What Is Effective Communication Philosophy Essay

Communication basically affects how you live your life and how are you going to interact with the people around you. With a good communication skill, you will have positive and powerful perspective relationships with people you are working with, with your family and with your friends. At the same time, communication also has the power to destroy or build those relationships. (White, 2010)

According to Robbins, “To effectively communicate, we must appreciate the world around us, and accept that all of us are different and learn how to understand as this is the guide to our communication with others. (Robbins, 2010)

Communication Malfunction

Distraction – this happens when the recipient of the message is not carefully listening to what the sender has been talking to or explaining (Taylor, 2010). It totally concludes that you don’t understand anything about what the conversation is. Losing the concentration of your responsibilities and tasks could lead you to lose your job as well. It implies that you are not that capable or suitable in this job. This usually happens in hotels or restaurants.

In hotel side, for example in Housekeeping, your Executive Housekeeper tells/explains you what your roles and responsibilities are but then, you’re filled with family problems. You don’t carefully listen to what your Executive Housekeeper has been teaching you. This kind of situation may result inaccurate information and the Front Office department will be affected as well.

Misrepresentation – most common this one happens in the Human Resource department. They are the one who is hiring people that they know who can do the job well. But there were times they were mistaken by false information given by the people who applies the job (Taylor, 2010).

For example, in a resume, people give exaggerated information of themselves so they could be hired by the company. But in the end, they will find out that it was just merely puff the things put in the resume.

Emotions – this one also very common in F&B department. To give an example, a guest ate in the restaurant. He is not very satisfies with the food that he has taken. He then calls a staff and scolded him all the way. After the incident, the staff walks over to his manager crying. This explains that no matter what the guest does to us, we are hospitality people. We must know how to handle people around us. And let the emotion affect your job. If you let it affect you, it will not just ruin your day, but of course it will also destroy the whole restaurant operation.

Rumours/grapevine – this one always happen. Everywhere and in every department of a hotel or company. It means employees spreading different kinds of things which are unlikely true. This kind of things happens when a staff doesn’t like his fellow staff, so he will start to say bad things about him. This will affect the relationship of an employee to other employees. This may also result to a job not well-done. Because of the uneasiness to each other. When this happens, things will not able to run smoothly. Data from departments and guests may not be accurate or may have discrepancies.

Solutions to the Communication Malfunctions

Take concentration of what you are doing. Learn how to do effective listening. It means not just only listen, but also try to understand what the sender of the message try to tell you. Don’t assume that you already know everything. If you don’t understand, you can ask questions. So it will be better for you and not have a hard time to figure out what they sender of the message want to tell you. Need to ask for a clarification when needed or if possible.

Try to be truthful or sincere to what you are doing. If you want to apply a job, write on your resume only things you have done, and things you can do and prove to the company. Don’t anyhow put something which is not true and not appropriate. Because putting all things which are very untrue can cause you trouble in the future. Because, what you put on the resume, the Human Resource Manager will trust you. So you must prove it. You will never know it can also be the reason to lose your job. Applicants should inform very directly what they want to achieve in their future job. Be remembered, just try to be short simple and concise of the contents of your resume.

Don’t take it seriously when your manager or a customer has scolded you. It doesn’t mean it will be the end. This only will give you the opportunity to improve yourself. For the manager or leader of the company, try to build up on the employee self confidence. So they will be strong enough to handle different kinds of situation. Have an open communication with them. A manager must always receive guests’ comments or feedbacks wholeheartedly.

Learn how to respect one another. We all know that in a working place, there may be different kinds of staff with different culture or background. Don’t criticize them; instead learn how to understand them, so you will be all comfortable in the working place. Don’t be so judgmental. Just be open-minded and talk about each other’s problem.

Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

Ethnocentrism means having bad or false misunderstandings about other people’s culture. (Culbertson, 2010) These kinds of people often criticizes other people’s belief and norms, and is thinking that their culture is the most superior one. Based on Charon, he defined ethnocentrism as the “perception of others through the lens”. (Charon, 2007) It means, look to the culture of others, and then straightaway judge them, without knowing what their background is. People who have ethnocentric thinking often take one’s culture that is different from them as the lowest. And then have negative perception about them.

Now going to Cultural Relativism, it can be described as the polar opposite of ethnocentrism (Rosado, 1994). It explains that in cultural relativism, one respects each other culture. There is no one that is superior and that all can be an equal individual. These kinds of people believe that there are different types of people who came from different background and that they must try to understand each other’s belief and actions. Why they do these and why they do that.

Difference of staff that is Ethnocentric and has Culture Relativism

ETHNOCENTRISM

CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Thinks that he/she is the superior among the group because of his culture and beliefs

Believes that every person has different kinds of culture but then all should be equal

Has the power to rule or command someone who he thinks is inferior to him/her

Often a submissive type of person, and thus becomes a follower of a ethnocentric person

Often thinks wrong assumptions and perceptions towards his/her fellow staffs

Figures out and tries to make a better relationship with fellow staffs

A person who is very vocal and straightforward. But sometimes too excessive, can cause social problems

Often a shy type of person. A person who does not open frequently, one who keeps the problem to himself and tries to solve it on his own.

As a General Manager of the organization, I would try my very best to team up people who are ethnocentric and people who has cultural relativism. It does get my attention to know that there are different types of people who are having these kinds of beliefs. But for me, no matter who you are, no matter what you are, I will treat everyone equally. I will teach them how to respect one another. I want a working place where everyone will treat each other and work with one another as a family. I know that we can’t prevent some problems to occur. But I will tell them to be open-minded. Give me suggestions and feedback. With this, we can have better communication. I won’t let anyone be the superior and one is the inferior. It may be in the position, but not in the dignity of the person. We are all in one the same country, a multi-racial country, so whether you came from different background or culture, we will all learn how to work individually and in groups. I also expect my staff to be able to have mutual understanding with each other, do the job hand in hand so it will finish faster, and most important thing is don’t do to others, what you don’t want them to do unto you. I, as the General Manager also care for the staff welfare. I want to build with them self-confidence and self-esteem. I want them to be comfortable in their job, and I want them to love their job. I want them to think that every day is a new day to learn and improve. I want to let them know that their beliefs or cultural thinking should not affect each other in a negative way, but in a positive way. I want them to learn from each other. And in the end all will be in a happy working place where everyone treats each other with respect and loves one another as a family.

Geert Hofstede 5 Cultural Dimensions

Power Distance – this one means having a basic problem based on a status of a human being. One may be determine as a superior and one could be an inferior. (Hofstede, 2001) This states that the one being superior has all the power to rule over small groups of people. For example, the General Manger of the Marina Bay Sands, when his staff sees him, all of them will show respect. But if a bell boy or a simple housekeeper, I think there would be a different way of respect that will be shown to her. Now this shows that whatever position you may have in the hotel, may it be a low or high position, we should treat each other equally. We are all human beings and that everybody has the rights to accept proper respect and acknowledgement. One should not feel down even if they are in a low position. As long as they do their jobs properly and with dignity, they should be treated the same way a manager would be treated.

Uncertainty Avoidance Index – this one refers on how we accept things that will or might happen in the near future (Hofstede, 2001). We know that these things may have risks and have levels of stress, but we still try to adopt it in the society. To give an example: terrorism is very well-known to third-world countries or places that are always crowded and is very well-known to tourists. But do hotels close down? No. it is because, no matter what will happen, they will still continue to operate. Because if not, they will not have revenue. The hotels have taken the risk even though they know that there’s a possibility that terrorism attack will be there. Instead of thinking of negative things, these countries tries their very best to promote the place and not looking to the bad part of it, but instead showing the beauty of the place, by its nature and natural resources. Tourists will not care whether terrorism will be there. But they will see it in a positive way and look in a different kind of point of view.

Individualism – this refers how an individual interacts with a group of people (Hofstede, 2001). It is how people will express themselves to other people. They will let the people around them to tell them what are their own rights and beliefs. Individualism shows how to fulfill their own task first before completing a task within a group. A person gives importance to things he can do alone as an individual. For example, F&B Manager asks his staff to give comment cards to guest as group of two per station, but then he ask every staff also to do table touch with the guest which meaning to talk to guest about how they feel about the food or service. In individualism, a person will do the second task first, before doing the first task that was given by their manager. It is because the individual thinks that the second task is more important and is more likely to finish faster rather than giving out comment cards which he can also do for the rest of the day during working hours.

Masculinity – this one refer to the relationship of men among women. Nowadays, men and women are being treated equally. But during those old times, men are being referred to as the one who has the power to dominate people around them especially women who are know to be the compassionate and the follower one. Women may be soft-spoken and soft-hearted. They were easily affected by things happening or related around them. Whereas, men are the ones who stay on top and is always be the leader. Like in big or small companies, owner or CEO’s are usually men, who came from a reputable background. Some also started with nothing but in the end, became successful and became rich. This is because men have a stronger personality to adapt things and to overcome different kinds of stress level.

Long-term Orientation – this one refers to what you will think and decide, is your decision only applies to present or also for the future? Who are the one who is going to have benefit from this goal and how to achieve these goals? Some of the values and norms associated with long-term orientation being thrifty and having perseverance to succeed in this challenge. For example in putting food products in the menu. These food products will have a long term relationship with the customers as they will always see it, and as time passes by they will have their own favorite and unique dish from the menu. A menu is not made for short-term orientation. Once a menu is made, it will always stay the same, just depends on the type of season, there may be times that a menu will change, but normally, it is just an appearance. And inside food items are always same. Sometimes a menu, is also updated if there are current promotions or something has being added to the menu.