ESL: English politeness training 3 (VESL - vocational ESL)

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POLITENESS TRAINING FOR HOTEL INDUSTRY WORKERS
topic: The right way to talk to guests/clients in English 3

Part of providing good customer service is knowing the right way to communicate. English has its own "accepted" ways of talking to customers/clients/guests. If you don't use these, or if you use them incorrectly, you might come across ( = be seen) as rude or unprofessional. In the exercise below, pretend that someone is asking you the question in italics. Choose the best, most polite response:

1. Can I smoke here?
  No. No smoking, please!
  No, it's not allowed.
  No, it's not possible to smoke here.

2. What did he say?
  It does not concern you.
  It wasn't about you, so you shouldn't care.
  Oh, nothing. He was talking about something else.

3. Why is the sauna closed?
  It'll be open soon, just don't worry.
  Their fixing something. It'll be open soon.
  Don't worry about it so much. It's being fixed.

4. This is the worst hotel I've ever stayed at!
  I'm sorry you feel that way.
  I feel sorry for you.
  If you feel that way, just leave.

5. This is the best hotel I've ever stayed at!
  I'm very glad you feel that way.
  I'm very glad for you.
  If you feel that way, it's OK.

6. I'm not picking up any channels on my TV.
  It's the cable.
  It must be the cable. Since you can't do it yourself, I'll send someone to help you.
  It must be the cable. I'll send someone up to see if it's connected properly.

7. Where do I park my car?
  In the parking lot to the right.
  In the parking lot, of course.
  In the parking lot, where else?

8. I don't have a minibar in my room.
  Actually, none of our rooms have minibars.
  Noone does.
  That's right. You don't, sir. And noone else does either if that's any consolation.

9. The people in the room next door were having a party last night. I couldn't sleep.
  Why didn't you tell me before?
  If it happens again, please let me know and I'll ask them to be quiet.
  You should have told me before. Don't be afraid!

10. The view from my room is amazing!
  OK.
  Yes, I'm aware of this, thanks.
  It is, isn't it?

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Tone down your tone. There's always a polite way of saying something and a rude way of saying something. If you are too harsh and too strict in your speech ("You must not do this!", "You will be sorry if you do this!"), you will make the client feel uncomfortable and worried. This type of tone might be OK for raising your kids, but it is definitely not acceptable when talking to clients.