‘How May I Help You?’ : A Case Study of Spoken Service Language in an Australian Five-Star Hotel.

Among the essential soft skills, effective spoken communication stands out as an important determinant for the success of service interactions, especially in high-contact service settings. In particular, employees’ adeptness in communicating verbally using spoken ‘service language’ significantly influences organizational performance and shapes service experiences throughout the guest journey.

However, despite the best efforts of many hospitality education institutions in developing communication skills, it is often assumed that students have acquired a vast array of communication skills throughout a course when they have not been explicitly taught. This fictional case and accompanying notes concentrate on service employees’ spoken communication skills, and specifically their spoken service language, because these are recognised as important factors shaping service encounters.