In any customer service position, such as being a tour guide, certain personalities and group configurations will present challenges. For example, a group of rambunctious teens may be rowdy, rude, and high-spirited, and their joking around and hijinks may make them difficult for a tour guide to control.
Another example of a challenging group would be a group with several people who are quite elderly and/or in wheelchairs. To deal with this group, a compassionate tour guide would need to ensure that any accessibility challenges are dealt with before the tour starts. Elevators could be used, rather than stairs (if possible), and the pace of the tour could be slowed to allow for lots of assistance between guide and clientele.
Certain cultures may have different conceptions of what good manners and good leadership are. To get a sense of other cultural mores regarding manners, gender roles, and so on, a tour guide should read up on other cultures and how they interact in group situations.
Being a good tour guide is mostly about organization and simply being a friendly, caring person who likes to see people enjoying themselves. The best tour guides will devote themselves to presenting an enthusiastic demeanour, and they will not get too stressed about the little problems that are bound to crop up in group situations. Keeping a sense of humour, while also keeping an eye on the bigger picture (i.e. Safety issues, schedules, logistics) is what the business of being a tour guide is all about.
Learning about becoming a tour guide will be easier when you visit hospitality websites where people in the tour guide business tend to hang out - look for online forums, message boards, and chat rooms where you can meet tour guides and pick their brains.
- Other challenges
Another example of a challenging group would be a group with several people who are quite elderly and/or in wheelchairs. To deal with this group, a compassionate tour guide would need to ensure that any accessibility challenges are dealt with before the tour starts. Elevators could be used, rather than stairs (if possible), and the pace of the tour could be slowed to allow for lots of assistance between guide and clientele.
- Cultural challenges
Certain cultures may have different conceptions of what good manners and good leadership are. To get a sense of other cultural mores regarding manners, gender roles, and so on, a tour guide should read up on other cultures and how they interact in group situations.
- Traits of a good tour guide
Being a good tour guide is mostly about organization and simply being a friendly, caring person who likes to see people enjoying themselves. The best tour guides will devote themselves to presenting an enthusiastic demeanour, and they will not get too stressed about the little problems that are bound to crop up in group situations. Keeping a sense of humour, while also keeping an eye on the bigger picture (i.e. Safety issues, schedules, logistics) is what the business of being a tour guide is all about.
Learning about becoming a tour guide will be easier when you visit hospitality websites where people in the tour guide business tend to hang out - look for online forums, message boards, and chat rooms where you can meet tour guides and pick their brains.
