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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.

 

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