81. Tact in Communication

Tact is about knowing when to say what to whom.

We were four friends who had booked two rooms at the resort. The butler said to our small group, "There is a choice of breakfast venues - either at A or B. But this is only for rooms of higher category, and as both your rooms are the basic deluxe, you can only have breakfast at A."

Feedback: Ouch. Keep away from what we cannot enjoy, but focus on what we can or have access to. Skip words and phrases like "basic" and "you can only have..."

As my husband and I were repeat guests at the resort, the butler happily announced looking at my husband and I: "As repeat guests you get 20% off at our restaurants and spa" before turning to our friends and adding, "Sorry, but not for your room."

Feedback: This can be done more discreetly when leading the two guests to their room and announcing their additional benefit separately.


Reflective thoughts: List down all the perceived negative words and phrases (e.g. You cannot, you must not). Be mindful of how our communication may not be as tactful as what we meant to convey. Have your team members practise their "normal" speech with one another or conduct a conversational role play and have the others share their feedback. It is likely to shed some insights on the different perspectives.

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