How to give a great tour

What makes a great tour? What made it bad? Think about your worst tour experience What made it bad? How would you make it better? What would you want to see and know? Pinpoint your favorite things or places. If you are interested, show them. Dirty Secrets! Share the funny, gross, bizarre stories that make history interesting. If you find it funny, laugh. They will laugh with you. What makes a great tour?

Tips to being a great Guide Face the crowd, not what you’re talking about. Be personable. Get to know your guests. Tell a story. Get moving right away. Don’t worry about being perfect. End on time, (Or try very hard to). Spontaneity is good. Have a plan, but be flexible. Smile and enjoy yourself. Admit you don’t know everything. Speak loudly and clearly. Face the crowd, not what you’re talking about. 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 “deputize” somebody in the crowd to interrupt you if they can’t hear you. Be personal. No matter how much we love buildings, it’s a fact that people connect with people. So it’s good to have a few personal anecdotes 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. Get to know your guests. People give tours for many reasons, but a big one is to meet new people, and the time before the tour is a great chance to get to know your group. Tell a story (historical or contemporary). Make sure you have a few fun and compelling stories to tell about the buildings and 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. Get moving right away. Tours often get bogged down before they ever begin with tour guides doing the “big wind-up”―introductions, setting the theme, providing context, etc. Plan to scrap 90% of it Don’t worry about being perfect. People don’t expect you to be perfect. Set the stage for human imperfection by acknowledging that people who may know more than you should speak up and share their knowledge with the group. The more interactive the tour is, the better! End on time. (Or try very hard to.) 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. An hour to an hour and a half is better. Spontaneity is good. A great tour guide is a gifted story teller who is passionate about the attraction he’s showing you. His historical accounts will take you back in time. He’ll weave in personal anecdotes about what it’s like to live there including the good, the bad, and the ugly… and you’ll even laugh. Have a plan, but be flexible. Being organized can help keep you on time and able to get though all you have to say but be prepared to go in a different direction. Sometimes a gallery you plan on going to next is packed with people, know an alternative route and come back later. Smile and enjoy yourself. If you are enjoying yourself, your guests will pick up on that and they will enjoy your tour all the more. Admit you don’t know everything. No one knows everything, embrace it. Give the information you know accurately and if guests have more information, invite them to share. Also, you will not know the answer to every question. Tell them you don’t know, but would be happy to find out and get back to them by phone or email. Speak loudly and clearly. Your guests need to be able to hear you properly so they can digest the information you tell them and to remain engaged.

Sources: https://savingplaces.org/stories/10-tuesday-tips-good-tour-guide#.WUg4t-vyvct http://www.solimarinternational.com/resources-page/blog/item/150-5-characteristics-of-a-great-tour-guide http://justwanderlustblog.com/2014/01/the-difference-between-a-good-tour-guide-a-great-tour-guide/ https://www.trekksoft.com/en/blog/7-qualities-every-good-tour-guide-needs Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jaJjcOesU0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW6OAQbiPZs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VWPHKABRQA