Question number 2.

How to become more adaptable at work

Whether you're barely beginning to embrace adaptability or looking to sharpen your skills in
this area, consider the following ways to increase your adaptability in the workplace:

1. Get out of your comfort zone

2. Be a better listener
3. Ask questions
4. Be willing to make mistakes
5. Find the positive
6. Learn from your coworkers
7. Find balance in your life
8. Practice emotional intelligence

1. Get out of your comfort zone

When you step out of your comfort zone, you'll be presented with new situations you wouldn't
typically come across. The more you do this, the better you'll be able to exhibit flexibility and
assess how best to approach new scenarios.

2. Be a better listener

In order to be adaptable, it's important to actively listen to what's going on in the workplace.
This is because the better listener you are, the better you'll be able to understand how a
situation should be handled. This will allow you to resolve any conflict or change with ease,
produce the best response and create a more positive environment for all involved.

3. Ask questions

Consider asking your co-workers how they perform certain tasks and handle certain situations
in the workplace. One of the greatest ways to learn adaptability is to not only observe but
actively seek advice from others who excel in this area. Make sure your questions are
professional and well thought out.

4. Be willing to make mistakes

Though making a mistake can be disheartening, it also provides you with various opportunities
such as the ability to learn a valuable lesson, share knowledge and consider a future solution.
Change your mindset when it comes to your mistakes in the workplace. The better you are at
embracing your mistakes, the more adaptable you'll be at managing the fallout.

5. Find the positive

Many things in life and in the workplace don't go as planned. When this happens, focus on the
positive. This will allow you to change your mindset and pay attention to the positives. Consider
what you're able to take away from these situations and be optimistic about the future.

6. Learn from your coworkers

One great way to learn adaptability is to observe how your co-workers embrace change.
Consider the way they showcase their adaptability in certain situations and how you can apply
those same concepts. It can also be beneficial to ask them for any tips they can provide you
with in this area.

7. Find balance in your life

It's normal to have many obligations in life and at work. The more balanced you are, the more
grounded and clear-headed you'll be to handle impending change. Make sure you're taking the
time to evaluate the various parts of your life and the time you devote to them individually.

8. Practice emotional intelligence

When trying to become more adaptable, consider practicing your emotional intelligence. That
is, make sure you're in control of your emotions and are aware of the emotions of those around
you. This will help you shape your behavior and response to certain workplace changes and
situations.

Question number 3.

1. Covid 19 safety protocols

2. Guest Complaints

3. Equipment malfunction/breakdown

4. Overbooking

5. Change in marketing trends and dynamics

Challenge

Marketing issues in the hospitality industry have become commonplace.

Changes in the advertising and marketing trend often create problems for the hoteliers. Also,
the traditional marketing methods aren’t that effective now. So, for those who have always
stuck to the old-school ways, getting the strategy right is one of the biggest challenges of the
hospitality industry.
Online marketing is a surefire method, though it would take years for hotel owners to establish
their strength. Online deals are booked by genuine guests and major transactions are paid in
advance.

Solution

Engaging your guests on social media, messaging apps and other online sources can work
wonders and give you results in a few months. Implementing effective digital marketing
strategies is a strong solution to such issues in the hospitality industry. Be consistent and
patient with whatever tactics you apply. It is inevitable that with the right strategies.

Question number 3.

1. Overbooking

2. Flight cancellations/Delay

Question number 4

5 Ways to improve your communication skills

1. The importance of listening

We cannot touch on the importance of communication without highlighting that a massive

aspect of it is what you do when you’re not talking.

Being a good listener is the most crucial part of communication.

We’re not just talking about hearing the words that a person is saying; rather you should be
tuned in to their non-verbal communication also.

 Is the person avoiding eye contact?

 Is their posture open or closed?

 Are they fidgeting with their hands?

All of these actions convey a lot of information.

How to be a good listener:

 When you are listening, give your full attention to the speaker.

 Set your phone face down.

 Turn away from your computer screen.

 Look at their non-verbal signals, and listen to their words.

 Use clarification questions to follow up on key points and then sum up your
understanding to them, so they can clear up any miscommunication immediately.

By following the advice above, you demonstrate your engagement in the conversation,
confirming to the person that you have heard, and understood, them completely.

2. Improving non-verbal communication

To begin improving your non-verbal communication, first, you must begin by paying attention
to it.

As you go through your day, observe how you use the various types of non-verbal
communication that we mentioned in our article about types of communication.

Observe yourself:

 Do you make consistent eye contact?

 How do you position yourself when speaking to people?

 Does it change based on who you are talking to?

 How do people react to you?

Observe others:

 Are there certain people who make you feel heard?

 What do they do that makes you feel like that?

  Is there someone who is unpleasant to communicate with?

 Why?

 What actions do they do that make you not enjoy talking to them?

Think about the positives and negatives that you observe.

If there is someone who you find to be a particularly good - or bad - person to talk to, pinpoint
why they make you feel that way.

Pay attention to the non-verbal signals that they are giving off.

You can mimic the positives, and be aware of the negatives.

How to be better at non-verbal communication:

 Don’t fidget! This is rule number one. Be still, and calm. This communicates that you are
in control, confident and a force to be reckoned with.

 Use eye contact intelligently. Focus in on people when you want to drive home a point.
Look people in the eye both when you are listening to them and when you are speaking.

 Be confident in your use of space. Don’t minimize yourself, instead relax into your
space. It’s important that you do this intelligently! Don’t prevent other people from
sitting comfortably.

 Strive to be non-reactive during stressful situations. Keep your emotions level and
respond calmly.

Simply being more aware of non-verbal communication, and the power that it has will help you
be better at using it proactively and positively.

If you observe that you tend to avoid eye contact during stressful negotiations, then you can
make sure to put an emphasis on making consistent eye contact when speaking in the next
meeting.

3. Improving verbal communication

To improve your verbal communication, you’ll need to get better at both what you say and how
you say it.

It doesn’t matter how clear your message is if you are patronizing or rude when you say it.

As we recommend for non-verbal communication, begin by observing yourself and others in

conversation.

Observe yourself:

 How do people react to you?

 Are there times when they react more negatively than others, and can you pinpoint
why?

 Are there colleagues who you particularly enjoy conversing with?

 Why?

 Observe how communication happens in your work environment, and pay attention to
which aspects are positive and negative.

Next, begin to think about the content of your verbal communications.

We all know someone who takes ages to get to the point of the story, and how frustrating that
can be, or someone who never gets to the point at all.

Before you speak, know what you want to communicate.

 Begin with your stated purpose (‘I think we need to increase ad spending 10%’)

 Move on to your reasoning (‘The upcoming holiday season is a prime time to target our
customers more effectively’)

 Review possible outcomes (‘We could increase sales between 20 and 30%’).

While this advice is best suited for more formal presentations, this is effective in informal
settings as well.
Knowing what you want to say and having the facts to back it up will make you seem more
professional, knowledgeable and decisive.

Use pitch to help captivate your audience

 A lower pitch tends to communicate gravitas and experience. Take longer, deeper
breaths and speak from your diaphragm to lower your voice.

 Strategically use silence to capture, and keep attention. Pause and hook the viewer’s
attention before dropping your pitch, your big reveal or your thesis sentence.

 Use a range of cadence, speed and style. You don’t want to speak in a monotone, you’ll
bore your audience and they won’t be engaged in the content of your communication.

4. Improving written communication

In written communication, the first step to improve is to make sure that your spelling and
grammar are perfect.

There are plenty of online tools that can help you with this. You simply paste your writing into
the app and then you get valuable feedback on spelling, grammar, and even the content.

Now, this is not a perfect solution, AI is smart but can make mistakes, but it works very well for
a quick check, especially if you are not the world’s strongest writer.

Read more about the written type of communication.

Take the time to re-read everything that you write

 Is your tone appropriate to the setting?

 Are there any mistakes, items not linked properly, or missing points?

 Have you covered the subject in enough depth?

 We often overestimate how much other people know about our specialist subjects, it
might be necessary to write in more detail. At the same time, don’t write a novel!
Formatting is key

 Format everything, from a Slack message to a full presentation, to make sure that you
are creating a readable text.

 Use bullet points and paragraphs to break up your message.

 Highlight your points in bold if you have a lot of text.

 Underline anything that you think is crucial. 

More tips for improving your written communication:

 State your assumptions. This will help avoid miscommunications. Start by saying ‘I
assume you have heard about the new policy change, effective June 1. Because of this,
we will be adjusting x, y and z.’

 Read often. From messages to novels, read often and when you do, think about what
you like (or dislike) about what you’re reading. Emulate what you like, and work to
avoid what you dislike.

 Use framing to get your point across. Think about it from the recipient’s point of view,
and what’s in it for them, and then frame the message to highlight that.

 Read your writing out loud to check for mistakes. Use this time to review grammar,
tone, fact-check and to make sure that you have covered everything you wanted to in
the communication.

 When possible, use clear examples and avoid using too much jargon.

5. Improving visual communication

An important aspect of using visual communication is to only use it when necessary.

A presentation stuffed full of visual aids that do not add to the content is messy, unprofessional
and will distract from the overall message.
You want to be judicious about what you include, and why you are including it. Make sure that
you are using the proper chart to show the data in the clearest way, or are including only the
sketches that will add to the audience’s understanding of the ideas for a new logo.

Not all of us are graphic designers, but there are tools available to help us create professional-
looking visuals.

Make use of those! You don’t want your presentation to look like it was created in 1995.

Default to clean, professional templates, rather than looking for something ‘interesting.’ Your
message should be the star, not the font, color, or background image.

Tips for improving visual communication:

 Less is more! Pare back your design and resist the urge to stuff every fact, figure, font
and color into a presentation.

 Utilize typography. If in doubt, ask for the brand guidelines for your company and follow
those. They will help you create cohesive presentations in line with your company’s
preferred look.

 Pay attention to balance and harmony. You can achieve this by using similar, rather than
disparate, elements in your communication. The same style of clip art, the same font
family, or the same pastel shades.

 Begin with the end in mind. Know what you want to communicate and start there.

Question number 5:

1. Valued in the workplace

If you are applying for jobs or looking for a promotion with your current employer, you will almost
certainly need to demonstrate good communication skills.

Communication skills are needed to speak appropriately with a wide variety of people whilst
maintaining good eye contact, demonstrate a varied vocabulary and tailor your language to your
audience, listen effectively, present your ideas appropriately, write clearly and concisely, and work
well in a group. Many of these are essential business skills that employers seek.
Having the ability to listen carefully, speak clearly and put others at ease is valuable in any
organisation and can involve a wide range of skills:

 Listening to others and showing interest in what they say

 Dealing with telephone conversations appropriately
 Encouraging interest and interaction from others in your team
 Expressing an opinion or asking a question clearly
 Being able to persuade others

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2. In demand by businesses

Oral and written communication proficiencies are consistently ranked in the top ten desirable skills
by employer surveys year after year. Employees are often encouraged to take online courses and in-
person training to improve their presentation and communication skills.

Skills potential employers seek:

 Communication (written and verbal)

 Organisation
 Teamwork
 Critical thinking
 Analytical skills
Communication skills are among the most in-demand skills for employers. Source: LinkedIn research

3. Helps your career progression

You will need to request information, discuss problems, give instructions, work in teams, interact
with colleagues and clients. If you are to achieve co-operation and effective teamwork, good human
relations skills are essential. Also, as the workplace is also becoming more global, there are many
factors to consider if you are to communicate well in such a diverse environment.

Being able to deliver messages clearly and understand other people means work can be completed
more effectively and to the benefit of the company as a whole.

Employers want staff who can think for themselves, use initiative and solve problems, staff who are
interested in the long-term success of the company. If you are to be seen as a valued member of the
organisation, it is important not just to be able to do your job well, but also to communicate your
thoughts on how the processes and products or services can be improved.

 Top communication skills courses to help with career progression.

4. Allows you to speak concisely

It is natural to feel some nerves when speaking to superiors or to clients. Communication skills

training will help you learn how best to communicate effectively in a wide range of situations, and
how to be direct in order to get the most out of your dealings with others.
5. Builds better rapport with customers

Customers desire nothing more than to be understood by a company and they wish to feel like they
are being heard and listened to. This is a particularly important point if your business involves a large
amount of contact with customers, either face-to-face or over the phone.

6. Influences how you learn

Communication skills have played an important part of your existing knowledge and beliefs. You
learn to speak in public by first having conversations, then by answering questions and then by
expressing your opinions.

You learn to write by first learning to read, then by writing and learning to think critically. Good
communication skills help you absorb information and express your ideas in a clear, concise and
meaningful way to other people.

7. Enhances your professional image

You want to make a good first impression on your friends and family, instructors, and employer.
They all want you to convey a positive image, as it reflects on them. In your career, you will
represent your business or company in spoken and written form. Your professionalism and attention
to detail will reflect positively on you and set you up for success.

8. Other benefits of effective communication

The most successful organisations understand that if they are to be successful in today’s business
world, good communication at all levels is essential. Here is a useful mnemonic to remember the
benefits you and your organisation can achieve from effective communication:

 Stronger decision-making and problem-solving

 Upturn in productivity
 Convincing and compelling corporate materials
 Clearer, more streamlined workflow
 Sound business relationships
 Successful response ensured

1. Know the person you are talking to.

2. Choose your wordings.

3. Be concise and direct to the point

4. Ask for feedback

5.