Abandon Nest

If you’re going to go out to eat you want to get good service. Great service just makes for a better dining experience. I am here to tell you the 3 best ways to guarantee better service for you and your party. Let’s get started.

• Smile - This is extremely important. When you first walk into a restaurant, look directly at your hostess and smile. This isn’t some half hearted movement of your lips either. If you’re not flashing a genuine grin at your hostess, this will not work. If you do, you’ll brighten her day and probably get a better table. Once you’re seated and your waiter comes, smile at him too. He’ll like the fact that you’re nice and probably a good tipper and provide you with more prompt refills and other perks.
• Order with class - You have the menu in front of you. Look through it and decide what you want. If you’re getting a cut of meat, think about how you want your meat cooked. Look at the available side dishes and pick which one you want. When your waiter is taking your order, get it all out clearly and succinctly. If you don’t, you’ll cause the waiter to be flustered and they will stop coming to your table so often.
• Become a regular - If there is a restaurant that you frequent often, you’ll get the best treatment if you become a regular. Go there at the same time every week. Order similar things and try to get the same hostess/waiter combination. Tip well and you’ll be well-liked. You’ll get preference over other patrons, the fastest service, and other perks.

If you want really great service, treat your servers like the real people that they are. Talk to them and make sure you appreciate the job they’re doing. Don’t treat them as indentured servants who live only to serve you. Do that, and you might have your food spit on. If you were serving people food for a living, would you rather see a happy smiling patron or scowling impatient one? Think about it next time you go out.

I was never really a big family guy growing up. Once I hit high school I had football in the fall/winter and a job in the spring/summer so I was always gone. I spent almost no time at home, and that was normal for my family. After my brother got a car, he was always gone too. In spite of the fact that we’re only a year apart, we never really hung out. My sister, quite a few years younger than I, was too small to do the things that I thought were cool until recently, so she was out of the picture too. Parents? I didn’t hang out with them, what teenager does?
After moving out on my own, I began to realize how important the intangible relationship with your family members is. I’ve never really been that lonely while I’ve been down here because of the support and love that I get, be it in person or over the phone. My family has been very supportive since I’ve moved away, and I’m thankful to them for this.
Because of my experiences, I’ve come to feel it is of the utmost importance to keep in touch with your family when you move out on your own. You can have all your independence and freedom and responsibility and still call home twice a week. I know that talking to my brother for a half hour every couple of days really cheers me up and makes me happy. It’s something that I really can’t explain, and needs to be experienced by each person individually.
So, get on the phone and call your mom, your dad, your brother or sister. Why not call your grandma or grandpa and tell them what’s going on in your life? I’m sure they’ll be glad to hear it and happy to know that you’re doing all right out on your own (grandparents are like that). Shoot your aunts and uncles an email every once in the while and send a card on holidays. Do whatever you’ve got to do to reach out to those in your family and you’ll soon realize the emotional, mental, and physical boost they can give to your life, even from afar.

Every day I have to talk with people from China and India. Being from the Midwest of the United States, this concept is nearly totally foreign to me (get it, foreign… I’m awesome when it comes to puns).  Anyways, as I’ve gotten better at talking to these people, I’ve compiled a set of tips to share. Read and learn my soon to be multi-cultural communicators.

• Don’t yell over the phone - Most businesspeople from overseas know and understand English quite well. You don’t have to sit there and yell over the conference call line to get your point across. In fact, you’ll probably be looked on as rude and loud. Talk in a normal speaking tone.
• Listen intently - Face it, you may have trouble understanding someone because of an accent or their lack of great English skills. However, listening with a careful ear will allow you to avoid any embarassing misunderstandings that may arise.
• Ask for a repeat - A lot of the time if you don’t hear something, just ask your contact to repeat their statement or question. They’ll be happy to oblige and, in all likelihood, they’ll more carefully word their response.
• Compliment their English - I’ll tell you the truth. A lot of the Indian guys I speak to have better English skills then most of my friends. That speaks volumes for their work ethic and drive. If you get a chance, compliment them on their skills. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.
• Use the written word - If all else fails, use a nonverbal communication device like instant messenger or email. That way, both parties are more likely to understand what is going on. I like using email because you have a record of what was said. That way if something does go awry, you have documents to back yourself up.

Employ these tips and you should be communicating well with people from around the world in no time.