ABSTRACT
Dalam tugas akhir ini, saya akan membahas mengenai kesulitan yang saya hadapi ketika saya menjalankan program magang di salah satu hotel berbintang empat, yaitu Hotel De JAVA yang berlokasi di Jl. Sukajadi no. 148 – 150 Bandung. Kesulitan yang saya hadapi adalah kesulitan untuk melakukan small talk dengan tamu asing yang berasal dari Australia. Ada dua penyebab dari permasalahan yang saya hadapi. Penyebab pertama adalah saya tidak terbiasa dengan aksen dan cara berbicara orang Australia. Penyebab kedua adalah kosakata dalam Bahasa Inggris yang saya miliki kurang memadai. Permasalahan yang saya hadapi ini
memberikan dampak yang buruk bagi saya sendiri. Dampak pertama yang ditimbulkan adalah saya merasa gugup ketika berkomunikasi dengan tamu dari Australia. Dampak kedua adalah saya merasa tidak nyaman pada waktu berbicara dengan mereka.
Berdasarkan analisis yang telah saya lakukan, saya menyimpulkan ada tiga pilihan solusi yang berpotensi untuk mengatasi permasalahan ini. Solusi pertama adalah saya akan mempelajari bagaimana cara
berkomunikasi non-verbal yang tepat sehingga saya dapat melakukan
small talk dengan baik. Solusi yang kedua adalah saya akan mencari topik pembicaraan yang sesuai sehingga dapat digunakan ketika saya
melakukan small talk dengan tamu dari Australia. Solusi yang ketiga adalah saya akan berlatih lebih banyak dalam mendengarkan percakapan yang mengandung aksen serta pengucapan orang Australia.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. Background of the Study B. Identification of the Problem C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study D. Description of the Institution E. Method of the Study F. Limitation of the Study G. Organization of the Term Paper CHAPTER II. PROBLEM ANALYSIS………...……….7
B. De JAVA Hotel Profile
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Communication is really important in our daily life. Communication has
been a key element in interacting with people in every society since the
beginning of time. One form of communication is small talk. According to
the article “Mastering the Art of Small Talk”, “Small talk is a light and
casual conversation that avoids obscure subjects, arguments, or
emotionally charged issues” (par. 2). During my internship, I realized that
small talk is important regarding my position as a front officer in de JAVA
Hotel. I have a responsibility to deal with all guests who stayed in de JAVA
Hotel. A front officer must have an ability to communicate well with the
guests because he or she is the first person that guests will interact with at
the hotel.
In relation to the previous paragraph, I had a difficulty in doing small
talk with guests from Australia during my internship from 1 July 2013 until
25 July 2013 in de JAVA Hotel Bandung. The experience that I had during
the internship is that I had to do small talk not only with the local guests,
de JAVA Hotel Bandung. However, I found difficulty to do small talk with
guests from Australia who joined together in a group under the name of
Philip Trebilcock. When I did small talk with them, I did not understand
what they said, even though I should have become accustomed to
listening in English from studying in DIII English Program.
I choose the topic “Handling My Difficulty in Doing Small Talk With
Guests From Australia As a Front Officer During My Internship in De JAVA
Hotel Bandung” for several reasons. As a front officer, I should be able to
communicate with the hotel guests as well as possible in order to make
them satisfied and feel comfortable. However, I found that small talk with
the Australian guests made me really nervous. I also felt uncomfortable
during the conversation. In addition, it is important to find a solution to this
problem because the solution will help me to do small talk easily and
successfully in the future. Thus, I will analyze this problem critically and
systematically, based on the principles of scientific research, so that I can
find the best solution to solve my problem.
B. Identification of the Problem
The problem that I am going to discuss in this paper is formulated as
follows:
1. Why did I have difficulty in doing small talk with guests from
Australia at de JAVA Hotel?
3. How should I overcome the difficulty in doing small talk with guests
from Australia?
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
The objective of this term paper is to find out the causes and effects of
the problem, and to provide the best solutions for the problem. There are
some benefits for the institution, the readers, and also for me as the writer
of this term paper. The benefit for de JAVA Hotel Bandung is that the other
employees, especially the front officers who work for this institution, will
know what to do to solve a similar problem. The benefit for the readers is
they can apply the best solution to do small talk with others, especially with
Australians. Last but not least, the benefit for me as the writer is I will be
able to do small talk with other guests who also come from Australia.
D. Description of the Institution
Based on the hotel profile (Appendix B) that was given by Mr. Uky
Triwibowo as the secretary of Human Resources Department in de JAVA
Hotel Bandung, the hotel was founded by PT Suki Panca Jaya, whose
owner is Mr. Sukiamto Candra. The hotel was built on 10 March 2013. The
hotel is located on Jalan Sukajadi no. 148-150 Bandung. Additonally, the
hotel is strategically located, just opposite the highly reputable Paris Van
Java Mall, and just 10 minutes away from Pasteur toll gate. The location
presently makes it the perfect choice to stay. De JAVA Hotel Bandung is a
existense in the modern era, where the guests can feel the combination of
comfort and friendliness. De JAVA Hotel Bandung offers a variety types of
accommodation, including 82 Deluxe Rooms, 4 Executive Rooms, 2 Suite
Rooms, restaurant, pool, laundry, lounge, meeting facilites, and also a
branded bags boutique.
De JAVA Hotel has a vision to become a national and international
hotel by offering the best hospitality services, makes their guests feel at
home, and makes their employees can work as a team (par. 8).
De JAVA Hotel also has a mission statement that is divided into five
groups. First, for their guests, the hotel “are commited to exceeding the
expectations of their guests through the dedicated, friendly, and warm
hospitality services that make them feel at home and cannot resist to come
back and make de JAVA Hotel as the only choice for their hotel” (par. 9).
Second, for their employees, the hotel “are committed to nurture the
continuous learning and skill improvement” (par. 10). Third, for their
distinctiveness, the hotel “shall continue to be the most famous hotel and
become the one stop vacation in Bandung” (par. 11). Fourth, the hotel “will
create extraordinary values for their shareholder” (par. 12). Fifth, for their
environment, the hotel “is committed to use the natural products and
recycling items, thus ensuring proper use of the diminishing natural
E. Method of the Study
In doing this study, I applied two methods, namely, field research and
library research. For the field research, I did my observation during my
internship in de JAVA Hotel. The data from the observation were recorded
in the internship journal. For the library research, the data gathered were
from printed and Internet resources.
F. Limitation of the Study
This study focuses on the problem I found when making small talk with
guests from Australia. I had the problem when I did my internship from 1
July 2013 until 25 July 2013. The subject of the research is myself, as a
front officer in de JAVA Hotel Bandung.
G. Organization of the Term Paper
This term paper starts with Abstract which is a summary of the term
paper written in Indonesian. It is followed by Declaration of Originality,
Acknowledgments, and Table of Contents. This term paper is divided into
four chapters. The first chapter consists of Background of the Study,
Identification of the Problem, Objective and Benefits of the Study, History
of the Institution, Method of the Study, and Organization of the Term
Paper. The second chapter discusses the causes and also the effects of
my problem. The third chapter discusses potential solutions, with their
discusses the conclusion of my analysis in this term paper.The term paper
CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION
In the previous chapters, I have discussed my difficulty in doing small
talk with guests from Australia during my internship from 1 July 2013 until
25 July 2013 in de JAVA Hotel Bandung. The causes of the problem are I
am not familiar with the Australian accent and pronunciation, and I had a
lack of English vocabulary. This problem also gave some effects. Those
effects are I was nervous when speaking with guests from Australia andI
felt uncomfortable during the small talk. To solve the problem, I propose
three potential solutions. The first potential solution is I will learn to use
appropriate non-verbal communication for Australians.The second
potential solution I will find out what topics are suitable to use for small talk
with Australian guests. Then, the third potential solution is I will have more
practice in listening to the Australian accent and pronunciation.
In my opinion, the best potential solution to solve my problem is a
combination of all the potential solutions. First of all, I will find out about
some topics that are suitable to use during small talk with Australian
talk and I will not be at a loss for words. After that, I will have more
practice in listening to the Australian accent and pronunciation. It will help
me to understand what Australians say during the conversation. Then, I
will learn to use appropriate non-verbal communication that I can apply
during the small talk with Australian guests. I choose to apply all of the
potential solutions because when all of them are applied, those potential
solutions will support one another and will create successful small talk with
Australian guests. Besides this, those potential solutions can help me
cope with the causes of the problem. If I find out some topics that are
suitable to use during the small talk with Australian guests, I will be
prepared with what to talk about, including the vocabulary needed to talk
about the topic. If I practise listening more to the Australian accent and
pronunciation, I will become familiar with it and also understand what the
Australian guests are saying during the small talk. Then, if I find out about
appropriate non-verbal communication, it will help me to do small talk
more smoothly with Australian guests. Thus, it shows that applying all of
the potential solutions is the best way to do small talk with Australian
guests.
The combination of all these potential solutions is the best choice.
However, there is one thing that must be considered, which is being aware
of individual differences during the small talk. Although I have already
known the appropriate non-verbal communication, the suitable topics, and
be familiar with Australian guests’ pronunciation and accent in general,
different interests. Thus, I suggest that the front officers should be aware
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