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Overview
Tour guide can be a dream job, because it lets you travel and share your passion and knowledge of a city,
a site or a culture. However, it’s a seasonal job, often paid per assignment. How can you retain your
clientele and employers?
A tour guide is a professional, generally independent, who assists a group of tourists throughout their
trip. He takes charge of organization, activities and smooth running of the tour.
Tour guides who have a strong mastery of key skills and fundamental knowledge of the profession are
obviously likely to be more successful than their less trained colleagues whose basic aptitudes are
exploited less and have lower value. The essential tasks range from planning a trip to writing the trip’s
report and include building a relationship of trust with travellers and consulting local media.
If you're hoping to pursue a tour guide position, it's important to understand the essential skills that are
required for the job and how to develop them.
What are tour guiding skills?
Tour guiding skills are techniques that individuals use when giving a guided tour to an audience. Tour guides
often use their skills in historical landmarks, museums, parks, resorts and cities, helping travelers and guests
learn more about the location they're visiting and answering any of their questions. They can also give
different types of tours, including bus tours, walking tours or even tours on boats and horse carriages.
Communication
tour guides can use during their workday as they
relay important information to their audience. It's
also important because it can allow tour guides to
give clear and concise instructions to the tour group
so they know how to follow safety regulations and
understand when to turn down a certain trail or
road during a walking tour.
Improvisation
improvisation to give an effective and
entertaining tour to their audience. If a tour
guide works in an environment they can't
always control, it's possible that some things
might occur which they need to work around.
For example, if a tour guide works in a
museum, it's possible that a display may be
removed or closed for the day. When this
occurs, it's helpful for the guide to change their
normal tour and add new information to
ensure they meet the tour's promised time
limit.
impressive memories so that they can give accurate
and consistent information. It's also important for
tour guides to have a powerful memory when
answering the questions of the tour group and
providing them with helpful details.
Time management
because it allows them to time their tours
effectively. Sometimes, museums, national parks and
other establishments offer guests tours of a
specified length, such as thirty minutes to three
hours. When individuals take those tours, they
expect tour guides to deliver the information they
need in that certain amount of time. That's why it's
important for tour guides to be aware of the time
and how much information they can relay or how
many questions they can answer before moving on
to a new topic of the tour.
Sense of humor
be important for tour guides, especially when wanting
to deliver an entertaining tour. While delivering their
tour, guides might use humor or jokes to help
present the information to guests and provide them
with a more memorable experience. The jokes can
help tourists understand the information a little
better, and possibly help create a fun atmosphere.
When individuals are comfortable in a fun
atmosphere, they might also feel more encouraged to
ask questions and participate more in the tour.
Passion for knowledge
A passion for the knowledge a tour guide is relaying
is important for their career because it can help them
thoroughly understand the information they're
presenting and deliver it with more excitement. It's
also possible that some tourists might feel more
excited about their tour when they see their tour
guide has a passion for the subjects or topics. A
passion for knowledge and teaching can also allow
tour guides to help guests learn the details of the
tour more effectively and answer their questions to
increase their understanding.
to engage charismatically with numerous tourists.
It is a plus to have natural charisma. Each day and
every tour will be unique, so tour guides must
consistently find opportunities to be charming,
interesting, delightful, funny and friendly. This helps
groups enjoy one another, which can make the
tour more appealing.
Multilingual
Hands down, when a tour guide delivers a tour in a guest’s first language, it makes a world of difference.
Although English has become a universal language and many tourists prefer confident, English-speaking
guides, a tour guide who can switch it up depending on the tour group will be much more appreciated
than a handheld audio guide.
Plus, this versatility is beneficial to the tour operator for plenty of reasons, such as:
• it allows them to appeal to a broader audience
• it gives guests more choice and personalization
• it represents diversity and inclusion
Professionalism
professional attitude at all times. Even when not
working, quality guides exhibit behaviors that are
representative of who they are. Professionalism
helps audiences see the tour guide as a credible
and reliable source. Being professional includes
essential attributes such as being honest, well
groomed, punctual, attentive and courteous.
How to improve tour guiding skills
Study the material
Before starting your career as a tour guide, it's important
to thoroughly understand the information you're
presenting. Having a strong understanding of the
information can help you present it more effectively and
easily answer questions the audience might ask. When
studying the material, though many employers provide
their tour guides with helpful information to learn,
consider performing your own independent research
using online resources, videos and books to help you
understand the information more effectively. Conducting
independent research can also help you learn fun and
interesting facts you can relay to tourists to attract their
attention more easily.
page or form that lists some of the tourists' most
commonly asked questions about the subject you're
presenting. Creating this document can help you
prepare the answers to these questions before you
give the tour so you can answer them more
effectively when presenting information to the
tour's audience. When creating an FAQ document,
it's helpful to write down any questions you had
when learning the material. If you had questions
about some areas of the tour's information, chances
are a tourist might need clarification as well.
Practice the tour
Practicing the tour is a great way to know if you're delivering the information effectively and if it fits
within any pre-determined time constraints. When practicing, it's helpful to give the tour to family, friends
or colleagues and ask for their feedback. Understanding if the tour was confusing, too long or not
charismatic enough can help you make adjustments to your delivery and develop your tour guiding skills.
It's also beneficial to ask if they had any questions about the information you delivered. Learning about
your family or friends' questions can help you determine what types of questions tourists might ask and
allow you to further develop your FAQ document.
Take some tours
understand how other tour guides structure their
material and deliver a quality experience to their
audience. When searching for tours to take, it's
beneficial to seek a tour that closely resembles
your own. For example, if you work or want to
work as a tour guide in a national park, it's helpful
to take tours at a national park. Understanding
how other tour guides deliver their information
and interact with tourists can help you develop
your own tour guiding skills and structure your
tour accordingly.
• Delivering safety guidelines: Sometimes
or regulations, especially when delivering a
tour in a motorized vehicle or boat. When
delivering safety guidelines, it's important for
tour guides to use effective communication
and ensure the tourists understand what
rules to follow.
• Answering questions: When
communication and passion for
knowledge to demonstrate excitement
use their sense of humor skills to deliver
an entertaining answer that individuals
will remember after the tour is
complete.
closed or shut down during a tour, it's
important for guides to use quick
improvisational skills to redirect the tour
group. When improvising, it's also helpful
for tour guides to rely on their time
management skills to ensure the tour
doesn't go over or under the promised
time limit.
Conclusion
With ever-changing public health guidelines, it’s almost certain you will have to change your approach to
your business. This may prove more difficult in some instances than others, for example, if you’re running
a small boat tour and social distancing may well be near impossible. Be conscious that some of your
guests may be more nervous than others in social situations and always keep your guests’ comfort a top

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