Title: Explain the importance of professional communication skills to the hospitality industry.
Course: Introduction to Hospitality, Tourism and Recreation (16001-36) > Section: Exploring Career Skills for the Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation Industries

Explanation should include types of communication (e.g., verbal, nonverbal, written), customer service and coworker expectations, etiquette, and policies and laws applicable to working with the following groups:

- General population
- Special needs populations
- Culturally diverse populations
- Supervisors, managers, and administrative personnel
- Human resources
- Age-specific groups (e.g., student, multi-generational)

Process/Skill Questions:

Thinking

- Why is it important to maintain eye contact when communicating in person?
- Why are both verbal and nonverbal communications skills important?

Communication

- What techniques should be used in handling a customer complaint?
- How can food and beverage workers make customers feel respected?
- How might communication vary among culturally diverse populations?

Leadership

- What negotiation skills might be helpful to use when handling customer complaints?
- How might inconsistent nonverbal communication skills affect a customer?
- What are relaxation techniques, and how can they be helpful when dealing with a difficult situation?
- What is reflective listening, and how can it be used when responding to customer complaints?

Management

- How are a company's customer service expectations communicated, enforced, and monitored?
- When should a customer's complaints escalate to the management level?

Teacher Resources:

Lesson: Researching Excellence in Customer Service

- Lesson Plan
- Handout: Excellence in Customer Service
- Journal Assessment Rubric

Lesson: Turning an Unsatisfied Customer into a Satisfied Customer

- Lesson Plan
- Handout: Turning a Challenge into an Opportunity
- Handout: Turning a Challenge into an Opportunity—Sample Student Responses
- Teacher Resource: Customer Service Scenarios

Lesson: Understanding Internal Customer Service

- Lesson Plan
- Handout: Internal Customer Service Becomes External Customer Service
- Teacher Resource: Peer-to-Peer Feedback Forms