This week there were many changing things here at Pizzafari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Last week the hurricane came by and while we in Orlando received lots of rain, the parks were very empty. The slow crowds continued this week but picked up by the end of the week. As well as the crowd changes, we have a new mobile order system and set up and lots of new cast members. While all of these changes are very welcome, during these new times for everyone, one thing that is very important to make everything run smoothly, Communication.
I’ve always been a very communicative person, because I always want everyone to feel comfortable and be in the loop on what is going on. At Pizzafari we have these radios so that we can communicate what is going on with each other and when we use them effectively, they are a great tool to have. However, if not, everyone is using the radio or if the radio cuts off the communication is lost. The radio can also be very confusing if multiple people are talking to them about many different things. To resolve this, we might need to repeat ourselves multiple times or go face to face with the people we are trying to communicate with. This lack of communication sometimes results in frustration and high tensions.
When this happens, it is very important to ground yourself and focus on doing one thing at a time and to work as a team to do the tasks at hand. These experiences have taught me the importance of communicating with your team so that everyone is on the same page. I always thought communication was very important but only really learned what clear communication and what you can do to achieve it looks like. From these situations I have learned I am a very proactive person and I jump in to help right away. I am learning new skills concepts and things about myself every day.
Till Next Time,
Nicole
Your reflections are thoughtful and well constructed, as this reflection suggests, you do communicate well.
Radios! Standards must be established and then taught. Having so many changes at one time can complicate established standards. New people will need to reject their initial expectations, long term users need to share and reinforce acceptable use while also realizing when a new suggestion may actually make communication more efficient. None of this is easy.
What have you done to make communication more efficient?