From Skill Training to Interaction Design

This chapter critically explored the current business communication training, particularly approaches that treat communication as a transferable skill. Drawing on recent literature and hotel training cases, it argues that such approaches often remain fragmented, procedural, and insufficiently aligned with the complexity of real service interactions. Frontline communication is instead understood as a situated and adaptive process shaped by context, emotion, and interaction. To address this gap, the chapter explores a Project-Based Learning (PBL) approach that shifts the training from generic skill acquisition towards interaction design. It presents Micro-PBL, adapted through the LivePBL DEEP framework, as a methodology for organising communication training through small-scale, context-sensitive interaction scenarios. A series of design cases, including reception, complaint handling, and intercultural guest interactions, illustrates how communication training can be reorganised as a dynamic, reflective learning process.