ENG233 Course Syllabus

College of Tourism and Hospitality

Sripatum University

ENG233 English for Room Division Operations

Course Outline: Second Semester 2016

Course Description

The use of communicative English in the room division context, focusing on vocabulary and expressions often found in the front office and housekeeping divisions. Documentation formulations regarding the room division operations are included.   

Course Objectives

After having studied the course, students should be able to

1.      Have knowledge of vocabulary and expressions, and able to use them create sentences under the context of room division operations,

2.      Communicate with confidence within the area of front office and housekeeping operations.   

Course Policies

            Students’ contribution and participation in in-class activities are the focus of the course. Therefore, students are expected to keep up with the course plan as specified in the tentative schedule. Individual, pair, and group works are employed throughout the course to provide students with opportunities to practice their presentation skills. Lectures and explanations are also available for the language purposes and the clarification of technical terms.

Course Material

Utawanit. K. (2013). Communicative English for Hotel Personnel. Bangkok: Thammasat University Press. 

Time and Venue

Wednesdays, 15.00 – 16.40 hours, room 11-1101

Thursdays, 15.00 – 16.40 hours, room 11-805

Course Evaluation

                        Attendance                                           5        points

                        Presentation Project 1                        10        points

                        Presentation Project 2                        10        points

                        Term Report                                       15        points

Midterm examination                         30        points

Final Examination                              30        points

Total                                                   100      points

Students are required to have at least 80 percent attendance (maximum 6 absences allowed) in order to be eligible to take the final examination.

Grading Criterion

                        80-100             A                                 60-64               C

                        75-79               B+                               55-59               D+

                        70-74               B                                 50-54               D

                        65-69               C+                               0-49                 F

Tentative Class Schedule

Weeks	Dates	Contents	Remarks
1	11-12 Jan	Orientation Handout: In-room amenities and facilities Handout: Front office facilities
2	18-19 Jan	Part 1: The Reception Unit 1: Taking a Reservation by Phone 1.1  Accepting a reservation 1.2  Giving information about the hotel 1.3  The client doesn’t know how long he’ll be staying 1.4  Getting details of arrival
3	25-26 Jan	Unit 2: At the Reception Desk 2.1 Checking in 2.2 Helping to fill in the registration       form 2.3 Dealing with a reservation problem 2.4 Extending a reservation
4	1-2 Feb	Unit 3: The Cashier 3.1 Changing money 3.2 Paying in cash 3.3 Paying with traveller’ cheques 3.4 Paying with a credit card
5	8-9 Feb	3.5 Paying with a personal cheque 3.6 Not accepting a personal cheque
6	15-16 Feb	Presentation Project 1*
7	22-23 Feb	Course wrap up
8	27 Feb-3 Mar	Midterm Examination	Date to be announced
9	8-9 Mar	Part 2: The Information Unit 1: Giving and Taking Messages 1.1  Taking a message by phone 1.2  Leaving a message at the information desk 1.3  Sending someone up to a room 1.4  Dealing with an emergency
10	15-16 Mar	Unit 2: Services 2.1 Changing an airline ticket 2.2 Wanting to go sightseeing 2.3 Finding a good restaurant 2.4 Sending a letter 2.5 Shopping at a hotel arcade
11	22-23 Mar	Unit 3: Giving Someone Directions 3.1 Telling the way to the bank 3.2 Telling the way to the post office 3.3 Telling the way to the shopping       center 3.4 Telling the way to the Grand Palace
12	29-30 Mar	Part 4: The Telephone Unit 1: Switchboard Operator 1.1  Taking an incoming call 1.2  Making a long distance call 1.3  Waking the client up
13	5-6 Apr	Unit 2: Room Service 2.1 Ordering breakfast 2.2 Ordering some drinks	6 Apr (Chakri Day)
14	10-14 Apr	n/a	6-17 Apr. (Songkran Festival and Family Day)
15	19-20 Apr	Unit 3: The Housekeeper 3.1 Laundry 3.2 Asking for some more towels and       extra pillows 3.3 Dealing with complaints
16	26-27 Apr	Presentation Project 2**
17	3-4 May	Term Report Presentation*** Course Wrap up	1 May (Labour Day) 5 May (Coronation Day)
18		Final  Examination	Date to be announced

Presentation Project 1*

Objectives:                  1. To demonstrate the vocabulary bank and expressions used in the reception context 

                                    2. To show the communication effectiveness when conversing in the

reception context

Type of activity:          Pair work (2 students)

Duration:                     Approx. 10 minutes

Directions:                   1. Students create a scenario relating to the reception operations.

                                    2. Students plan a theme of their presentation.

3. Students create a script of a monolog and/or a dialog using appropriate words and expressions

4. Students rehearse their presentation to ensure the flow, sequence, verbal and non-verbal languages.

5. Students make and edit the video clip of their presentation and submit it online.   

6. Students perform their presentation in front of the class.

Evaluation:                  The full score is 10 points. (5 points for the video clip, and 5 points for the live presentation)

                                    The scoring is based on the communication effectiveness which can be divided into

                                    Language fluency = 2 points,

Content creativity and appropriateness = 2 points,

Language accuracy = 1 point.

Presentation Project 2**

Objectives:                  1. To demonstrate the vocabulary bank and expressions used in the front office services

2. To show the communication effectiveness when conversing in the front office context

Type of activity:          Pair work (2 students)

Duration:                     Approx. 10 minutes

Directions:                   1. Students create a scenario relating to the reception operations.

                                    2. Students plan a theme of their presentation.

3. Students create a script of a monolog and/or dialog using appropriate words and expressions

4. Students rehearse their presentation to ensure the flow, sequence, verbal and non-verbal languages.

5. Students make and edit the video clip of their presentation and submit it online.   

6. Students perform their presentation in front of the class.

Evaluation:                  The full score is 10 points. (5 points for the video clip, and 5 points for the live presentation)

                                    The scoring is based on the communication effectiveness which can be divided into

                                    Language fluency = 2 points,

Content creativity and appropriateness = 2 points,

Language accuracy = 1 point.

Term Report***

Objectives:                  1. To demonstrate the vocabulary bank and expressions used in the room division context as a whole

2. To encourage students to experience authentic experiences in the field of room operations

                                    3. To show the communication skills in terms of writing and speaking

Type of activity:          Group work (3 students)

Duration:                     Approx. 10 minutes for the presentation  

Directions:                   1. Students select a position within the hotel room operations (front office and housekeeping).

2. Students design and make an outline of their report paper. This may include their job description, their working routines, helpful tips for the job, and so on.

3. Students prepare a series of questions to interview the hotel personnel of their interests.

4. Students digest the information and create their term paper.

5. Students submit the term paper on the designated date.

6. Students make a presentation of their term paper in front of the class.  
7. Each student is to be asked a series of questions by the instructor regarding the hotel position they present. (5 points)  

Evaluation:                  The full score is 10 points. (5 points for the paper; points for the live presentation; 5 points for individual questions)

                                    The scoring is based on the communication effectiveness which can be divided into

                                    Language fluency = 2 points,

Content creativity and appropriateness = 2 points,

Language accuracy = 1 point.

ENG336 Section 3

Here are some interesting new words that we came across today.
1. audience
2. diversity
3. identity
4. reserve, preserve, keep
5. interrupt
6. address
7. on behalf of
8. value
9. beyond expectation
10. provide, deliver, offer
11. engage

ENG336 Basic presentation content

BASIC PRESENTATION CONTENT

I. INTRODUCTION

            A. Greeting the audience

            B. Who: Introducing presenters

            C. Getting the audience’s attention   

D. Why: Stating the purpose (Thesis statement)

            E. What: Giving a preview (Supporting ideas 1, 2, 3)

F. How: Managing the talk by giving the audience instructions about timing, note taking, or questions.

           

II. BODY

A.    Main point 1 à Description/ clarification àsupporting reasons or evidences   

B.     Main point 2 à Description/ clarification à supporting reasons or evidences  

C.     Main point 3 à Description/ clarification à supporting reasons or evidences  

Transitional signals should be used for the audience to follow easily.

III. CONCLUSION

A.    Summarizing (Review of main points 1, 2, 3)

B.     Ending with a final remark

BASIC RULES FOR VISUALS

I. Keep the visuals simple

A.    Avoid the overuse of special effects

B.     Large and minimal text

C.     Use high quality, meaningful, and attractive pictures

BASIC RULES FOR DELIVERY

I. Verbal language

A.    Use simple words

B.     Use appropriate volume, pace, and clear pronunciation

C.     Use pausing, emphasizing, and transitional signals  

II. Non-verbal language

A.    Use eye contact

B.     Use appropriate hand and body gestures

C.     Be confident, positive, and relaxed

            Rehearsal is very important to make the presentation flow smoothly

ENG336 Opening a presentation

Opening a presentation

Giving a presentation is like taking your audience on a journey.  At the start, your audience needs some basic information so they can accompany you on this journey. Once they have this information, they should be on your side and ready to pay attention. So begin by telling them the Who, the Why, the What and the How.

Who

Introduce yourself, either formally or informally, depending on the audience.

Formal: On behalf of ABC company, I would like to welcome you here today. My name is David Davis and I am responsible for…

Informal: How’s everybody doing today. I think most of you know me but for those of you who don’t, I’m David Davis and I’m head of marketing here at ABC.

Why

Tell your audience the destination – the reason they’re here to listen to you today.

For example: What I’d like to do today is tell you how to change your life for the better.

What

Outline the roadmap for the journey – the main points you are going to cover. Audiences listen better when they know the structure and shape of your presentation.

For example: Today I want to cover three things. I want to start with …, then I want to talk about… and finally we will look at…..

How

Clear up any questions the audience may have about how the presentation is going to unfold, such as:

Timing: My talk shouldn’t take longer than 20 minutes of your time.

Notes: You don’t need to take notes since I will be passing out handouts after my talk.

Questions: Feel free to interrupt me with questions during the presentation.

   Or…

     I’ll be taking questions / leaving time for questions… at the end of my talk, so I’ll ask you to please hold off until then.

Getting your audience’s attention:

After covering the who, why, what, and how, it is essential to “hook” your audience, i.e., make them curious and interested in what you will talk about. Three good techniques to do this are the question technique, the amazing facts technique and the story/anecdote technique.

Examples:

Question technique: Begin by asking the audience a rhetorical question and tell them you will provide the answer in your presentation.

TOPIC- Meeting deadlines: Have you ever had a lot of work to do on a short deadline? Well, today I’m going to talk about the solution to this problem.

Or

TOPIC – American culture:  How many people here today have wondered why Americans talk so loud that everyone in the restaurant they are eating in can hear their conversation? This afternoon, I am going to explain the reason for this.

Amazing facts technique: Give them some amazing fact that is related to the topic of your presentation.

TOPIC - Bangkok:  According to a survey of the readers of Travel and Leisure magazine, Bangkok is the number one city in the world.  This afternoon I’m going to try to explain why they feel this way.  

Story technique: Tell the audience a personal anecdote that relates in some way to the topic of your presentation. It should be a story that your audience can relate to and understand.

TOPIC – Deciding on a career: You know, when I was 21, I didn’t know what to do with my life. Then my friend told me I should do what I love as a career – baking cookies. Now I have my own cookie factory. Today I’m going to tell you how I did it!

Practice opening a presentation:

Practice getting your audience’s attention by completing the following sentences with your own creative ideas. Work in small groups using the techniques from the previous page to open presentations on the following topics:

A) Presentation Topic: Songkran

QUESTION TECHNIQUE 1.      Did you know that…………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….         Well, this morning I am going to …………………………………………………………………….. 2.      How many people here today have wondered why…………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

B) Presentation Topic: Amazing Thailand

AMAZING FACTS TECHNIQUE 1.        According to the TAT,……………………………………………………………………………………? 2.        According to a recent survey,……..…………………………………………………………………..? 3.        Statistics show that………………………………………………………………………………………..?

C) Presentation Topic: Success/Overcoming obstacles

STORY TECHNIQUE 1.      You know, a few years ago I ………………………………………………………………………….. 2.      Have you ever been in a situation where ……………………………………………………….?        Let me tell you what happened to me.  I was …………………………………………………..        ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

Warm-up activity ENG336

It's a good idea to keep diary during the Presentation in English course. Start your diary by writing about the points below.
1. Write three reasons why presentations are important in your job, your area of business, or your studies.
2. Write three things you like about presenting.
3. Write three reasons why presenting in English is problematic for you.
4. Write five targets for yourself in presenting in English.

Book for ENG336

This is the book we will be using this semester for ENG336.

Williams, J. E. (2008). Presentations in English. Oxford: Macmillan Publishers Limited. 

You can make a purchase at SPU Book Store.