Chapter Eight
Presentation skills for tour guides 
Presenting information and commentaries to visitors is a key part of the tour guiding role. Presentation and commentaries include interesting facts and stories about the place, the country, its history, people, culture, anything that is relevant to the place that is being visited. In some cases this might be the natural history such as the flora and fauna, or the cultural traditions of the indigenous people. It could be fun anecdotes about famous people that lived/died in the area, or details of battles fought.
Commentaries are usually done on a tour bus, boat or on-board other transport – either en-route to the place or as part of an ongoing commentary to make the journey itself a key part of the tour. Commentaries are often carried out using a microphone in order to reach as many people as possible, and sometimes without seeing the people to whom you are talking. Boat trips around the lake in Queenstown, for example, include fascinating and detailed commentary for the entire 3 hours of the trip, but passengers cannot see the guide who works from an enclosed cabin on the upper deck out of the reach of passengers. This doesn’t adversely affect the enjoyment of the tour, but the guide has to work harder to get the passengers attention, gain rapport with the passengers, and keep the interest along the way.
Presentations are usually conducted face-to-face at a tourism site or attraction. For an on-site tour guide, the vocal delivery is important. These presentations or tour commentaries may be referred to as “guide speak”.
A presentation enables the tour guide to show himself as the leader and the one responsible for the group. A presentation helps the tour guide to establish control over the group, and enables the presenter to identify who is following and who is not. A presentation standardises the information passed to all. Tour guides who work in busy places such as Venice, Florence, Paris and London become very skilled at gathering their group together at the start of the tour, and in keeping them together, attentive and alert during the whole tour. They will often use a visual device, such as an umbrella or unusual hat, which they can wave about as a signal to the group to follow them as they weave in and out of the crowds along the way.
Guide speak is a form of public speaking, and as such engages similar characteristics as other forms of public speaking – a fundamental aspect to the job of the tour guide.
Use of short, simple, clear words: Simple phrases not convoluted meandering. The commentary should be succinct and clear.
Focus is on the topic or sight: It is must be authentic and stay on track.
Not to be overlooked is appearance.
Plan The Tour Commentary
As with any public presentation or commentary you will need to plan ahead by following these basic steps:
- Establish the needs and interests of the tour group
- Confirm the itinerary details, such as duration, features of the tour
- Access and research sources of information about the sights to be visited
- Prepare the text based on these facts and any additional anecdotes that might be relevant
- Read through the text several times, practicing the delivery so you won’t need to rely on notes
Delivery Of Tour Commentary
The way in which you deliver the commentary may vary depending on whether you are delivering en route, such as on a tour bus, or face-to-face at the tour attraction or destination. There are some general principles to bear in mind:
Introduce yourself to the group along with a short bio, such as ‘Good morning – my name is Sally and I’ll be your tour guide this morning. I’ve lived in Rome for the past 2 years and am looking forward to spending time with you today and sharing some of the fascinating history of this wonderful city’
Make your commentary interesting, relevant, simple, and deliver it in a logical sequence.
Be sensitive to the interests of the group and try to tailor it to the group.
Seek feedback throughout the tour to ensure that you are holding the tour visitors’ attention.
Respond to visitor questions as accurately and positively as you can, but be honest! People would rather you something like: ‘That’s a great question but I’ve not come across that before so leave it with me and I’ll try to get an answer for you before the end of the tour’ than you fabricating some information!
When you don’t have the answer or information to hand, use some downtime in the tour to refer to any guide books to hand or other reference sources to try to find the answer. Visitors really appreciate you valuing their question, and their time, and will appreciate the effort put in on their behalf.
Focus on what you and your visitors can see, and on what you know. Be specific, share the facts and paint a word picture about the site or attraction.
Be flexible and accommodating towards members of your tour group: make sure everybody can hear you, take time to draw in the people at the back, make eye contact with them all and allow the group to question, comment and take part actively in the tour.
Allow enough time at each stop so that the visitors can fully enjoy the tour, digest the information you are sharing, take photographs etc.
Anticipate questions from your group, and be ready to share the answers with the whole group not just the person who asks the question as invariably there will be other members of the group who are thinking the same thing!
Whilst you may take this tour often and know the commentary well, make the time to keep your content and delivery style up to date so the visitor feels it is fresh and alive, and not simply recycled every day!
Include new or revised information on the tour, include recent anecdotes or stories, and work towards continuous improvement in your delivery.
One of the ways in which good tour guides keep their commentary fresh is to look at the sight or attraction through the eyes of a new visitor. What would a new visitor like to know about it? Which are the most interesting aspects of it, and how could you tell its story so as to maintain their interest throughout the tour?
Commentary & Delivery on a Bus/Boat
The delivery of a bus tour commentary is unique for the step-on guide, city guides, on-site guides using buses or trams and for tour guides on residential tours..
Guiding Duties
Here are some tips and considerations for these guiding duties.
Position is the key
Find the best place to stand that is not illegal, according to traffic laws or that would obstruct the driver’s view of the road or side mirrors. For the tour guide, sitting at the front of the bus allows communication with the driver at times on relevant matters. It also offsets public speaking fears as the guide is backing the visitors and there is no face to face contact. However this positioning may cause loss of attention from listening to a disembodied voice. The guide should stand up from time to time and speak to the group while facing them.
Passing attractions affect delivery and pace
At the start of the tour let your group know what you mean by ‘left and right’. Is it the guide’s left or the visitor’s left?
Bear in mind that almost all transport has some viewing blocks that will restrict the passengers views of the sights. As the tour guide you will be sat in the front of the bus with a fantastic panoramic window in front, just like the driver!
Be specific with your directions – its not enough to say ‘over there’ and to point….you should say ‘to the front and on your left’…
Practice timing the delivery of the comments – “coming up on the right…” so that as the vehicle approaches the sight the passengers are already looking towards the correct place. There is nothing more infuriating as a tour passenger to be told ‘we just passed the most famous building in the world’ and you’ve no chance to see it as its now long gone!
If you can dictate the route, use a circular itinerary so you can double back along important streets and this will allow visitors on both sides of the vehicle a better viewing opportunity.
Pace the commentary according to the speed of the vehicle and traffic flow
Sometimes there may be nothing of interest to see, and other times there is so much to talk about you have to pick and choose the best bits! Stretch your commentary during the dull phases with stories and anecdotes, and at other times pick up the pace and ignite your group with the interesting sights you are passing.
Guides must be story tellers and conjure up images with words and descriptions. It’s good to add personal comments if you live in the area word pictures and narrations. At times add personal comments if you live in the area being toured as it helps bring the tour alive, but be selective with the stories!
Don’t speak non-stop! Aim to speak around 80% of the time and leave some thinking/quiet time for the passengers to chat amongst themselves and to digest what you have said.
Avoid using pre-prepared notes as prompters
It’s good to make notes while you are learning your ‘guide speak’ but if you rely on them during tours the passengers may lose confidence in your knowledge, you may drop or lose them and lose confidence yourself!
What is a Passenger Announcement System? 
A PA system is basically an audio system of microphone and amplifiers/speakers used to transmit a message to groups of people across a large area.
Any messages conveyed using a PA system should be short, informative and relevant. Some issues with PA system are:
- Passengers often cannot understand announcements because of poor quality
- Staff do not have enough time to concentrate on the announcements
- Language difficulties
Great focus on the content and clarity of the message will reduce passenger confusion and help the general understanding of the information.
Some automated systems can make announcements in a range of languages. This reduces the need for guiding staff to make routine commentary in a range of language. These automated system are usually based on GPS, prompting the system to generate particular messages are particular points/sights.
Coach based passenger announcements
Most coach based systems operate quite simply with a hand held microphone.
Regular announcements include:
- Welcome on board
- Get seated and strapped in for departure
- Emergency evacuation systems
- Information on trip duration, route, weather, next hotel
- Introductions of driver
- Details of refreshment stops
- Reminders about no-smoking, stay seated
- Welcome to your destination!
- Disembarkation & hotel check-in process
Most tour companies have well prepared ‘scripts’ that guides learn and these are made available as cue-cards at the PA system so that the announcement flows well, is clear and unambiguous.
Tour guides working on coaches, boats and cruises will become very familiar with the use of the on-board PA System and its microphone. Some guides try to not use these systems but without the microphone you will have real difficulty projecting your voice evenly to the whole group. If you talk very loudly the people near you will feel as if you are shouting whilst the people at the rear of the group will be struggling to hear you, particularly if there are other external noises such as traffic, or other groups of people.
The technical tips for using a ‘mic’ are relatively standard:
Hold the microphone about 30 centimeters away from your face and speak in a normal voice tone. Can the group all hear you? If not, speak a little louder and hold the mic a little closer, but not too close as you may experience a whining noise called ‘feedback’.
If possible turn round in your seat to face the group, but safety restrictions on board the bus may mean that you have to sit forward facing. Work hard at projecting your voice, altering the pitch and speed of the words from time to time to vary the delivery just as you would do in a face to face presentation. Some tour buses may feature a wireless microphone or headset which allow greater movement for the tour guide. These are well worth trying but you may need some practice to perfect the delivery using the headset.
Delivering Commentaries on Walking Tours
If you are tour guiding on a walking tour there are some additional factors to take on board. Firstly, make sure that the pace of the walk is appropriate to the group, and to the tour itself. This isn’t a race! The tour guide must always be in the front, leading the tour and ensuring that the group are close behind. Keep an eye on the group to watch for slow walkers, fatigue setting in, and adjust the pace as needed.
It isn’t necessary to talk while walking, especially as you’ll be facing away from the group and they won’t hear you! Restrict your formal commentary to moments when you stop walking, and ideally find a slightly raised area where you can gather the group closely around you in a semi circle and deliver the commentary. A step or rock will do fine. Some guides carry portable steps for this specific purpose. When delivering commentaries outside you will have to work hard at your voice projection so all the group can hear, and when you are asked questions it is worth repeating them so the whole group can both hear the question and your answer. This also prevents the same question being asked multiple times!
Carry your guide notes with you, but don’t read from them during the tour. They are there as a memory jogger if you need them, consult with the notes whilst walking or in private.
The facts and history of the tour are the key parts of the commentary that all tour guides memorize. How you deliver them is up to you, and you may vary it from tour to tour. A walking tour should have a conversational quality about it, with the tour guide painting word pictures to describe the attraction and its history.
Tactics to keeping the group enthusiastic
Duration of the tour affects the amount of work and energy the guide needs to use. The idea is to have a group happy and enthused throughout the tour. Remember that there are some trends that are threatening your career so make the tour guide as indispensable as possible.
1 Keep the commentary light. People travel for enjoyment so present the facts in a witty and humorous way. However do not be a stand-up comedian always. Modulate the voice for variation and emphasis.
2 Keep the narrations positive. Each country or province has problems do not dwell on them and constantly highlight them.
3 Personalize the information. Groups are curious about the guide’s personal and professional life. Turn this curiosity to an advantage and weave some personal information into the commentary. Be aware that your life does not become the tour
4 Know your audience and involve them. Tailor the information to each particular group. If the group is farmers or accountants, point out sites that they might find most interesting. Schedule and allow many photo opportunities as the tour will allow.
5 Be accurate and specific. Present information in a scholarly manner that is accurate and specific. Quiz the visitors on the commentary to add some entertainment and interest.
