Learn how to use body language and facial expressions to add personality to your speech, from a conversation between a hotel staff member and a guest
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Eric: Hi everybody! Eric here! |
| Becky: Hello everyone! Becky here. Reserving Extra Rooms. |
| Eric: In this lesson, you will learn how to use body language and facial expressions to add personality to your speech. |
| Becky: This conversation takes place at the front desk in the late morning. |
| Eric: It is between a hotel staff member and a customer. |
| Becky: The speakers are in a professional relationship, so they will be using formal English. Let’s listen to the conversation. |
Lesson conversation |
|---|
| Staff: Hello and welcome to the Innovative Hotel! How may I help you? |
| Customer: I have a reservation under the name Lee. I would like to check in. |
| Staff: Certainly sir. It looks like we have you booked for a single room. |
| Customer: That’s correct, but I actually need to reserve another five rooms for the same duration for some co-workers. I talked to you guys on the phone, they said it shouldn't be an issue. |
| Staff: Oh, thank you for your business. No, that is not a problem at all. Will everything be in your name? |
| Customer: No, actually. Please put these reservations in the name of Smith Advertising. |
| Staff: Certainly sir. Oh, I see that Smith Advertising has a corporate account with us. Will this account be used to pay for the rooms? |
| Customer: Yes, it will. |
| Staff: Excellent. Okay, the other reservations should be all set. Here are your keys. |
| Customer: Thank you. |
| Staff: You're welcome |
| Becky: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| Staff: Hello and welcome to the Innovative hotel! How may I help you? |
| Customer: I have a reservation under the name Lee. I would like to check in. |
| Staff: Certainly sir. It looks like we have you booked for a single room. |
| Customer: That is correct, but I actually need to reserve another 5 rooms for the same duration for some co-workers. I talked to you guys on the phone, they said it shouldn't be an issue. |
| Staff: Oh, thank you for your business. No, that is not a problem at all. Will everything be in your name? |
| Customer: No, actually. Please put these reservations in the name of Smith Advertising. |
| Staff: Certainly sir. Oh, I see that Smith Advertising has a corporate account with us. Will this account be used to pay for the rooms? |
| Customer: Yes, it will. |
| Staff: Excellent. Okay, the other reservations should be all set. Here are your keys. |
| Customer: Thank you. |
| Staff: You're welcome. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Eric: As we know, hotels exist to provide services to their guests. |
| Becky But hotels also need money so that they can provide these services. Because of this, sometimes the "big clients" or people who spend a lot of money at a hotel can get special treatment to encourage continued business. |
| Eric Now, there’s nothing wrong with giving special treatment to good customers. The problem with this is that this may cause staff members to ignore the normal guests. |
| Becky: But this is something you should avoid doing. A “corporate account" is a big account with lots of people attached to it, which will bring in a lot of money and be good for business, which makes these accounts important to the hotel. |
| Eric: However, other guests are also paying the hotel for their services, and deserve all the treatment and attention they’re paying for. |
| Becky: Definitely. Okay, now let’s take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Becky: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| The first word is |
| Eric: under the name [natural native speed] |
| Becky: in the name, reserved for |
| Eric: under the name [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Eric: under the name [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next is... |
| Eric: should all be set [natural native speed] |
| Becky: should be ready, should be prepared |
| Eric: should all be set [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Eric: should all be set [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next is... |
| Eric: duration [natural native speed] |
| Becky: length, during |
| Eric: duration [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Eric: duration [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next is... |
| Eric: co-worker [natural native speed] |
| Becky: person who works with you |
| Eric: co-worker [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Eric: co-worker [natural native speed] |
| Becky: And last we have... |
| Eric: advertising [natural native speed] |
| Becky: marketing, company that sells advertisements |
| Eric: advertising [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Eric: advertising [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Becky: Let’s take a closer look at some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Eric: The first phrase were going to look at is "should all be set." |
| Becky: This phrase is used when everything relevant to a particular process has been completed or you believe it has been completed. |
| Eric: So, here the "all set" is very similar in meaning to the word "ready." |
| Becky: Our tip here is that even if you’re sure that everything is "all set," it’s better to say "should be all set" because there’s always the possibility that you missed something, or that something you have no control over is not yet ready. |
| Eric: An example of this would be "Everything should be all set" which means the same thing as "Everything should be ready." |
| Becky: The next phrase we should look at is "under the name." It’s the most common way of giving the name of the person who made the reservation. |
| Eric: You may also hear “by the name,” “in the name," or “listed as.” |
| Becky: “Under” comes from the fact that reservation details are often written with the client’s name at the top. The reservation is literally “under” the name. |
| Eric: For example, "We have a reservation under the name of Chase." Okay, now onto the grammar. |
Lesson focus |
| Eric: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use body language and facial expressions to add personality to your speech. |
| Becky: In the dialogue we heard the phrase "Will this account be used to pay for the rooms?" |
| Eric: The first thing you need to do when you’re talking to clients is to check your posture. Your posture doesn’t need to be perfect, but it does need to be good. Good posture can mean a couple of things. |
| Becky: Basically, having "good posture” means your shoulders and your hips are lined up. You shouldn’t be leaning in any direction. Another important thing for good posture when you’re sitting is that both of your feet should touch the ground; you shouldn’t cross your legs. |
| Eric: Right, you want to have open body language. Open body language means you aren’t “closing” yourself off by crossing your arms or legs. |
| Becky: Let’s look at how to show sincerity. In general, you should try to smile, say “thank you” and “you’re welcome” with a slight nod. There’s one more important tip too. |
| Eric: And it’s a little odd! But, if you blink slowly right when you begin to talk, that will also convey sincerity. |
| Becky: So, for example, you could smile and then say "How are you, sir?" Then the guest might respond with... |
| Eric: “I’m fine, thank you. Can I make a reservation?" To this you could blink slowly and nod, then respond with... |
| Becky: "Certainly, sir. What kind of room would you like?" |
| Eric: You should probably practice these things, because it may be very different from how you communicate in your culture. |
| Becky: The last thing we’re going to talk about in this lesson is pointing. There are many different ways to point, but in general, pointing with your finger isn’t good manners, especially in English-speaking cultures. |
| Eric: Instead, point with an open hand and your palm upward. This is especially important when you’re giving directions or pointing to something that’s far away. |
Outro |
| Eric: Well, that’s all for this lesson. Thanks for listening! |
| Becky: And we’ll see ya next time, bye! |
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