Posts tagged ‘management employee’
On October 26, 2009, The Paragon Inn was an unsuccessful hotel that Larry Whitten bought, hoping to turn it around. He thought that in order to improve things, he needed to create some “new rules,” for his majority Hispanic service staff.
Research has proven that by offering English as a Second Language ESL classes/ training, your company will improve, customer service, communication, retention, safety, and morale.
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There are 30 states in the United States that have chosen English as the official language either in their state constitutions or by adopting a law. None of those states, prohibits the state government involved from using other languages for common sense, non-official reasons that serve the public interest. Typically those reasons are to protect public health and public safety, promote tourism, teach foreign languages, administer justice, handle emergencies, and similar needs. In fact, there are 53 nations that have made English their official languages, and none of them can accurately be described as “English-only” in the sense that their laws would make it illegal to use other languages under any or all circumstances.
In today’s world, it is plainly an asset and sometimes a necessity to speak a second language, and it is strongly recommended that people learn another language if they can. It is also very important for people who are struggling to preserve their native language and traditions. But to promote the use of English to allow communication, understanding, and empathy between different groups of people who share a common citizenship and territory is not anti-anything. It is false to pretend otherwise.
So why do opponents of official English continue to use “English-only”? Because it is a loaded term that conveys exclusivity and an implied feeling of linguistic superiority. For that reason it is divisive and can be upsetting to people whose native language is not English. Its misuse is intended to provoke an emotional reaction and subtly demonize anyone who favors making English our official language, as well as those who simply want to protect its role as the common language of the United States.
So, if all this is true what does the term “official English” mean? It means that a government has decided that in order for its actions, laws, and business to be considered authoritative, they must be communicated in the English language. It means that there can be no disagreement about which language is the controlling one for discerning the meaning that government intends. And it means that absent a broad, public interest reason for using another language, the default language of government operations is English.
Official English also has a symbolic meaning, which is very important. It sends a message to all those who want to participate as citizens in this great nation, that there are responsibilities as well as benefits for being here. And one of those responsibilities is learning to speak the language of our country–English. There is no reason why our expectations for non-English speaking immigrants today should be less than our expectations for the generations of immigrants that preceded them.
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Though ESL teachers are perceived mainly as educators and linguists, they are also service providers. ESL teachers have a number of fundamental roles in common with front-line customer service trainers in a range of service industries, namely
- participant
- translator
- event organizer
- manager
- trainer
- and resource/ consultant adviser.
They also share a number of essential communicative, interpersonal and reflective/analytical skills. An ESL teacher work is therefore seen to fit comfortably within the dimensions of classical services theory and practice.
ESL teachers as service providers are largely responsible for the generation of functional quality and, create considerable competitive advantage for their firms. The implications are that ESL teacher training and professional development should not be confined to such subjects as pedagogy alone but should also include elements of services theory and practice.
Studies have shown; that customer satisfaction improves as service employee communication skill levels increase.
Among the key skills found to be necessary are active listening and a non-threatening communication style as a key skill for service providers. Further, companies that have established abilities of interpreting nonverbal cues from their customers have the highest levels of sales. Non verbal cues include
- eye contact,
- gesture,
- facial expression
- and posture,
- proactive dialogue, as well as active listening
Research has proven that by offering English as a Second Language ESL classes/ training, your company will improve, customer service, communication, retention, safety, and morale. http://www.englishsolutions.biz
