1. Mama’s Subs
LESSON 2: EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION

2. Mastering effective communication involves
six steps:
1. Saying what you mean and meaning what you say
2. Using nonverbal communication
3. Putting words together: grammar
4. Asking the correct questions and answering
questions correctly
5. Dealing with the customer when they say no
6. Listening actively
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

3. By the end of this lesson you should know:
How to say things in the right way to convey the right
message
How body language and other forms of nonverbal
communication impact your message to the
customer
How to use proper grammar when speaking with
customers
How to ask the correct questions
How to answer customers’ questions correctly
How to deal with customers when they say no
How to listen effectively to customers
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

4.  When you communicate with customers at Mama’s Subs, you
can either speak or listen
 As the speaker, you control the conversation
 As long as you say something that interests your
customer, you have their attention
 As the speaker, it is your responsibility to get your message
across the way you mean it–you may not get a second chance
to explain
STEP 1: SAYING WHAT YOU
MEAN/MEANING WHAT YOU SAY

5. Choose the right words
 Think before you speak
 Choose words that the listener will understand
 Opt for easy and familiar words when describing the menu
items to customers:
 “Would you like chips with your order” vs. “May I assist you in
developing your order with the addition of chips?”
Add welcome words your vocabulary
 When you use words that sound positive and confident, you will
project a positive and confident attitude
 Use welcoming words such as:
 Sure!
 Definitely!
 Absolutely!
SAY WHAT YOU MEAN

6.  Make sure your tone fits the message you are
sending
 How you say something can be more important than what you
say
 In addition to choosing the right words, think about what tone
you should use to convey them
 If you’re tone is negative, the message may also be conceived
in negative terms
 When speaking to a customer who is upset, use a
serious, helpful tone
 When asking a customer if you can help, use an enthusiastic
tone
 When asking a customer a question, use a tone that shows you
are truly interested in the answer
 Pay attention to nonverbal cues to make sure your tone fits
your customer
SAY WHAT YOU MEAN

7. Be professional
While Mama’s Subs strives to maintain rapport
with customers, there is a point at which what
you say can be unprofessional
Keep conversations with customers on a
professional level
Do not ask intruding or personal questions to
customers
Talk to them in a respectful manner
Treat them as you would treat a respected boss
SAY WHAT YOU MEAN

8.  As has already been mentioned, how you say something can
be more important than the words you choose
 You can choose the right words and use the appropriate
tone, but still send a different message to customers through
nonverbal communication
 Your appearance and behavior when you talk with customers
are also important for nonverbal communication
STEP 2: USING NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION

9. Remember that actions speak louder than
words
 You may have a great attitude and personality, but your actions
leave a lasting impression on your customers
 Always be aware of your body language to make sure that you
are sending the right nonverbal messages
Smile often
 A smile is one of the most powerful messages you can send
 A smile makes the customer feel welcome
 Get in the habit of smiling often
 When you make a habit of smiling, your smile will look more
natural
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

10.  Make eye contact
 If you are uncomfortable making eye contact when you
speak, first get into the habit of making eye contact when you
listen
 Once you are comfortable doing that, then try to make eye
contact when you speak
 Wandering eyes send the message that you are bored
 Keep your energy level steady
 Choose healthy, nutritious foods that will give you long-lasting
energy (e.g., some of the lighter options at Mama’s Subs)
 If you start feeling drowsy during the shift, breathe deeply and
do a few stretches
 Maintaining posture also helps keep energy levels up
 Try to get enough rest in your daily life
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

11.  Proper grammar is critical for effective communication
 When you use proper grammar, it is easier to communicate
messages to customers
 Proper grammar is important for taking orders and dealing
with monetary (cash, credit, or debit) transactions
 It is also important for handling any issues customers may
have
 Proper grammar signals to the customer that you are an
effective communicator
STEP 3: PUTTING WORDS TOGETHER:
GRAMMAR

12.  Reflect Mama’s Subs’ personality
 At work, you are the voice for Mama’s Subs
 You should always choose words that reflect the restaurant
 For example:
 “Hi! Welcome to Mama’s Subs, where we make subs just as good
as mama does. How can I help you today?”
 Notice in the previous example how professional, yet somewhat
informal the greeting was
 While some so-called “fine-dining” restaurants may require
their employees to use formal language when speaking with
customers (e.g., “Hello” instead of “Hi!”), Mama’s Subs is all
about casual, welcoming (yet professional) communication
GRAMMAR

13.  Speak Clearly
 Using overly casual terms or running words together can make a
message difficult for some people to understand
 Get in the habit of using the correct words in their correct form
 EX: saying “Hi” instead of “Hey, man”
 Speak clearly, and you will present yourself as an
intelligent, competent person
 Avoid using slang, jargon, or shorthand terms related
to working at Mama’s Subs
 Customers are not likely to know jargon or terms related to working
at Mama’s Subs
 This may cause confusion and frustration as the customer tries to
specify how they would like their food
 Explain items on the menu, deals on orders, and any pricing
information using language that customers will understand
GRAMMAR

14.  Customers ask questions to gather information: information
about the food, the prices, deals, children’s options, etc.
 Typically, you will ask questions to complete an order, solve a
customer’s problems, or resolve a customer’s complaint
 There are two types of questions:
 Open questions: require more than a yes or no answer and encourage
the responder to provide information
 Closed questions: require only a one-word (e.g., yes vs. no) or short
answer and are often used for clarification purposes
STEP 4: ASKING THE CORRECT QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS
CORRECTLY

15.  Keep your questions simple
 Stick with one type of question
 When you lump two types of questions together, you run the risk that
customers may not register all the responses they need to give
 If a question is long and involved (e.g., determining what kind of
combo they may want), break it down:
 Employee: “Would you like to add the $1.99 medium combo to your sub
today?”
 Customer: “Yes, please.
 Employee: “Great. What kind of drink would you like?”
 Customer: “A Coke if you have it.”
 Employee: “We sure do! And with that side item, what kind of drink would
you like?”
 Customer: “Chips, please.”
 Notice in the previous example that the employee at the cash register
broke the question up by asking each individual part separately
ASKING/ANSWERING QUESTIONS

16.  Before answering a customer’s question, make sure
you understand it
 If you do not understand a customer’s question, recap it or ask
a clarifying question question rather than guessing the answer:
 Customer: “I want that combo deal you have with my order.”
 Employee: “Do you mean the $1.99 medium combo or the $2.49
large combo?”
 Customer: “The $2.49 large combo.”
 Also, never answer a question unless you are sure your answer
is accurate
 It is better to say “I don’t know, but I can find out for you” than
giving an answer that may be incorrect
ASKING/ANSWERING QUESTIONS

17. Try to give more than a one-word answer
 No matter which questioning technique customers
use, answer as though the question is open ended
 Giving more than a one-word answer can have an added
bonus: you can generate sales:
 Customer: “Can I get chips with the $1.99 combo?”
 Employee: “Yes, ma’am! Or you can get potato
salad, coleslaw, fruit, or yogurt. You can also add extra side items
to your for only $0.64.”
 Notice in the above example that the customer now has
many options to choose from
 They may decide to order more than one side item as well
ASKING/ANSWERING QUESTIONS

18.  You will definitely have to deal with customers who say no
 When you offer a valid solution and your customer says
no, your job is to uncover the reasons for your customer’s
objections
 When you get a real reason for the objection, you can figure
out the best solution for that particular customer
STEP 5: DEALING WITH CUSTOMERS
WHEN THEY SAY NO

19.  Listen to the customer’s objection
 To learn the reason behind the no, ask a combination of open and
closed questions
 You need to understand why the customer is saying no so you can
best help them
 Acknowledge the objection
 Always validate the customer’s reason and then respond with a
positive statement:
 Customer: “I do not want the $2.49 deal. It is too pricey.”
 Employee: “I can understand that the price seems too high, but it is only
$0.50 higher than the $1.99 combo, and the drink is twice as large as the
drink in the $1.99 combo.”
 After acknowledging the question, follow up with “how does that
sound?”
WHEN CUSTOMERS SAY NO

20. Consider the customer’s answer to your
proposal for their objection
The customer’s response will determine whether they
are objecting because they do not agree with your
proposal or whether they are looking for more
information
In the previous example, if the customer says “that
costs too much for me”, do not press the issue
further
If the customer responds with “twice as large? How
man ounces is that?”, proceed to answering their
question and getting the sale locked in
WHEN CUSTOMERS SAY NO

21.  Speaking is important because you are delivering a
message, but listening is often more important because you
cannot communicate the message without listening to the
customer carefully
 If you do not listen to the message, you might easily give the
wrong response
STEP 6: LISTENING ACTIVELY

22.  Focus entirely on the customer
 Think of the customer you are helping as the only customer in the
restaurant
 When you are listening to the customer, stay interested (even of the
message is long)
 Nod occasionally and say something like “I see”, “tell me more”, or
“hmmm” to show you are listening
 If your customer gets off track, politely interrupt and ask some
clarifying questions to take control of the conversation
 Listen completely
 When you listen and talk at the same time, you do neither effectively
 Pay attention to the customer
 Try not to think of your response while the customer is talking
 Wait until the question is winding down before thinking of how you want to
respond
LISTENING ACTIVELY

23.  Handle interruptions from other customers professionally
 If another customer interrupts you while you are listening to your
customer, explain to the interrupter that you will be with them as
soon as you are done helping your customer
 If it is an unavoidable interruption, excuse yourself momentarily from
your customer to answer the other person then quickly return
attention and apologize for the interruption
 Remain objective
 Before drawing a conclusion or making a judgment, gather as much
information as you can
 This will help you avoid jumping to conclusions
 Listen for what is not said
 Pay attention to the customer’s nonverbal communication
 Pay attention to what customers are really saying
 If a customer appears on edge or upset, show empathy in your replies
LISTENING ACTIVELY