Max Hitchins ARTICLE
The most entertaining operators I know in the Hospitality Industry are great story tellers. Mastering the skill of storytelling will help you in many ways in this Industry. Not the least being your customers become your best marketers. They will talk about you and tell of you being entertaining because you always have a good story to tell. To be able to stand and speak in public and tell stories is not a God-given gift. It comes from a lot of hard work and a lot of practice. But there are some short cuts to make it easier. Firstly, if you have a fear of speaking in public you probably suffer from gloss phobia? This is the fear of public speaking. People who suffer from gloss phobia tend to ‘freeze’ in front of any audience. As many as 75% of people have gloss phobia. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld suggests, at a funeral, most people would rather be lying in the casket than delivering the eulogy! Secondly, the secret to success in overcoming gloss phobia is to collect and tell stories. The best stories are certainly your own personal experiences as they are easier to remember. Take some time to think about what has happened to you in your time in the hospitality industry. I am sure you will have some great stories to share. I find self-deprecating stories work extremely well. For example: Years ago, I worked on the Front Desk of a five-star Park Lane hotel in London. Each day I wore my striped trousers and black jacket and felt very important. One morning a ‘Danny De Vito lookalike’ slinked up to the counter and said to me “Hey guy…you look like a man of the world. Tell me, where can I get a prophylactic?” Come with me now and be in my shoes (and striped trousers and black jacket!) Remember the foyer of this five-star London hotel was packed with people checking in and out of the hotel. And I had no idea what a prophylactic was! Had he said condom I would have understood. (I was a man of the world!) So, I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted across the room at the Concierge. “Mr Walker…this gentleman wants a prophylactic. Can you help him?” Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. My Danny De Vito lookalike began to shrink like the wicked witch from the west in the Wizard of OZ as everyone turned to stare at him. Embarrassing for me? It sure was. But it has become a great story to tell. I also collect short snippets from the media. Another example: I read a report where a woman, in a public forum, argued with the Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove. He was making the point that some form of National Service could be beneficial for the youth of Australia. The woman vehemently stated that training people to use guns would turn them into terrorists or murderers. The Governor General said “Madam, you have the same attributes as ‘ladies of the night’. But that doesn’t mean you are going to follow that profession! “ I continually file new stories in the ‘Notes’ on my Apple iPhone and I regularly review them. I have written about this in one of my Memory eBooks. If you really want to get good at speaking and storytelling, I suggest you to check them out. By line: At HospitalityDoctor.com.au you will find tips, tricks and tonics to help you become a super Hospitality Industry professional. You will also find details of a series of eBooks titled “How to Develop A Memory Like an Elephant.” S torytelling keeps customers coming back
February 2019 www.tha.asn.au
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