Handling my Listening Difficulty when Communicating with the Foreign Guests During my Internship as a Guest Service Agent at Grand Setiabudi Hotel & Apartment.

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Universitas Kristen Maranatha

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ABSTRACT

Dalam penyusunan Tugas Akhir ini, saya menganalisis masalah yang saya hadapi selama melaksanakan program magang di Grand Setiabudi Hotel dan Apartment, yaitu kesulitan saya dalam kemampuan mendengarkan (Listening Skill) ketika berkomunikasi dengan tamu asing. Subjek penelitian adalah saya sendiri, khususnya ketika sedang berinteraksi dengan tamu asing sebagai staf GSA (Guest Service Agent) di Grand Setiabudi Hotel dan Apartment.

Berdasarkan analisis, masalah ini terjadi disebabkan oleh beberapa faktor yaitu kurangnya penggunaan kontak mata saat berkomunikasi dengan tamu, saya mengalami gangguan psikologis yang disebabkan oleh rasa cemas dan keadaan suasana hati yang tidak stabil. Selain itu, beberapa tamu asing tidak dapat menggunakan Bahasa Inggris dengan lancar. Kesulitan dalam mendengarkan tersebut membawa beberapa dampak negatif terhadap saya dan juga tamu yaitu terjadinya kesalahpahaman mengenai penyampaian pesan yang menyebabkan saya sulit untuk menjalin komunikasi secara efektif dengan tamu. Oleh karena itu saya mencari solusi untuk menangani masalah yang saya hadapi. Solusi yang pertama, saya akan menerapkan metode mendengarkan secara aktif yaitu dengan cara fokus mendengarkan ketika berkomunikasi dengan tamu. Yang kedua, saya akan mendengarkan secara efektif dengan tidak memotong pembicaraan ketika berkomunikasi. Ketiga, saya harus menggunakan kontak mata sebaik mungkin ketika berkomunikasi.

Setelah melakukan analisis, saya memutuskan untuk menggabungkan dua solusi sebagai jalan keluar terbaik untuk menangani kesulitan dalam

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

The topic that I choose for my term paper is handling my listening difficulty

during communication with the foreign guests at Grand Setiabudi Hotel &

Apartment. There are two reasons why I take this topic. The first reason is

because listening skill is important to build an effective communication between

the guests and Guest Service Agent (GSA). A GSA is required to greet the guests,

give information to the guest, responsible for arranging the in and

check-out process of the hotel, take phone calls, answering various questions from the

guests, and take reservation room. Moreover, English communication is essential

in the hospitality industry, especially for the front office staff at Grand Setiabudi

Hotel & Apartment, who often receive foreign guests. As Grover (2013) says,

“poor listening is a negative character trait that many people have. It is negative

because it ultimately affects communication and leaves a negative impact on

others” (para. 1). In the same way, in an article entitled Poor listening skill, it is

stated that “such poor listening makes good communication almost impossible”

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Another reason why I am interested in this topic is because it refers to the

problem that I often faced when I had to communicate with foreign guests. During

my internship period as a GSA, which started from December 21st, 2015 to

January 31st, 2016, I handled some foreign guests from Australia, United Arab

Emirates, Singapore, and Thailand. Poor listening skill was my main problem,

which sometimes made it difficult for me to deal with the guests. I had difficulty

to listen effectively as well as accurately to the guests. For instance, when I

handled an Autralian guest who aksed about the Wi-Fi ID, I sometimes could not

catch the message well. In this case, I felt it difficult for me to communicate with

the guest effectively. This problem is important to analyze in order to improve my

English skills, especially the listening skill, which is related to communication

process required in the hospitality industry. Thus, I am going to analyze the

problem systematically and critically to find out the best solution to overcome my

problem.

B. Identification of the Problem

In this term paper, I would like to analyze the problem by answering the

following questions:

1. Why did I have listening difficulties during communicating with the

foreign guests?

2. How did the problem affect my communication process with the guests?

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C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study

The study has three objectives. First, I would like to analyze why I found it

hard to listen effectively to foreign guests. Second, I would like to find out the

effects of my problem. Third, I would like to find the best solution to overcome

my problem.

By writing this term paper, I expect that I can give some benefits for the

institution, for the readers and for me as the writer. For the institution, this term

paper can give suggestions and offer some solutions to overcome the problem of

handling listening difficulty during communication with foreign guests. As the

writer, I will also get more knowledge to improve my listening skill. For the

Management, Grand Setiabudi Hotel & Apartment is a service management

company located on Jl. Setiabudi 130-134 Bandung. The hotel and apartment

have been operating since 2004 under BIRD Management. The owners are Mr.

Chandra Tambayong and Mrs. Susiani Margono.

Grand Setiabudi Hotel & Apartment is a four-star hotel which consists of 19

floors, with 187 apartment rooms and 66 hotel rooms. It is equipped by many

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center, a restaurant, a mini market, and six meeting rooms. Moreover, the vision

of Grand Setiabudi Hotel is to become a clean, cool, and comfortable hotel which

will have loyal customers. The mission is to become a hotel which runs consistent

service of excellence in order to increase the number of loyal customers, to apply

multitasking program for the staff, and to increase good communication in

creating harmony between the owner, occupants, and management.

There are seven types of rooms at Grand Setiabudi Hotel & Apartment:

1. Superior.

2. Deluxe.

3. Super Deluxe.

4. Junior Suite.

5. Executive Suite.

6. Grand Suite.

7. Presidential Suite.

E. Method of Study

In writing this term paper I applied two research methods. The first method is

field research, in which I did observations during my internship at Grand

Setiabudi Hotel & Apartment. The data I got from the observation were recorded

in my internship journal. The second method is library research, in which I looked

for theories from both printed and electronic resources. The data is used to align

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F. Limitation of the Study

The study only focused on my listening difficulty during communication with

foreign guests during my internship as a GSA at Grand Setiabudi Hotel and

Apartment in Bandung. The internship was done from 21 December, 2015 to 31

January, 2016.

G. Organization of the Term Paper

My term paper starts with the Abstract and it is followed by Declaration of

Originality, Acknowledgements, and Table of Contents. The term paper consists

of four chapters. The first part is Chapter I, the Introduction, containing

Background of the Study, which defines the reason I choose the topic to be

analyzed, Identification of the Problem, Objectives and Benefits of the Study,

Description of the Institution, Method of the Study, Limitation of the Study, and

Organization of the Term Paper. Afterwards, there is Chapter II, the Problem

Analysis, which covers the causes and effects of the problem. The next chapter is

Chapter III, which discusses three potential solutions, with the analysis of their

negative and positive effects. Chapter IV, the Conclusion, is the last chapter in

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CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION

During my internship as a GSA at Grand Setiabudi Hotel & Apartment, I faced

a problem in handling my listening difficulty during communication with foreign

guests. There are several causes which could lead to my problem. First, I created

physical distance with the speaker by not making proper eye contact. Second, I

experienced psychological noise when listening. Third, some foreign guests did

not speak English fluently. This problem has created two negative effects, both for

the guests and for me.The first effect is there was misunderstandings between the

guest and me. Second, I became ineffective in communicating with the guests.

Therefore, I suggest three potential solutions to solve my problem. The first

potential solution is I will focus on listening to the person whom I talk to, or in

other words, do active listening. Second, I will do effective listening by not

interrupting while communicating. Third, I should make good eye contact while

listening to the speakers.

After analyzing the problem in the previous chapters, I would like to choose

the best solutions to overcome my problem. I decide to choose the second and

third potential solutions, as the best solution for my problem. The reason why I

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misunderstanding between the guests and me. Second, I will have a better

performance in doing my duties as a GSA. Third, I can build good comminication

with the guests. I do not apply the first potential solution because I think that

when I am not interrupting during communicating with the guests and make good

eye contact, I will automatically be able to focus on listening with the person

whom I talk to.

To conclude this term paper, I would like to present several points based on my

internship experience. I realize a person working as a GSA or front office staff in

a hotel should be able to commicate properly. To communicate properly with the

guest needs mastering language skills. When dealing with foreign guests, a GSA

must be able to communicate effectively in English with the guests. Thus, those

who want to be a GSA, should improve their English skills, so that he or she can

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