of a staff member
A situation where the customer states they intend
taking legal action in relation to the complaint
A situation where the customer mentions they
intend referring the complaint to the authorities
including government agencies such as liquor
licensing, health, gaming, other agencies
A situation where the customer mentions they
intend taking the issue to the media.

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2.5 Maintain a positive and co-operative manner

Introduction
At all times, when responding to conflicts and customer complaints you must maintain a
positive and cooperative manner with other parties.
This is quite easy to say, but often proves much more difficult to actually do.

Why
A positive and cooperative manner can help to:
Smooth over a potentially problematic situation. Many
complaints can be quickly and effectively handled by
staff adopting the „right attitude‟ to the complaint. Lots
of customers simply want to air their grievance. They
don‟t expect anything to happen or they don‟t want to
be given a free meal. They just want to be heard to
get it off their chest
Demonstrate your willingness to resolve the issue as opposed to ignoring it or
dismissing it out of hand. This respects the customer as an individual and sends a
definite signal that the individual is of value to the business
Create an initial friendly atmosphere. An approach that indicates a willingness to listen
to, and work with, the customer will always set the foundation for a faster and more
acceptable resolution. It is much more difficult for the customer to maintain their rage
when the staff are displaying a friendly, helpful and courteous orientation to the
problem
Maintain positive customer relations. It is a standard requirement of all enterprises that
complaints be seen as „opportunities‟. Staff are expected to achieve a final outcome to
the complaint that will maintain the person complaining as an ongoing customer.

Practice
Preparing yourself to deal with complaints is something that nearly every staff member
can do.
You should consider:
Identifying situations about which it can realistically be expected that customers might
complain about
Determining, in advance, the possible solutions that might
achieve a resolution of the issue. Make sure these
possibilities are within your scope of authority
Asking management or a more experienced worker about
how they would deal with such a situation
Undertaking role plays in relation to the identified
customer complaint situations and scenarios
Debriefing with management or other staff after handling a customer complaint
situation to get their feedback on how you performed.

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2.6 Use non-discriminatory attitudes and language

when interacting with customers, staff and
management consistently
Introduction
All staff must be aware of the differences that exist between all stakeholders of the
organisation. As mentioned staff, suppliers, customers and owners come from different
backgrounds, beliefs, religions, cultures and countries. Hence there will always be
difficulties when interacting with each other.
It is important that staff appreciate these differences.
Things that one person may regard as „normal‟, „acceptable‟, „likeable‟ or even „preferable‟
can be, and frequently are, very different to what customers from different countries
expect.
It is a basic requirement of all service industries that staff show sensitivity to cultural and
social differences, and demonstrate respect for such differences.

Expectations of overseas visitors

As a result, you will find that guests from other countries and cultures could have differing
views in terms of:
Customer expectations
Many staff would benefit from viewing advertising that promotes their country overseas
because these advertisements often create the expectations that
visitors arrive with.
For many visitors, time is a critical factor.
They expect to have their time in the country fully occupied, and for
their time to conform to the expectations created by a variety of
promotional sources. Your country may be presented as „modern
and attractive‟ with images of high standard accommodation, fine
food and wine and world-class service.
In addition, the venue may have advertised overseas and these advertisements could
have raised expectations about the property, the service, the facilities as well as the local
region (shopping, tourist attractions, natural landmarks, friendliness of the locals) and the
country in general.
Levels of formality and informality
In general terms businesses should adhere to a formal level of operation allowing other
operators to provide the informality.
Where there is doubt, house rules should be followed, with the individual guests being
allowed to set the degree of formality required.
Experience will be a big factor in determining what is appropriate in each instance, but the
style of promotion the establishment engages in is a pretty good guide about the standard
or level of formality that the guest can expect.

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Social and cultural differences in this regard commonly apply to modes of greeting,
farewelling and general conversation.
Appropriate non-verbal behaviour
All staff should realise that there is more to communication than the
spoken word.
When dealing with overseas guests, this realisation is even more
critical as what is deemed acceptable in one country can be
offensive, intimidating or hurtful to those from a different land.
Staff should take the time to determine the major tourist groups
using their venue and seek specific information regarding their
particular non-verbal characteristics.
Communicating sincerity
Sincerity is easy to convey where it genuinely exists. Most guests are prepared to initially
believe that staff are sincere unless it is proven otherwise.
Making a genuine effort, being attentive, showing concern and honestly trying to assist
will shine through even where there may be a language or communication problem, or
even where there is existing hostility or dissatisfaction.
Dress and appearance
Once again, the establishment where you work will demand certain
dress standards and these must be complied with.
The image created by the establishment‟s advertising will dictate the
level required and also serve to create expectations in guests‟ minds.

General strategies
As with many other customer-contact situations sensitivity, patience, sincerity and a
willingness to serve and please are vital ingredients in any difficult or different guest
relation or inter-personal situation.

1) Culturally-based communication differences

When faced with a guest or work colleague where there is a nationality difference,
politeness and respect are the essentials on which to build.
The initial greeting should generally be formal and direct. You should be ready and
prepared to apologise where difficulties surface.
When using the guests‟ names, staff should enquire as to how the guests would prefer to
be addressed, thus taking into account any special overtones the individual may attach to
their name or title.

2) Establishment organisation

The way in which an establishment is organised and the way it functions on a day to day
basis can provide the platform for more effective cross-cultural communication.
The provision of multilingual or bilingual staff is obviously an advantage, especially in key
guest-contact areas such as reception, and food and beverage areas.

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For some guests, the language difficulties encountered when travelling overseas can add
an interesting dimension to a holiday. However, communicating basic needs and wants
are not a part of this language play.
Providing documents in different languages including registration cards, menus,
directions, instructions and maps. The use of multi-language establishment signage will
also encourage overseas guests.
It will also increase their feeling of being made welcome.
Other considerations are:
Supplying food and beverages readily found in their
home countries
Providing news, newspapers and magazines from these
places
Having homeland music available
Employing a selection of staff from different cultural
backgrounds.
Where an establishment does not have any staff proficient in the languages spoken by
the establishment‟s guests, a reliable interpreter should always be able to be contacted.

3) Language difficulties

Many visitors will have some knowledge of the local language, and the problem in
communicating can often be traced to difficulties with accents, local dialects and the use
of idioms or slang.
Resorting to written language may sometimes resolve the communication dilemma.
In addition, when speaking with overseas visitors, staff will
find it helpful to:
Speak clearly – but do so without inferring that the person
is stupid
Remember to speak at normal volume – people won‟t
understand better if you shout
Avoid idiomatic language as this is frequently extremely
confusing for the foreigner and may be misinterpreted as
an attempt to belittle them
Give the guest your full attention when communicating with them, and show that you
are trying to be of assistance.
Be alert for signs that there has been no real understanding of what you have said. Be
prepared to repeat yourself, restate what you have already said in different terms, or
expand on what you have said.
It is common for some staff to categorise anyone who cannot speak the local language as
„being stupid‟. Consider how well they would cope in a strange land, speaking a foreign
language and trying to cope with different habits.

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4) Non-verbal communication and messages

Most people gain a lot of information about communication from the non-verbal
component.
They look to body language to help them infer meaning and to help make sense of the
spoken word.
Various non-verbal communications (gestures and eye contact) mean different things to
different peoples.
You should be aware of problems that misinterpretation can
cause.
In some countries it is commonplace for people to look each
other in the eye when talking. It is even seen as an
expression of the individual‟s honesty. By contrast, other
cultures regard that same direct eye contact as offensive,
insolent and even to convey sexual overtones. In some
cultures, avoiding eye contact is a mark of respect, rather
than an indicator of dishonesty or guilt.
Smiling is another non-verbal expression that, especially in
the hospitality, tourism and events industries where staff are
encouraged to be friendly, we need to be careful about. We
may find smiling to be representative of happiness,
friendliness and a warm and welcoming approach, but some
cultures interpret it as a means of covering up
embarrassment, displeasure or dissatisfaction.
Always try to find out more about the customs and
behaviours of people from countries who stay with you. Talk to friends; visit the countries,
read some books.
Another way is to keenly observe individuals from that country and make notes, mental or
even written, about what you see. Check what you have found with other staff members.
Critically analyse your guest‟s reactions to what you do.
Do your observation with sensitivity to the fact that you cannot afford to make any
assumptions about what you are likely to find.
Remember that our culture does not apply to others.

5) Stress

Stress occurs in both customers and in staff who are serving them.
Visitors are often under a great deal of stress. They are in a foreign land, confronted with
an alien language and not having even the basic day to day working knowledge that
everyone simply takes for granted.
And the staff who deal with them are also usually a bit stressed by the normal work
routine, plus the challenge of having to cope with a difficult situation.
This situation obviously produces anxiety which can impede effective communications.
To combat stress interfering with cross-cultural communication, the first step is to accept
that feeling a raised level of stress in these situations is normal. It is not an indicator that
you are hopeless or cannot handle the situation.

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The next step is to identify, in advance, the possible cross-cultural situations that may
arise and do some preparation that will enable you to cope with them when they do arrive.
Finally, when the situation arises, take steps to create a quiet and calm environment in
which to conduct the communication.

To conclude
The following will help when attempting to use non-discriminatory attitudes and
languages:
Be aware of the potential problems and difficulties. This is the first step in effectively
dealing with cross-cultural communications
Accept that people from different parts of the world will interpret their world, the people
in it, establishments, and actions using a different frame of reference from us
Realise that differences between people are not indicative of superior or inferior status
Endeavour to find out about the culture and communications of the countries of your
guests
Be alert to the need for you to clarify what has been said. Speak clearly, rephrase and
do not be afraid to use written communication
Do not approach dealings with people from overseas with an attitude that it is up to
them to learn your language
Make sure you do not allow preconceptions or national
stereotypes to influence your attitude to guests. Guests
are individuals and must be treated as such
Do not assume that overseas guests will like or dislike the
same things that you or your friends do. Your values and
your way of seeing the world is not the only acceptable
and proper way of seeing it.

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2.1 To fulfil the requirements of this Work Project you are asked to submit a video of you
communicating effectively that provides evidence you can:

Identify and meet internal and external customer needs

Assist in resolving workplace conflict and difficulties
Identify and use formal and informal feedback to improve products and services
offered to customers
Handle complaints in a positive manner
Maintain a positive and co-operative manner
Use non-discriminatory attitudes and languages.

2.2. To fulfil the requirements of this Work Project you are asked to submit evidence of
three complaints you have handled in a successful manner including:

A description of the complaints

Possible solutions
Involvement of others including customers, staff or management
Solution reached.

2.3. To fulfil the requirements of this Work Project you are asked to submit a written
report indentifying how feedback from customers and colleagues can result in
improvements in products and services provided to customers. Please explain:

Five types of feedback, either formal or informal, that you would you in the
workplace to gather information from colleagues or customers
Five specific examples of feedback and how you would use.

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Summary
Establish and maintain effective relationships with colleagues and
customers
Meet both internal customers’ and external customers’ needs and expectations in
accordance with organisation standards, policies and procedures and within
acceptable time frames
Understand how to service customer needs
Identify internal customer needs
Identify external customer needs
Identify special needs customers
Access other sources to identify customer needs
Convey a willingness to assist
Appreciate needs of overseas visitors.
Assist to resolve workplace conflict and manage difficulties to achieve positive
outcomes
Identify types of conflicts
Explain how you can assist.
Use formal feedback and informal feedback to identify and implement
improvements to products, services, processes or outcomes for both internal
customers and external customers
Understand importance of feedback
Identify types of feedback
Collect feedback.
Handle complaints positively, sensitively and politely in consultation with the
person/s making the complaint
Identify dissatisfaction of customers
Take action to resolve the situation
Understand scope of authority
Identify ways to handle complaints
Take appropriate action
Explain how to refer complaints
Maintain a positive and co-operative manner
Understand why it is importance
Practice.
Use non-discriminatory attitudes and language when interacting with customers,
staff and management consistently
Identify expectations of overseas visitors
Develop general strategies.

Element 3:
Work in a team
3.1 Request or provide assistance so that work
activities can be completed
Introduction
Teamwork is classified as the collective actions towards a
number of people towards a collective goal. Whilst each
business will have a range of goals, in essence the primary
goal is to provide an enjoyable experience for customers
for a reasonable return on investment for owners, in a safe
and lawful manner.
In a hospitality or tourism organisation, no one person can
meet the needs of all customers. It requires the collective
efforts of many people to achieve success.
Each team member brings with them their own unique characteristics, experiences,
knowledge and skills which, when used correctly, can have a positive impact on
customers. Everyone has different strengths and these should be celebrated and used for
the benefit of the customer.
It should be the goal of any business to use its staff to the best of their abilities, to create
an offering that meets the needs of its customers.
Synergy is a phrase that represents the concept of
effective and successful teams. Synergy is the concept
where the accumulated actions of a group are more
powerful than the sum of individual efforts.
A challenge for managers of a group, is to get everyone
thinking in the same direction, even though they may all
individually have different opinions. One way to improve
teamwork is to get individual staff members involved in
activities that require them to work together.
A team is often characterised through:
Having a common goal. It is important all staff not only identify the goal, but why it is
important
Work interdependently with each other. The actions of one person impacts on other
staff
Independent job functions. Whilst staff are working together, they perform different
roles and have different activities. Staff must understand how their actions contribute
to the greater good of the team
Enjoy working together. This may be hard with different personalities, however in most
cases people enjoy working together. Get staff involved in activities where they can
find out more about each other

Accountability. Staff will not only have their own responsibilities, but will also have
collective responsibilities
Empowerment. Staff have their own power to act and make decisions
Understand the importance of teams.

Requesting assistance from other team members, supervisors

and managers
Not everyone can do everything! This may seem simple but many staff feel they can do
everything and solve every problem. This is just not realistic. On many occasions we need
the assistance of others because:
We don‟t know how to do it
We don‟t have the time
Others are better equipped to do it
We need more than one person to do it.
It is a fact that many of us are afraid to ask for help. It is
also a fact that many of us actually like being asked for
help. In many ways being asked for help is a
compliment!
Within a work context it is rarely acceptable for anyone to simply continue to work when
they know they are falling behind or are failing to achieve the work set for them.
One way to address this situation is to seek assistance from others before the situation
becomes critical.
Time orientation
Our industry is one that is very much time oriented.
Customers and other staff will rely on you to get nominated
work finished by a set time.
Customers expect service, food, drinks or rooms cleaned by
a set time and when this doesn‟t happens their satisfaction
levels drop.
Other staff may depend on you dong a certain task so that
they can then do their work. They may have factored this into
their planning and prioritising of their workload.
In brief, you rarely have the luxury of doing things when you want to do them. They
usually have to be done by a set time.
However, there are often situations where you can‟t possibly accomplish something on
your own so you must:
Be able to identify situations where you are not going to be able to finish an allocated
task on time. Do this well enough in advance to allow you to obtain help that will
enable timelines to be met
Be prepared to actually ask others for help as soon as you identify a need to do so.

Often there are service peaks that require some help for 5 – 10 minutes and then it‟s over.
Examples include:
The arrival of a coach of tourists who all require a quick check-in and their luggage
portered to rooms
A group arrival in the restaurant with all needing to
be seated, supplied with their first drink, and have
their order taken
A sudden rush in the retail shop
The first half hour of trade when the nightclub opens
That one day when every room service tray has
been requested at 8.30am.
Who can you ask for assistance?
The people you may ask to assist can vary, but will commonly include:
Others from your team
People from other, but related, departments
Managers and supervisors.
Reflect on the times when you could not meet your goals
It is always worthwhile taking time to think about situations where you had to ask for
assistance.
This process is designed to identify what caused you to ask for help.
Sometimes the cause will be an unexpected interruption to your work such as the need to
do extra duties that were not initially allocated or identified.
Perhaps a team member was absent and you had to take over their duties as well as your
own, perhaps there was some sort of unforeseeable emergency that you had to respond
to or perhaps there was an equipment malfunction.
These issues cannot really be planned for. They just occur and you have to do your best.
However, where these types of issues did not cause you to ask for help, reflecting on the
situation may identify that you need to:
Obtain more training to become more proficient in your work
Do more practice to fine tune the skills you already have
Speak to your supervisor to ask for a reduction in, or alteration to, the duties you are
being given. This is especially significant where you are being allocated tasks that are
new to you or where you are being asked to do work that others normally do in
addition to your usual tasks
Spend more time planning your duties with a view to making better use of your time,
or making sure your output integrates properly with others who rely on you.

Providing assistance to other team members, supervisors and

managers
In the same way that you may need help from others, you must be similarly prepared to
render assistance to others when it is called for.
Our industry has little room for prima donnas.
Those who don‟t pitch in and help, for whatever reason, will soon find themselves
excluded and shunned by the other staff. You may have a very good reason for not
helping when asked to do so but this is usually not good enough!
Co-workers will judge you by how much they can rely on you in a pinch, and you have to
make the effort to be there when needed.
Your other work has to be reprioritised, and done later.
Offering assistance before it is asked for
Certainly you must be prepared to assist your team mates when asked, but it is always
better to offer help before it is asked for.
This shows your concern for team members and lets them know you are aware of what‟s
going on. In addition, when you provide assistance, you need to do it:
Without complaint
Without making a big deal of it
Without constant reference to the fact that you did help - just do it!
Give your assistance freely and fully and then get back to your own tasks.
The intent of helping team members is:
To ensure that team goals are achieved
To deliver excellent service to customers
To prove your commitment to the team
To encourage team members to help you when you need assistance.

3.2 Provide support to colleagues to ensure

achievement of team goals
Introduction
If you want staff to trust, support and respect you, then first you have to trust, support and
respect them.
You have to walk your talk. You can‟t just say you trust, support and respect. You have to
do it!
Support and assistance is quite similar and often the two are interlinked. Simply, where
assistance may require you to undertake some activities on their behalf, support may
involve:
Providing guidance
Offering encouragement
Making recommendations or suggestions for improvement.

What’s involved in demonstrating trust, support and respect?

In practical workplace terms demonstrating trust, support and respect for others in your
team means:
Never participating in gossip or talking negatively about any staff member
Not spending time with customers who want to criticise work mates
Not blaming any work mates for anything even though you may suspect or even know
it was their fault
Not taking the credit for what another staff member has
done no matter how small the job
Supporting decisions that colleagues have made, for
instance, in refusing to serve a person with alcohol
Treating co-workers in keeping with any cultural
individualities that apply to them.
Teamwork works
A team must work together and it is frightening to see how quickly a team, department or
business can be torn apart by just one person with either an axe to grind because of a
real or imagined act, or a prejudice to air.
The truly sad thing about a lack of trust, support or respect is that no one wins. Someone
can be „on the winning side‟ of a lack of trust, but they still lose.
The keys are to remain detached, stay professional and let your actions speak for
themselves:
Trust the people that merit your trust. These are the ones that prove by their actions
that they are genuinely trustworthy themselves
Support those who warrant your support. They are the ones whose actions have
shown that they deserve your support

Respect those who deserve your respect. They are those who have earned it through
their words and their actions.
There may well be times when the customer must truly come first in these situations, too.
On other occasions, you might have to support a colleague even when you don‟t want to.
What do you do in these cases?
You give them the support their position demands. Like it or not, these situations simply
„come with the territory‟. It is, after all, very much a people business.

Importance of support
You must make sure you demonstrate trust, support and respect for
other staff because:
You need them to do the same for you in your current operational
workplace role
Management and supervisors will always be looking to see if you
are genuinely a team player.
When you achieve promotion within the establishment, you need to
have a team that already has respect for you, who already trust you
and who will support your decisions

3.3 Discuss and resolve problems through agreed

and/or accepted processes
Introduction
It doesn‟t matter how well thought out and prepared you are, at times problems will arise
in a hospitality and tourism business which require your team to work together to find a
suitable solution.
Many of the problems that occur are out of your control and may result from:
Weather – due to bad weather, more people are staying
in the hotel and eating room service
Flight delays – a cancelled flight has resulted in an extra
200 requiring rooms and will check in at the same time
Lack of supplies – a supplier has failed to deliver a vital
menu item
Electricity problems – the power has gone out, resulting
in no lighting or electrical items working
Emergency – heart attack, allergies or fire.
These are just a few examples; however every property will have a list of regular or
unexpected scenarios leading to serious problems in the workplace.
Regardless of the problem, a solution must be found. As a member of a team, you must
be flexible and inclusive in your approach to solving any problems that may arise.
Every organisation will have policies and procedures for handling unexpected problems,
however for instances where none exist, as a staff member you should:
Use common sense
Don‟t panic
If a solution is clear, put this into place
If no solution is clear, seek the assistance from the necessary colleagues
Notify management and other staff members where required.
The priority when any problems arise, is to find a solution that has the least impact on the
customer and operations of the business.

3.4 Recognise and accommodate cultural

differences within the team
Introduction
The hospitality and tourism industries boast staff from a variety of
backgrounds.
Many of these staff are employed specifically on the basis of their
language skills, their awareness of different customs and their
knowledge of foreign lands and features.
This often means you will be working with people from different
cultures so it is necessary, to enhance service delivery and foster
a genuine team environment. This means to recognise and
accommodate relevant cultural differences.

The role of planning

Planning and simple awareness can reduce the incidence and severity of cross-cultural
misunderstandings.
Prior thought can produce strategies to address misunderstandings and issues and thus
prevent major confrontations, difficulties or upsets.
The following instances have traditionally provided a fertile ground for cross-cultural
misunderstandings:
Promotions and authority issues
Rostering
Interrelations between staff and sections
Interpersonal relations
Traditional nationality-based hostilities.
A large amount of prior consideration, direct communication with those involved,
explanation of the decisions taken and an open and sensitive approach will assist in these
situations.

Addressing cross-cultural misunderstandings between staff

Where cross-cultural misunderstandings between staff arise, certain strategies can be
applied to help resolve the problems.
Action should focus on:
Providing additional information to clarify the situation
and explain decisions taken
Active listening to show genuine concern regarding the
issue and a desire to resolve the situation
Acting as a mediator to help reconcile parties

Team building to foster a co-operative group working effort rather than a splintered
approach to work
Questioning in order to accurately determine the root causes for the dissatisfaction
rather than assuming you know the reasons
Observing body language to gauge how proceedings are going and whether or not
there is still underlying and unresolved tension
Seeking advice or assistance from others within the workplace or professionals from
outside the establishment.

Other action you can take to accommodate cultural differences

In addition, positive action can be taken by management
and supervisors in advance of actual problems arising by:
Creating a climate of tolerance within the department
that will help cushion any misunderstandings that may
actually occur
Implementing team building exercises to foster and
extend trust and understanding
Providing training and education to help make all staff more culturally aware. Cultural
awareness training is a common topic in many businesses that employ people from a
diversity of cultures, or where the enterprise deals with customers from a variety of
cultures
Providing mediation and counselling to assist in retrieving situations where
misunderstanding occurs or conflict already exists.

Why do businesses concern themselves with cultural awareness

and tolerance?
There are several benefits that flow from creating and maintaining a harmonious
multicultural working environment. These include:
Compliance with Equal Opportunity requirements. Employers are obliged to facilitate
integration of workers from different cultures and to be responsible for ensuring there
are no instances of discrimination (racial or otherwise)
Improved levels of goodwill and tolerance which will lead to
greater productivity, reduced staff turnover rates, and enhanced
standards of service delivery
A happier workplace culture where staff are more likely to help
each other, co-operate with each other, share information, and be
flexible in terms of responding to workplace needs
Continuing jobs, profit and growth for all which may mean extra
hours of paid work, higher levels of pay, promotion, additional
responsibility, and multi-skilling
Increased return rate of customers because they have received
better quality service, standards etc.
Reduced likelihood of industrial disputes such as strikes, work to rule and other forms
of industrial sabotage.

3.5 Identify, prioritise and complete individual

tasks within designated time lines
Introduction
Within the overall context of team goals, you will have individual tasks that you will be
required to complete.
These tasks are like the links that make up the chain that comprises your department and
the service it provides.
If you fail to complete your individual tasks then the possibility is that the team will fail to
achieve its overall objectives.
Implicit in completing your tasks is an ability to prioritise them.

What is prioritisation?
Prioritising your tasks means that you will have to determine which tasks are the most
important and should be done first, and which ones can be left until later.
It is the nature of our industry that many tasks are fluid in nature. A task that may not be
important at 5.15pm can become critical at 5.16pm. This means that you have to be
flexible in your approach, realise that such changes are commonplace and strive to
respond accordingly.
Given the „service oriented‟ nature of our industry, which essentially means a person-
focussed approach, this should come as no surprise. We can‟t possibly know what
customers or guests will want, but we must nonetheless make every effort to satisfy what
they want.

Ways to ensure you complete your allocated tasks

Tips to make this happen are:
Work quickly. Get as much done as fast as possible in keeping with quality, safety,
house standards or noise. The point being that you can‟t afford to dawdle or waste
time
Practice being interrupted. Accept that many of the things you start will not be able to
be completed without interruption, so work with that understanding. The fact that you
get interrupted demonstrates that there are people there for you to serve. The real
worry would be if you had no one to interrupt you!
Practice tact and diplomacy. There will be instances where you simply can‟t stop what
you are doing to do something else, so you must develop a set of responses that lets
the customer know you are busy but you will be with them very shortly
Take a minute to plan and prioritise. Too many people just jump in and start their work
without planning and without giving their tasks a priority order. A minute spent working
out what to do first, second or third, is time well spent as it forces you to identify why
tasks have the urgency you allocate to them. It makes you justify to yourself why
things should be done in a certain order
Ask for help where required.

3.6 Acknowledge and respond to feedback and

information from other team members
Introduction
From time to time your colleagues will provide you with feedback and information. For
them not to do this would mean they are not doing their job.
This feedback and information can be positive or negative, or neutral in nature.
Whilst we have explored the concept of positive and negative feedback in Section 2.3, the
focus of that section explored feedback given by customers. In this Section, the focus will
be feedback given by fellow team members.

Positive feedback
Positive feedback can involve team members passing on a
comment they have heard about your excellent service.
You should take a second or so to rejoice in such feedback.
Accept it and enjoy it because you‟ve earned it.
Never simply dismiss it or brush it off. Make the most of it!
Never say something like “Oh, it was nothing”, or „Just doing
my job‟.
You should thank the person who gave you the compliment or
positive feedback and take a moment to enjoy it. If you let
people know you appreciated their positive comment, it will
encourage them to do more of the same.
If you simply dismiss it, then they will tend not to bother about
giving you any more, even though you may well deserve it.

Negative feedback
Negative feedback is not so much fun but will at least provide you with advice as to how
you might modify your approach in order to provide even better levels of service or
cooperation.
Take the negative feedback in the right way. See it as an opportunity to improve and as a
challenge.
Make sure you don‟t dwell on the negative message and start getting
everything out of perspective. This is a common and very damaging
response that causes much tension, anxiety and workplace conflict.
Above all, don‟t shoot the messenger!
If a staff member delivers this negative message, realise that they
are not making the criticism. They are just doing their job by letting
you know, and, if you think about it, would not be doing their duty if
they didn‟t bring the negative matter to your attention.

The keys are to listen to the criticism, determine objectively if there is truth in it and then
work out how to rectify things so that it doesn‟t happen again. We are all human after all,
so mistakes will happen. Like the old saying goes “there hasn‟t been a world champion
who hasn‟t had a glove laid on them”.

Neutral information
Neutral information can occur when staff members deliver updates or new information
about what‟s happening. The result of this information is usually that you will need to
factor it into your work and the priorities you have already set.
For example, you may be told that the group due in at 7pm have cancelled, that the
Chandelier Room will stay open for today‟s function until midnight instead of the
previously arranged 10pm, or that due to a problem in the cellar there will be no draught
beer for the next 5 – 6 hours!
This information may be presented at a daily staff briefing before work starts for the day,
or during the working day as you are going about your normal duties.
Again, when it happens, don‟t shoot the messenger.
Listen to the information, making sure you fully understand all aspects of it, and then
determine how this updated information affects your work plan:
Are there things now that don‟t need to be done?
Do things need to be reorganised, priorities changed?
Are there now things to be done that didn‟t need to be
done five minutes ago?
Do you now need help?
Are there others who now need your help?
Where you have spare time or capacity, and the situation merits it, be proactive and offer
assistance without waiting to be asked.

3.1 To fulfil the requirements of this Work Project you are asked to submit a video of you
communicating effectively that provides evidence you can:

Request assistance to ensure work activities can be completed

Provide support to colleagues
Discuss and resolve problems that have occurred in the workplace
Recognise and accommodate cultural differences within a team
Identify, prioritise and complete individual tasks
Acknowledge and respond to colleague‟s feedback.

3.2. To fulfil the requirements of this Work Project you are asked to write a report
explaining three examples of assistance you have given a colleague:

The assistance you provided

How it was helpful to the achievement of tasks.

3.3. To fulfil the requirements of this Work Project you are asked to submit a written
report indentifying how you effectively undertake your daily activities. Please identify:

Ten tasks that you are required to undertake on a daily basis

Identify the order in which they would be completed, explaining why they have
been prioritised in this order.

Summary
Work in a team

Request or provide assistance so that work activities can be completed

Understand what is a team
Appreciate why teams are important in the workplace
Requesting assistance from other team members, supervisors and managers
Provide assistance to other team members, supervisors and managers.
Provide support to colleagues to ensure achievement of team goals
Understand what is involved in demonstrating trust, support and respect
Highlight the importance of support.
Discuss and resolve problems through agreed and/or accepted processes
Identify types of problems that occur that are out of your control
Describe the approach you would use to handle these problems.
Recognise and accommodate cultural differences within the team
Appreciate the role of planning
Address cross-cultural misunderstandings between staff
Realise businesses concern themselves with cultural awareness and tolerance.
Identify, prioritise and complete individual tasks within designated time lines
Understand what is prioritisation
Identify ways to ensure you complete your allocated tasks.
Acknowledge and respond to feedback and information from other team members
Understand the types and importance of positive feedback
Understand the types and importance of negative feedback
Understand the types and importance of neutral information.

Presentation of written work

1. Introduction
It is important for students to present carefully prepared written work. Written presentation
in industry must be professional in appearance and accurate in content. If students
develop good writing skills whilst studying, they are able to easily transfer those skills to
the workplace.

2. Style
Students should write in a style that is simple and concise. Short sentences
and paragraphs are easier to read and understand. It helps to write a plan
and at least one draft of the written work so that the final product will be
well organised. The points presented will then follow a logical sequence
and be relevant. Students should frequently refer to the question asked, to
keep „on track‟. Teachers recognise and are critical of work that does not
answer the question, or is „padded‟ with irrelevant material. In summary,
remember to:
Plan ahead
Be clear and concise
Answer the question
Proofread the final draft.

3. Presenting Written Work

Types of written work
Students may be asked to write:
Short and long reports
Essays
Records of interviews
Questionnaires
Business letters
Resumes.

Format
All written work should be presented on A4 paper, single-sided with a left-hand margin. If
work is word-processed, one-and-a-half or double spacing should be used. Handwritten
work must be legible and should also be well spaced to allow for ease of reading. New
paragraphs should not be indented but should be separated by a space. Pages must be
numbered. If headings are also to be numbered, students should use a logical and
sequential system of numbering.

Cover Sheet
All written work should be submitted with a cover sheet stapled to the front that contains:
The student‟s name and student number
The name of the class/unit
The due date of the work
The title of the work
The teacher‟s name
A signed declaration that the work does not involve plagiarism.

Keeping a Copy
Students must keep a copy of the written work in case it is lost. This rarely happens but it
can be disastrous if a copy has not been kept.

Inclusive language
This means language that includes every section of the population. For instance, if a
student were to write „A nurse is responsible for the patients in her care at all times‟ it
would be implying that all nurses are female and would be excluding male nurses.
Examples of appropriate language are shown on the right:

Mankind Humankind

Barman/maid Bar attendant

Host/hostess Host

Waiter/waitress Waiter or waiting staff

Recommended reading
Bhagat, M., 2002, Maintain personal presentation in the workplace, Software Educational
Resources, Auckland
Cyster, E. & Young, F., 2008, Etiquette and Modern Manners, Teach Yourself, London
Dunn, D. M. & Goodnight, L.J., 2011(3rd edition), Communication: embracing difference,
Allyn & Bacon, Boston
Fitzgerald, Helen, 2002 (31st edition), Cross-cultural Communication: For the Tourism and
Hospitality Industry, Pearson Education Australia
Holloway C, Davidson R, Humphreys C, 2009(8th Edition), The Business of Tourism,
Pearson Education
Johnston, R & Clark G, 2008 (3rd Edition), Service Operations Management. Pearson
Education
Maxwell J, 2001, The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork: Embrace Them and Empower
Your Team, Maxwell Motivation, USA
Kudrle, Albert.1995, Public Relations for Hospitality Managers: Communicating for
Greater Profits Publisher, Wiley, USA
Kusluvan Salih 2003 Managing employee attitudes and behaviours in the tourism and
hospitality, Nove Science Publishers, New York
Walker, J, 2009, (36th edition),Supervision in the Hospitality Industry: Leading Human
Resources, University of South Florida

Trainee evaluation sheet

Work effectively with customers and colleagues
The following statements are about the competency you have just completed.

Don’t Do Not Does Not

Please tick the appropriate box Agree
Know Agree Apply

There was too much in this competency to

cover without rushing

Most of the competency seemed relevant

to me

The competency was at the right level for

I got enough help from my trainer

The amount of activities was sufficient

The competency allowed me to use my

own initiative

My training was well-organised

My trainer had time to answer my

questions

I understood how I was going to be

assessed

I was given enough time to practice

My trainer feedback was useful

Enough equipment was available and it

worked well

The activities were too hard for me

The best things about this unit were:

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