Читать книгу Start & Run a Tour Guiding Business - Barbara Braidwood Susan Boyce & Richard Cropp - Страница 62

Here are some tips from experienced guides to help you prepare sparkling commentary that will keep everyone listening eagerly.

(a) A four-hour lecture read directly from notes is boring to both you and the tour members. Be as dramatic as your comfort level and professionalism allow. Build suspense and excitement. Deliver your commentary with different inflections and gestures, and vary the pace, being sure to use and explain any colorful or unusual local jargon such as “the briny,” a British term for the sea.

(b) Stay on topic, but be aware of each group’s individual interests. One first-time guide was amazed to discover his group was more interested in golf and souvenir shopping than anything he had to say about the Grand Canyon.

(c) Encourage questions, then paraphrase and repeat them back to the entire group before you answer. This allows everyone to understand what you are answering. It also acknowledges the merit of the question, and makes the person who asked it feel they are a valued member of the group. Questions can spark new areas for you to research, which will benefit all future tours. If one person is curious about the way an earthquake-proof building is constructed, you can be sure others are too.

(d) Personal anecdotes add spice. Personal opinions can be annoying or even insulting.

(e) We use many empty qualifiers and sweeping generalizations in day-to-day speech. Best, worst, a lot of, nice, fantastic, or pretty are all phrases to avoid. They add fluff but no substance and are often inaccurate. A comment such as “A lot of pretty nice flowers are in this fantastic botanical garden” will curl most anyone’s hair whether they are interested in flowers or not.

(f) We have five senses, so draw on all of them. Is it hot or cold? How does the freshly cut hay smell, or the roast duck from the market? Is it so silent you can hear the leaves rustle or are jackhammers pounding behind you? Is the fabric spun by local weavers silky smooth or coarse and abrasive?