five rules of effective communication:

 

                                     Communication

Communication is the exchange of thoughts, messages or information. It is vital to the

successes of the restaurant or hotel business since it is only through the effective use of

communication that we can offer guests the services. Communicating way is as:

1. Facial expressions - a smile, a frown.

2. Gestures - movements of hands and body to help explain or emphasise the

     verbal message.

3. Body posture - how we stand or sit.

4. Orientation - whether we face the other person or turn away.

5. Eye contact - whether we look at the other person and for how long.

6. Body contact - arm around the shoulder, a handshake.

7. Proximity - the distance we stand or sit from a person.

8. Non-verbal aspects of speech - tone and pitch of voice.

9. Head nods - for encouragement, indication of agreement or disagreement.

10. Appearance - dress and grooming

      Your expressions, posture and appearance must be appropriate and should tell the

guest that you are professional, competent and willing to help.

It is also important to watch out for signals from guests, for example, a guest glancing at

his watch often may be demonstrating impatience or a sense of urgency. Letting him

know how soon you will attend to him is one way of handling this situation.

It is important to be aware of body language when dealing with visitors from different

cultures. Gestures and expressions acceptable to us may be offensive or misleading to

overseas visitors.

From a guest's point of view, visual communication starts working even before they enter

the restaurant. The appearance of the outside of the restaurant, a warm welcome at the

front door will all give a very positive impression of the restaurant.

First impressions are the most lasting! You only have one chance to make a first impression,

so make it a good one.

Rules of Effective Communication

There are five rules of effective communication:

1 What? - What do you really wish to communicate? Make sure that you are very

clear about the message that you wish to convey and try to keep it simple.

2 Whom? - With whom do you wish to communicate? Identify the appropriate

recipient for your message. If it is an important message, do not trust to a verbal

communication to a three-year-old child.

3 Why? - Why do you need to communicate? What is the purpose of the

communication? What are the consequences of not communicating?

4 How? - How can you best communicate? In many cases, there are choices with

respect to communication - you may be able to choose between verbal or written

forms or indeed, non-verbal messages (a raised eyebrow, for example). Choice will

depend on with whom you are communicating and the actual situation.

5 When? - When is the best time to communicate? We have noted the need to

respond promptly but beyond that the timing of communication can be very

important - choose the time to raise a question or to pass on a message that will

be appreciated by the person with whom you are communicating.