Tourism Feedback Skills
In our learning episode, we focus on tourism feedback skills, in order for our tour companies to evolve it is important that we give and receive feedback. Therefore always ask your Tour managers and staff to please deliver feedback on what transpires in their operations.
Under this tourism feedback skills management practice, it is always important to ask you for developmental feedback – what could the manager do to improve their performance, etc
Here is an overview of the four feedback skills managers need. Before you read them, Please be aware of this important note.
Note: These skills are weighted towards giving critical feedback because this is more problematic. It is more difficult than giving positive feedback and can do more harm when done poorly. Key points to get across to your learners, however, is that:
- Human beings have an in-built need for feedback. It is an essential part of the way we function. Studies show that when deprived of feedback, people suffer stress and will often do something (often negative) deliberately designed to gain attention (feedback).
- Feedback is an essential element of good performance. Without the feedback of results performance usually deteriorates.
- Positive feedback has a more beneficial effect on performance than negative feedback. It encourages us to move in the right direction. Negative feedback, on the other hand, shows us what not to do but does not clarify what to do instead.
- Where managers ensure that feedback is a regular and constructive experience, staff accept necessary negative feedback more readily.
With these points in mind, here are the Tourism feedback skills.
Skill 1: Assessing the situation
There are two parts to this skill – knowing if you have a problem and identifying the cause of the problem.
Knowing if you have a problem
Managers have a performance/behavior when they have staff who:
- Require constant supervision
- Whose work frequently requires rectification or completion
- Cannot be trusted to do work that, reasonably, should be within their ability to avoid unpleasant tasks
- Cause bottlenecks due to a work rate lower than that which could reasonably be expected
- Exercise judgment, initiative, or willingness at a level below that which it is reasonable to expect
- avoid their fair share of work
- Refuse to co-operate
- Have an unacceptable attendance, sickness, or punctuality record
- Cause conflict in their relationships with other employees, suppliers, customers, etc.
Knowing that you have a problem is only part of the equation. Taking appropriate action means identifying the correct cause of the problem.
Identifying the cause
There are four main reasons why staff underperform. They are listed in the following table together with the checks managers can make to identify the cause they might be dealing with. The last column suggests action appropriate to that cause
Skill 2: Using the right terminology
There are two aspects to this skill:
- Using terminology that constitutes clear communication
- Avoid terminology that irritates other people, making it difficult for them to listen to you.
Skill 3: Structure
Managers need to understand the structure of critical and positive feedback. The structures, described in the table below, have two main benefits. They help managers:
- Be specific and objective
- Deliver the feedback in a way that is most likely to have the desired effect on the recipient’s behavior.
Skill 4: Active listening
When people communicate the process is far from simple. Understanding the process makes it easy to appreciate the significance of active listening skills.
When we are listening, we cannot rely on the ‘transmitter’ to choose the right words, packaging, or medium. If we are to receive and understand their message we need to be involved in the communication process actively rather than passively. The following tables show the behaviors we associate with people who do not listen, those who listen passively, and those who listen actively.
