By Martin R. Baird

I had a wonderful experience recently when I had the opportunity to observe employee training rather than facilitate it. 

To put this in perspective, I’ve had the privilege of facilitating the training of close to 10,000 casino employees across the country.  So it’s a big deal when I have the chance to observe a session.  It’s like a pilot who has flown an aircraft for years sitting in the back for the first time.

The training I observed was facilitated by one of our associates and it was done in Spanish.  By the way, I don’t speak Spanish.  The participants were entry-level employees in the less-glamorous areas of the casino. They were dishwashers and

less-experienced cooks from food and beverage.  They were from environmental services and work hard to clean up after people who often act more like barnyard animals than humans.

I’m about to share my observations from this two-day session with you.  And for general managers and executives who have read this far, please don’t think this is just a "training" article and that you should stop reading and forward it to the training department.  As Fat Albert said, "If you’re not careful, you just may learn something."

Observation No. 1:  An inspired person is an asset that appreciates in value.

As the training progressed and the participants received information in the language that they were most comfortable with, I could see a change in them.  They started reserved and shy, but once they became accustomed to having a venue to share their ideas and concerns, they went through a noticeable transformation.

This change was confirmed after the training was over when the lady who manages environmental services dropped by.  She reported an amazing difference in her employees.  Her people were all laughing and smiling.  They were all talking about how much fun they had and how much they had learned. 

These are not highly paid people, but they can have an amazing impact on a guest’s experience.  They were inspired and their value as an asset to the casino had grown.

Observation No. 2:  People learn more when they’re having fun, when they’re comfortable and when they feel important.  Because the participants in the session received their training in Spanish, they felt comfortable and important.  Most of the employees at this particular casino speak English and the non-English-speaking staff can often feel uncomfortable and out of the loop.

I know that first hand.  I spent two days in a room with people speaking only in Spanish and all I understood was my name and the word bathroom.

It wasn’t much fun when 35 people were laughing and I hadn’t a clue what the joke was about.  It was also unsettling when I heard my name and people laughed.  What’s going on?  I’m not enjoying this!  When you don’t understand the language, it’s very difficult to feel appreciated and important.

Observation No. 3:  If you’re not talking the people’s language, you’re missing amazing opportunities.  The employees who participated in the training learned and experienced what was shared with them.  In turn, the casino learned from them.  They shared some great insight into the ways some things do and don’t work and management found it enlightening.

If your manager doesn’t speak your language, the dialogue between the two of you is limited.  Monolog isn’t a great format for running a casino.  Information needs to flow in both directions and from all levels.

With Hispanics comprising the largest minority group in our population, training and sharing of information in Spanish isn’t an option, it’s a necessity.  The number of people who speak Spanish as their primary language is skyrocketing and the number of people who speak English but are more comfortable communicating in Spanish is even larger.

With the growth of casinos in the Southwest and California, it’s clear that the number of Spanish-speaking employees has only one way to go and that is dramatically up.  That means that offering training in Spanish is more than a warm and fuzzy idea.

Observation No. 4:  Spanish-speaking employees are increasingly valuable because the number of Spanish-speaking guests continues to grow.  These guests have good jobs and they’re looking for entertainment.  Your casino could be the answer, but they will only come if employees understand what they’re saying.

Observation No. 5:  When casino executives listen, employees feel valued and appreciated.  The general manager of the property invested 30 minutes of his time to talk with these people through our facilitator and they felt important.  They asked questions in their native language and got real-time answers back in Spanish.  It was a wonderful experience for all involved.

The business of gaming is changing by the second.  Some of you will read this article and say, "Maybe we’ll do that some day."  Others will read this and say, "We need to do this now!"

Who do you think has chosen the right path for managing a successful casino? 

Martin R. Baird is the founder of Robinson & Associates, Inc.  Phoenix, Ariz.-based Robinson & Associates is a leader in the area of gaming guest service consulting.  For more than eight years, it has specialized in helping casinos develop innovative and cost effective strategies to improve their guests’ experience and improve employee morale.  Robinson & Associates is an associate member of the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) and is on the board of directors of the Casino Management Association (CMA).

Baird is also a highly regarded speaker and trainer.  He has developed and presented numerous programs for casinos and gaming associations across the country.  He has worked with such companies as Pinnacle Entertainment, Casino Arizona, Casino Magic, Cactus Jack’s Casino, Cache Creek Casino and Gila River Casinos, just to name a few.  Some of the associations Baird has spoken to are NIGA, CMA and the Canadian Gaming Summit.  He has conducted training for national and international audiences.  Baird’s programs are directed at helping people learn the skills they need to help their guests while also having a fun time.

Baird writes for a number of gaming industry publications, including Casino Journal, Global Gaming Business, Casino Enterprise Management and Gaming Products & Services and is now a regular columnist for Native American Casino.  He’s working on a new book for the gaming industry titled "Gaming Guest Service from A to Z" and plans to have it out in the fall of 2003.  He also has a Web site just for the gaming industry, www.casinoguestservice.com.