How a Hotel Management Course Enhances Team Communication Skills | UEI Global Education

Hotel Management course focuses on teaching and improving various skills in students including communication. In this blog I am going to focus on how hotel management course enhances team communication skills. As a hotel management student, your main aim is to be employed in a reputed hotel before or after you finish the hotel management course.

Now we know that to be employed in any reputable organization, knowledge of English and communication is a must.  Communication needn’t be in English.  It can be in any language, as long as you can convey your message clearly and coherently.  Knowledge of English communication in Hotel industry is an added advantage due to dealing with guest from across the globe. Considering this importance, hotel management course focuses on enhancing students’ communication skills right from first year.

Hotel Management course deals with students from all strata’s of life and from various social background.  It is a challenge that all colleges face. Bearing in mind this fact, hotel management course develops different levels of communication syllabus for each year so that by the end of the course, the students are confident in their communication.

Now that we have established the importance of Communication in hotel industry, let’s discuss how effective communication can help in working as a team.  Team consists of a group of people and the number of people in various teams may vary.  Usually a team will have a leader, an assistant to the leader and rest will be the team members.  For any team to work effectively, there has to be a proper communication from a proper chain of command.  

Let’s go into the details of how a hotel management course enhances team communication. It focuses on these main areas:

1)     Communication Skills – Hotel Management course is designed to enhance students’ communication skills bearing in mind various situations that they might have to face.  This includes both verbal and non-verbal communication.

 

In verbal communication, students are taught oral as well as written communication.  In oral communication, students have to speak on various occasions on various topics, audience being their classmates or the whole college.  This gives them the confidence that is required to work in the hotel industry. It also helps them to communicate effectively with their team.

 

Written communication includes report writing, email writing, sales letters, quotations, etc. which will help them to work in any department and have knowledge of writing professionally.

 

In Non-verbal communication, students are taught to pay attention to body language, empathy, understanding the message that is not spoken so that they are ready to handle any given situation.

 

2)     Active Listening – For any communication to be effective, you have to be an active listener.  In hotel management course, students are taught about active listening.  They are taught to actually listen instead of just hearing what is being said.  They are taught to pay attention to minute details about what is being said as well as the speaker’s body language, tone and pitch of the voice, emotions, etc.

 

3)     Teamwork and collaboration – In any organization, we have to work in and as part of a team.  Nobody can work solo.  Team consists of a group of people that might have different temperaments, different views, and different ways of working.  It is important to learn to share ideas, contribute in discussions and work together for a common goal, no matter whether you get along with the team members or not.

 

Throughout the course, students are given different situations, where they have to work as a team.  This practice helps them to learn team work and by the end of the course they are ready to work with any team and have no difficulty in adjusting to any given situation.

 

4)     Conflict Resolution – Conflict is when two people don’t see eye to eye or they do not agree with each other’s point of view. When working or dealing with different people, chances are there might be a conflict.  It could be a conflict of interest, disagreement with staff of guests or even in everyday operations.

 

Throughout the course, students are given different role plays where they have to identify the conflict between staff or guests.  They then have to find a solution to solve the conflict amicably without any ill feeling or hurting anybody’s sentiments, feelings, etc.  They are taught that at the end of the role play, both parties should be happy and part ways happily.

 

5)     Feedback – Students are taught about feedback, how it is a way to improve the service, facility, dealing with guests, etc.  They are taught to give constructive feedback, prepare questionnaires to receive feedback to improve the service.  They are also taught not to be offended or take any feedback personally. They are taught to be professional while receiving any kind of feedback and thank the person who has given the feedback.

 

6)     Emotional Intelligence – Working in hotel industry, one has to deal with people with different emotions, be it staff or guests.  Students are taught to recognize different kinds of emotions and how to deal with them positively, be it your own, colleagues or guests.  Once you learn to deal with emotions, it will be easy to work in a team and also take care of oneself.

 

7)     Real world scenarios – Students are presented with real life hotel situation where they have to role play.  This can be fun way of learning and also safe because it is done under the supervision of the faculty.  This kind of role play also helps them with their communication skills and confidence building.

 

All the above aspects that are taught in Hotel Management course helps students with their communication skills, being a team member, solving problems, dealing with guests and colleagues, etc., in a professional way.

Written by Christina Mathew Korgaokar - UEI Global Education