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Chapter 03 - Verbal Communication Skills
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o Differing perceptions
o Inadequate or poor communication
o Contrary expectations
o Inadequate communication
o Goals that are out of sync with reality
o Opposition over shared resources
o Outcomes dependent on others
o Misuse of power
C. Salvaging Relationships after Conflict
• Managing conflict involves more than just resolving the disagreement.
o If service providers fail to address the emotional and psychological
needs of those involved, they may find the conflict returning and/or
severe damage to the customer-provider relationship may occur.
• The following can assist in the service recovery efforts:
o Reaffirm the value of the relationship
o Demonstrate commitment
o Be realistic
o Remain flexible
o Keep communication open
o Gain commitment
o Monitor progress
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Class Activities and Sample Assignments
1. Read chapter three. (LO 3-1 through 3-7)
2. One of the major factors of communication is how we receive messages. This
a. Ask students to close their eyes and imagine the days of the week.
b. Then, write down the color of each day
c. Review and compare in small groups
d. Debrief by pointing out:
i. Even despite a fixed pattern we still see things in different ways. The
differences you see with something so simple illustrates how different
perceptions can occur in bigger things, such as work, responsibilities and
relationships.
ii. Ask students how we can handle these different perceptions to
communicate better. Ask them to come up with five strategies in groups.
3. Ask students to sit in a circle with a piece of paper. Tell them you are going to
describe a drawing of a bug, and they are to draw what you describe. They may not
a. The bug is round.
b. The bug has eight legs, grouped in pairs with four legs on the left and four legs
on the right. In the pairs, one leg is longer than the other.
c. The bug has two eyes on top of the body.
d. The bug has two squiggly antennas.
e. The bug has two pea-pod shaped wings.
f. The bug has a spot next to each wing.
g. The bug has a triangular stinger on the bottom of the body.
h. The bug has two feelers on each foot; one is longer than the other and both
come from the same side of the leg.
i. The bug has a round mouth placed between the two eyes.
j. The bug has laid five eggs to the left of the stinger.
k. Then ask students to share their bugs with their neighbors, then show them
the “real” drawing (included after this section).
l. Lead a discussion on why everyone’s bug looked different, even though the
same instructions were the same. Discuss perception and the need for
feedback in two-way communication.
Chapter 03 - Verbal Communication Skills
4. The way we word things in our communication is almost equally as important as our
body language. Consider the use of the word “and” and “but.” But implies something
won’t work, while “and” allows other options to be considered. Ask students to work
in pairs and have them plan their dream vacation, from location, to hotel to daily
a. Example of how but can impact communication in this exercise:
i. Student one: I want to go to Fiji.
Student two: Yes, but, I want to go to Europe.
ii. This creates conflict within the communication
b. Ask students instead to use “and:”
i. Student one: I want to go to Fiji.
ii. Student two: Ok, and let’s also go to Europe.
5. Ask students to brainstorm a list of phrases that do not create good customer
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Chapter 03 - Verbal Communication Skills
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Discussion Opportunities
3. Discuss three ways in which you can help build rapport with customers. Then,
5. Choose two of the causes of conflict addressed in this chapter and give examples of
Chapter 03 - Verbal Communication Skills
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In the Real World Notes
Retail—Papa John’s Pizza
1. Have you ever ordered a Papa John’s pizza? If so, what was your experience with
service and product quality?
2. Do you believe that Papa John’s is a good organization to work for? Why or why
not?
3. How does the Papa John’s service culture reflect on its image and product line?
4. What are the key elements separating Papa John’s from its competitors in your
mind?
Chapter 03 - Verbal Communication Skills
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Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
One good way to start off answering this is by focusing on what put Papa John’s on
the top of the game. The company’s slogan “Better Ingredients; Better Pizzas” goes
to show that it was committed in providing fresh ingredients in its products.
However, competition in the market involves several other important factors which
the students could point out.
Chapter 03 - Verbal Communication Skills
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Work It Out Notes
Work It Out 3.1—Communication Reality Check
This exercise asks students to think about their own past service experiences in order to
better plan their future service strategy. They are asked to think of their reaction when
first place. They are then asked to put themselves in the greeter’s place and discuss
with the class as to what they would have done differently.
Work It Out 3.2—My Pet Peeves
them to share their top two with the rest of the class. You can then ask students what
could be improved to make sure those kinds of behaviors don’t happen in the future.
Work It Out 3.3—Analyzing Your Verbal Communication Skills
This box asks students to record their own voices and interactions with people and then
review the recordings for information on how their voice sounded and how they
responded. Please warn students that it is illegal to record someone without their
students thinking about how they might sound to others, which is a key component in
this chapter.
Work It Out 3.4—Feeling Special
for more information. Why didn’t they feel special? What should the service provider
have done different?
Work It Out 3.5—Perceptions are Reality
Ask students to work on this activity alone and then compare their answers. The box
Chapter 03 - Verbal Communication Skills
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shows pictures of happy looking people and asks students to determine their
perceptions of each person. Use this exercise as a segue into how our facial
expressions are very important and how through this alone, we can express confidence
and friendliness.
Work It Out 3.6—Standing Up Assertively
This exercise helps students understand the importance of speaking up assertively
could also use figure 3.5 to familiarize students with different types of nonassertive and
assertive behaviors.
Work It Out 3.7—Improving Feedback Skills
This exercise asks students to partner up, have a ten minute conversation, and then
discuss the level of verbal feedback, interpretation of verbal and nonverbal language,
their conversations, ask the students to critique each other on the amount of feedback.
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End-of-Chapter Material Notes
Key Terms
• Assertiveness (p. 111)
• Channel (p. 92)
• Conflict (p. 116)
• Decoding (p. 92)
• Encoding (p. 92)
• Feedback (p. 92)
• Filters (p. 93)
• Global terms (p. 109)
• “I” or “we” messages (p. 100)
• Message (p. 92)
• Noise (p. 94)
• Nonverbal feedback (p. 107)
• Paraphrase (p. 103)
• Pet peeves (p. 95)
• Rapport (p. 105)
• Receiver (p. 91)
• Sender (p. 91)
• Small talk (p. 100)
• Two-way communication (p. 90)
• Verbal feedback (p. 107)
Review Questions
1. What are some things you can do as a customer service professional to project a
positive image to the customer?
2. What element(s) of the interpersonal communication model do you believe are the
most important in a customer service environment? Explain.
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Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
message, encoding, decoding, noise and feedback.
3. What are some strategies to use in order to avoid words or phrases that will
negatively affect your relationship with your customer?
4. What are some of the tips outlined in this chapter for ensuring effective customer
service interactions?
5. What is feedback?
6. How can verbal feedback affect customer encounters?
7. Give some examples of nonverbal feedback and explain how they complement the
verbal message and how they can affect customer interactions.
8. List at least five tips for providing positive feedback.
The following are some of the tips for providing positive feedback:
Chapter 03 - Verbal Communication Skills
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Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
• Give immediate feedback
• Be clear and concise
• Remain objective
• Be accurate
• Use verbal and nonverbal messages that agree
• Verify meaning
• Make sure feedback is appropriate to the original message
• Strive to clarify
• Avoid being overly critical
• Do not provide feedback if it could damage the relationship
Collaborative Learning Activity
Scenarios and role-playing are great ways to get students involved in the conversation.
One option, rather than having the students work in pairs, is to have them work in
this discussion to address how to keep things positive in every communication and the
importance of probing and building rapport.
Face to Face—Seeking Information from a Client
This Face to Face is a real world issue that many students will encounter in their
careers. It involves a long-term customer relationship in which the roles have changed.
The client has a new office manager and already has a great relationship with a
competitor.
1. Since you don’t have a relationship with Sylvia, what will you do to get off to a solid
start during your visit?
2. How should you approach Sylvia verbally and nonverbally?
3. What strategies among the ones discussed in this chapter can you use to find out
where you and LKM stand in Sylvia’s mind?
Chapter 03 - Verbal Communication Skills
