Like many other industries, the every day environment of hospitality includes some very useful high tech tools that help project revenues, identify the level of sales booking pace, manage inventory, monitor payroll and more.
It remains essential though in our world of welcoming people to our establishments that we retain a solid focus on the 'high touch' side of the every-day interactions with people.
Understanding body language is a talent that can increase your successes in life. You can recognize what a person feels and likely thinks by examining their subliminal body language. This can be both a business and social skill that allows you to better communicate and interact with the people in your life over the long haul.
'The problem with communication ... is the illusion that it has been accomplished.'
George Bernard Shaw
A person's words may be hinting one message to you, but her/his body language could be sending a conflicting signal. Through body movements, lack of or full eye contact, facial expressions and gestures, you can often read into a person's genuine intentions. As a rule, body language communicates more about what someone says than what her/his own words do.
People in the business community use body language interpretation everyday when they interview potential employees. When they interpret body language, they are looking for a variety of movements that indicate if the person is uncomfortable answering certain questions or talking about particular subjects. If you observe that s/he is uncomfortable about certain points on their resume, their body language may provide you a better analysis of past employment experience than the words and resume combined. Body language is often used in the legal system as well, as noted that when a witness is testifying, their attorney will frequently advise them to make proper eye contact with certain other parties (such as the jury) in the courtroom in an effort to build credibility.
Lessons for Hospitality Managers
The certification reviews for most of the programs offered by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association include a section on communication. This section includes the facts on how written communication is best suited for technical, factual or legal effectiveness, while vocal communication is best for sales and personal interactions.
The reason is not hard to grasp - we hear the spoken word, but it is our body language or verbal communication that tell us almost instantly if we have made a connection.
For example, if we send a direct mail piece about our hotel in Kentucky to a reader that has never been to the Blue Grass state, they will likely pitch the flyer, as they have no connection. If they take a phone call from someone they know slightly about the Lexington area, they might have a possible interest in the University, but they may not like doing business by phone. On the other hand, if we get a face-to-face meeting and 'see' by the person's responses what motivates the person about the city - the ball team, the library, the gardens, architecture, the business department, the caliber of graduates from a certain program or whatever, then the connection is made.
There are entire books written about body language, and the internet has thousands of articles, advertisements and ideas. I ask readers to consider the following as starting points:
1. Avoid putting obstructions between you and the other person, such as a briefcase, a package or presentation piece. This is applicable when speaking with staff or potential clients.
2. Do not sit behind a desk, but keep the communication flow smooth.
3. Learn about people's private space, which varies by gender, age and race. The closer they are, generally the warmer their opinions are of you. The farther away that someone is, the less they care. It is worth noting that personal space is culturally sensitive; what is considered close in one country is far away in another.
4. Do not make others feel uncomfortable. This can be handled by ensuring the words spoken are comprehended by the other party - their body language will tell you if they understand.
5. The eyes are a primary key to understanding. People who look away while supposedly listening to you are often thinking about something else. This is why when you are talking to a group of people, if an item in conversation interests someone who may be looking away, they will ask for you to repeat the story. Some cultures believe that looking at someone in the eyes is a sign of disrespect, so we must be sensitive to the cultural diversity in our hospitality businesses.
6. Use your hands to demonstrate your point if that is your style, but do not point AT the other person.
7. Watch for people's habits, as some may be nervous, but others can be using negotiating and stall tactics.
8. Recognize what agreement signs are, such as subtle nodding, slight smiles and the inclination to complete the business being discussed.
9. Recognize what disagreement signs are such as wandering eyes, frowns or folded arms.
10. Learn to read signs of closure or acceptance, such as crossed legs or leaning inwards.
There is an interesting overview of the topic in
http://www.wikihow.com/Read-Body-Language
It is important to observe as many body language signs as quickly as possible to determine the best course of action with each person.
What are you doing at your hotel today
Feel free to share an idea at johnjhogan@yahoo.com anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops or speaking engagements. Autographed copies of LESSONS FROM THE FIELD - a COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO EFFECTIVE HOTEL SALES can be obtained from THE ROOMS CHRONICLE www.roomschronicle.com and other industry sources.
All rights reserved by John Hogan and this column may be included in an upcoming book on hotel management. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication
John Hogan's professional experience includes over 35 years in hotel operations, food & beverage, sales & marketing, training, management development and asset management on both a single and multi-property basis. He holds a number of industry certifications and is a past recipient of the American Hotel & Lodging Association's Pearson Award for Excellence in Lodging Journalism, as well as operational and marketing awards from international brands. He has served as President of both city and state hotel associations.
John's background includes teaching college level courses as an adjunct professor at three different colleges and universities over a 20 year period, while managing with Sheraton, Hilton, Omni and independent hotels. He was the principal in an independent training & consulting group for more than 12 years serving associations, management groups, convention & visitors' bureaus, academic institutions and as an expert witness. He joined Best Western International in spring of 2000, where over the next 8 years he created and developed a blended learning system as the Director of Education & Cultural Diversity for the world's largest hotel chain.
He has served on several industry boards that deal with education and/or cultural diversity and as brand liaison to the NAACP and the Asian American Hotel Owners' Association with his ongoing involvement in the Certified Hotel Owner program. He has conducted an estimated 3,100 workshops and seminars in his career. He served as senior vice president for a client in a specialty hotel brand for six years.
He has published more than 350 articles & columns on the hotel industry and is co-author (with Howard Feiertag, CHA CMP) of LESSONS FROM THE FIELD - a COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO EFFECTIVE HOTEL SALES, which is available from a range of industry sources and AMAZON.com. He resides in Phoenix, Arizona and is finalizing his 2nd book based on his dissertation - The Top 100 People of All Time Who Most Dramatically Affected the Hotel Industry.
Expertise and Research Interest
• Leadership and Executive Education
• Cultural Diversity
• Operational Management
• Developing Academic Hospitality programs
• Professional Development & Accreditation
• Customer Service
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