Thought leadership from the brightest minds in hospitality training. Subscribe to our Training Flash E-Newsletter to get the latest articles right in your inbox.
A perfect quiz score doesn’t mean someone can do the job. Better training starts with defining what successful performance looks like. Replace vague objectives like “understand” with observable “I can” statements, then build practice and assessment around those behaviors. When learners know what they need to do and why it…
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As more guests order through third-party apps, they experience our hospitality in a kitchen or car we’ll never see. Our training needs to catch up. That means assigning clear ownership before orders leave, catching mistakes while we can still fix them, and giving teams the authority to resolve problems without…
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Great guest experiences start with teams who feel supported and prepared. That means listening before building more training, earning trust, and making learning relevant and easy to access. When we coach hospitality consistently and use technology to free up time for human connection, we give teams the confidence to create…
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A warm welcome and a friendly send-off can do more than make guests feel good - research showed a 63% lift in overall satisfaction when both were present. Friendliness also supports sales and helps cushion any service missteps. It's a simple message backed by a lot of data: Friendliness matters.
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Career conversations go beyond goals and performance to uncover what energizes people and where they want to grow. Start with curiosity, act on what you hear, and agree on next steps. Helping employees recognize their progress builds confidence, even when their ambitions lead beyond your team. Developing people is leading.
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Feedback can trigger defensiveness before your message lands. Building trust means lowering the threat while keeping standards high. Give clear, specific feedback, receive it with curiosity, and follow up with coaching and accountability. Better feedback takes practice, and one honest conversation is a good place to start.
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The hospitality industry may need to prepare for a significant change in how homelessness affects its employees and businesses. With chronic homelessness up 41% since 2020 and upcoming policy shifts affecting resources, hospitality trainers and leaders have a critical role to play. Teaching employees to lead with respect, use de-escalation…
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Development happens when associates can confidently participate, practice, and apply what they learn. Across the 200+ hotels managed by Pyramid Global Hospitality, offering programs in multiple languages is helping employees build skills, pursue certifications, and grow into leadership opportunities. Multilingual learning is about removing barriers so talent can be seen.
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Hospitality rarely delivers challenges one at a time, so our training shouldn’t stop at isolated skills. Once managers know how to handle common issues and situations they will encounter on the job, the next step is helping them practice when several priorities collide. By making scenarios messier, less predictable, and…
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Among CHART President Jennifer Belk White's takeaways from the Boston conference is something Ty Bennett addressed in his opening keynote: the concept of unlearning. Unlearning - intentionally discarding old habits, skills, and behaviors that no longer serve you - makes room for growth and learning new ways of doing things.
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At the QSR Evolution conference last week in Atlanta, I had the chance to hear a lively and candid panel discussion on “The Best Advice I Ever Received (and the Worst).” The audience walked away with some insights and lessons of our own! Here’s my recap of this fun session.
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This article was inspired by my and James Frank’s breakout session at the CHART Boston 110 Hospitality Training Conference. When we talk about belonging at work, it can be tempting to think of it as an HR initiative or a leadership responsibility. But as hospitality trainers, we…
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I recently had the opportunity to facilitate a breakout session with Shannon Ciccotelli titled “Built to Win: How Great Leaders Build, Retain, and Unleash Great Teams.” Like most presenters, I walked in with a plan, a PowerPoint deck, and a perspective I’d formed over years of leading…
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View from Above Recap from CHART 110 Boston Hospitality Training Conference…
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One of the most thought-provoking breakout sessions at the recent CHART Conference in Boston wasn’t about coaching models, communication strategies, or performance management. It began with a deceptively simple question. What are your five non-negotiable values? During his breakout session, “Build a Team That Believes,” Brant Menswar…
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When training professionals picture influence, we often imagine a formal moment when all eyes are on us: an executive presentation, a budget discussion, or the opportunity to recommend a major initiative to the people who can approve it. We prepare our slides, polish our talking points, anticipate difficult questions, and…
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A shortage of time has surpassed even tight budgets as the biggest constraint for 55% of hospitality training leaders according to the 2026 Hospitality Training 360 Report. During the breakout on this topic at CHART 110 Boston, the panelists shared practical fixes that fit real operations, including five-minute pre-shifts, scripted…
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Training doesn’t need flashy tech or a big budget to be memorable - sometimes a simple puzzle, song, game, or high-five is enough to change the energy in the room. In the "Unboring Your Training" breakout at CHART 110 Boston, Rose Waltz was reminded that playful, purposeful moments can turn…
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Reflecting on his time as CHART’s Education Strategist, Curt Archambault shares how his definition of leadership shifted from being in the spotlight to helping others shine. He discovered that leadership is less about collecting credit and more about creating the confidence and opportunities that help others discover what they can…
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No training department, no budget, no curriculum showing up in the mail — just you and a list of things that need to happen. Lessons from a 2026 National Restaurant Association panel on building an effective training program from scratch using the tools and people you already have.
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