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Hello, I’m Jenna and I’m from Wall Street English.
Today I’m going to be giving you six tips for being a good tour guide.
1. Face the crowd
Tour guides often get so wrapped up in their subject they forget to face the people they are addressing. One secret to avoid this is to pick somebody in the crowd to interrupt you and let you know if they can’t hear you.
2. Be personal
No matter how much we love sightseeing, it’s a fact that people connect with people. So it’s good to have a few short personal stories ready, even if they’re just about past tours you’ve done. You’ll build a more personal connection to your group and create a memorable tour.
3. Tell a story
Make sure you have a few fun and compelling stories to tell about the sites you’re looking at. People are more likely to feel engaged when they are listening to a story, rather than a list of dates and names.
4. Get moving right away
Tours often get bogged down before they ever begin with tour guides doing a long introduction, setting the theme, providing context, etc. Plan to limit this to as short a time as possible.
5. End on time
Try like crazy to end on time. Nobody wants to feel like they are in tour jail. Tours on paper always seem too short and on the ground are always too long. Two hours is the absolute maximum. However, an hour to an hour and a half is better.
6. Send a follow-up email
It could be something as simple as a “thank you” note. If you can follow the tour with more contact, either by email or otherwise, it’s just another step towards creating a better link between the tour taker and yourself.
“Always have a backup plan in case it rains.” Don’t worry, people will come out in the rain, and it’s so much easier than rescheduling.
Well that’s all for this time. Goodbye!
