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 |
| Brandon: Hi everybody! Brandon here! |
| Becky: And I’m Becky. Helping a Guest Find the Bar? |
| Brandon: In this lesson you will learn how to confirm that the guest is satisfied. |
| Becky: This conversation takes place on the fifth floor in the morning. |
| Brandon: It’s between a guest and a staff member. |
| Becky: The speakers are in a professional relationship, so they’ll be using formal English. Let’s listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Customer: Excuse me, I am looking for the bar. |
| Staff: Certainly sir, it is on the 15th floor. If you keep walking straight and take the next right, you will run into the elevator. Just take that to the 15th floor, and you should see the bar. The elevator doors open right in front of it. |
| Customer: Great, thanks! |
| Staff: Can I help you with anything else? |
| Customer: No, that’s all thank you! |
| Becky: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| Customer: Excuse me, I am looking for the bar. |
| Staff: Certainly sir, it is on the 15th floor. If you keep walking straight and take the next right, you will run into the elevator. Just take that to the 15th floor, and you should see the bar. The elevator doors open right in front of it. |
| Customer: Great thanks! |
| Staff: Can I help you with anything else? |
| Customer: No, that’s all thank you! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Brandon: Most hotels train their staff to always recommend services that the hotel provides first. |
| Becky: For the hotel, this is just common sense. The hotel offers these services, so the guests at the hotel should use them. However, hotel services tend to be more expensive than the same services out in the "community." |
| Brandon: For that and many other reasons, guests may not want to use the hotel services. In that case, you will likely need to recommend somewhere outside of the hotel. |
| Becky: Now, when we say "services" we include pretty much anything. Food, leisure time, travel assistance, dry cleaning, and pretty much any other service that a hotel would offer. |
| Becky: 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 we shall see is: |
| Brandon: take the next right [natural native speed] |
| Becky: turn to the right at your soonest opportunity |
| Brandon: take the next right [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Brandon: take the next right [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Brandon: 15th floor [natural native speed] |
| Becky: the floor that comes after the 14th |
| Brandon: 15th floor [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Brandon: 15th floor [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Brandon: should see [natural native speed] |
| Becky: is important that you see |
| Brandon: should see [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Brandon: should see [natural native speed] |
| : And Last: |
| Brandon: elevator [natural native speed] |
| Becky: machine that takes people to different floors in a building |
| Brandon: elevator [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Brandon: elevator [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCABULARY AND PHRASES |
| Becky: Let’s take a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first phrase we’ll look at is "take the next right." |
| Brandon: Now, this phrase tells someone to turn right at the next opportunity. |
| Becky: That’s right. (laughs) The staff member here is letting the guest know that they should take the next right turn they see. |
| Brandon: This phrase can also take another form, which is “take your next right" and it means the same thing. |
| Becky: Exactly. For example, "Go past the vending machines and take your next right." |
| Brandon: The next phrase we'll look at is "should see." |
| Becky: It may seem strange that they used the word "should", especially since the staff member should be very familiar with the directions to the bar. |
| Brandon: Right! Don’t you think they would know if you’d see the bar when they get off the elevator? |
| Becky: Well, this is because of the indirectness English speakers sometimes prefer. So in this case using "should" is better than using "will." |
| Brandon: And this is also just common sense. Maybe there is a sign that the staff member is not aware of. Or, Maybe there is a flower arrangement there that they didn’t see. |
| Becky: Or maybe the guests simply won’t see it right when they get off the elevator, because they don't know what they’re looking for. |
| Brandon: Whatever the reason, when you're referencing future events it’s usually better to say “should” instead of will. |
| Becky: Okay, now onto the grammar. |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| Brandon: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to confirm that the guest is satisfied. |
| Becky: In the dialogue we had the phrase, "can I help you with anything else?" |
| Brandon: When you interact with a guest, it’s important to make sure that the guest is satisfied with the service or solution you’ve given them, right? |
| Becky: Right. So, a sentence like "are you satisfied with my service?" Is technically correct, but it’s too direct. |
| Brandon: Yes it is. In fact, the guest would probably feel a bit uncomfortable if you asked them this directly. |
| Becky: So a better phrase to use is "can I help you with anything else?" This phrase is used in our dialogue and asks the guest if they need any more assistance. |
| Brandon: This phrase is useful because it indirectly asks the guest if they are satisfied with the service you provided. And, you can usually tell if the guest is satisfied by how they respond to the question. |
| Becky: That’s right. However, it it may seem a little bit hidden, because the guest will usually answer with something like "no, that’s all." Or "no, thank you." Another excellent phrase is "Will there be anything else, sir?" |
| Becky: This is a very natural English phrase that could’ve easily been in our dialogue. |
| Brandon: Just remember that American English speakers tend to use "ma’am" more often than British English speakers, because British people typically only use the word "ma’am" when they’re talking about the Queen of England. |
| Becky: That’s right! It’s also important to remember that when you’re talking to a man or a woman who you know has a particular title, you should use that title whenever possible. |
| Brandon: That's right. So if the lady is a senator, for example, you should call her Senator Jones. Or, if she's the president of an organization you should call her President Jones. |
| Becky: The last thing we want to talk about is when to ask these questions. In general, the best place to ask, "can I help you with anything else?" is at the end of the conversation. |
| Brandon: That’s right. In other words, after you perform the services that they requested of you, wait for a few seconds, and then say "can I help you with anything else?" |
| Becky: This will help you avoid interrupting the guest if they do have something else they want you to do. |
Outro |
|---|
| Brandon: Well, that’s all for this lesson. Thanks for listening! |
| Becky: And we’ll see ya next time! Bye! |
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