Nine Steps to Better Public Tours
1 Assess the group through casual conversation prior to touring. Get a sense of what they hope to see and why they are taking your tour.
2 Don’t memorize a talk. Know the subject matter and speak about it.
3 Allow your own personality to show. It will make you feel more relaxed and allow you to communicate more effectively.
4 Project your voice so everyone can hear you. Don’t strain or shout as that makes your voice shift to a higher register and makes it less understandable.
5 Involve your audience through conversation and questioning. Simply listening becomes tedious and tiresome fairly quickly.
6 Before moving, tell your group where you are going next. People may become distracted or need to make a detour, but want to re-join the group.
7 Since new visitors may join your tour while it is in progress, don’t presume continuity when teaching. Make each stop “self-referential,” in other words – – don’t refer to previously viewed items without providing an informative explanation.
8 Wait for your group to fully assemble before you begin speaking at the next stop.
9 Try to make certain everyone has an opportunity to see and hear.