Preparing Hospitality and Tourism Students to Lead a Diverse Workforce

Abstract

Hospitality and tourism graduates must be prepared to lead a diverse employee population. This study helps students gain the perspective of non-English speakers. It identifies barriers that occur in a multicultural environment and provides tools to communicate despite language hurdles. This exploratory study found that a combination of gestures and demonstration were the most valuable nonverbal forms of communication. Participants could empathize with non-English speakers even though they believed immigrants should learn enough of the language to be effective. The participants thought that it was difficult to stress the exact details when leading non-English speakers.