Communication skills are indispensable for a successful future and career of a hospitality student. In today’s competitive world, communication skills is the most coveted quality of an educated person in a business. People across the industry believe that I teach students to speak like Shakespeare… but the truth couldn’t be further from that.
Communication skills in the hospitality industry are about moulding young future entrepreneurs and business owners to be effective communicators. The education system in schools earlier concentrated a lot on English grammar but focused very little on attaining exposure and fluency in English and the need to be an effective communicator. Hence more than 70% of the population has stage fear, since very little emphasis was given on overcoming the same. In today’s world, not many can remember the rules of subject-verb agreement or the difference between an active and a stative verb! This is why modern education institutes like the Indian School of Hospitality have become highly cognizant about the relevance and application of a student's communication skills in the industry.
To give a glimpse on the uniqueness of the course let me share an interesting example.
All businesses run on the efficiency of communication between departments, a large part of this communication is unspoken and is para lingual (Eg: Your gestures, your facial expressions and mannerisms). My course and pedagogy are uniquely designed to ensure that all of the above aspects are deeply introspected and the audience knows the exact impact of them. Along with this, the course teaches students to create effective presentations and deliver them in front of large audiences. Since students plan on taking entrepreneurial roles in the future, these skills are an integral part of their profile.
Our curriculum is under constant review and we believe in moving forward with the trends of the industry. Each batch brings with it new capabilities and expectations and hence a ‘cookie-cutter’ approach is something that one may never witness in our institute. For my past 4 PGP batches, I still get testimonies from students on how the modules made a difference in their lives and how their overall personalities have become more refined.
Resource Person: Mr. Jerrald Jacob
Jerrald Jacob is the Assistant Director of Communication, Soft Skills and Student Experience at the Indian School of Hospitality. With over 13 years of training experience as a language & communication expert, his skill lies in Language Proficiency, Presentation Skills, Voice Coaching, Public Speaking & Soft Skills. After completing his trainer’s certification from the United Kingdom, he has worked with some of the most iconic brands like IndiGo, SpiceJet, NIIT and Interglobe Technologies. At the Indian School of Hospitality, he is responsible for all communication and soft skills training for the UG/PG, Diploma and executive education courses. In his previous role, he was responsible for all communication training for pilots, flight attendants & ground support services. He is an Alumni of St. Columba’s School & holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce.