Sneak Peek
Work as a Tour Guide
This short course is a concise online tool designed to prepare you for working as tour guide.
On successful completion, your Certificate in Completion in Tour Guiding, will demonstrate you have learned the essential for this work.
This course will:
- Ensure you make excellent work based decisions to become a guide
- Make you practice reflecting critically on topics relevant to guiding
- Develop your thinking on what really matters on tour guiding operations
This course is ideal for:
- Volunteers
- Overnight tours
- Short tours
- Educational tours
- Historical tours
- Walking tours
- Geographical tours
- Open farms and gardens
- Self employed and employed tour guides
COURSE CONTENTS
LESSON 1 ROLE OF THE TOUR GUIDE
What is a tour guide?
Types of tour guide
Historical
City tour guides
Museum
Park
Nature
Adventure
The role of the tour guide
What are the tour guide’s responsibilities?
Sharing knowledge
Carrying out research
Tour guide skills
Leadership
Communication
Organisation
Lesson 1 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 2 PRACTICAL SKILLS USED IN TOURS
Initial introductions and establishing rapport
Selling your passion – introducing yourself and why you love being a guide
Customer research – establish your group’s interests at the start
Personalising a tour - adapting your tour to fit your group’s interests
Learning names – hints and tips
Identifying access and equity issues (wheelchairs/buggies/ additional sensory needs)
Voice projection and presentation skills
What kind of stories to tell?
Tell, tell, tell (tell them what you will talk about, talk about it, summarise key points)
Building affect and emotional connection with your audience
Keep things short and simple
Maintaining the group’s interest and involvement
Introducing age/interest appropriate games or activities
Time management
Preparing for the group’s arrival
Choosing a meeting spot
Managing parking or transport issues
Comfort breaks
Keeping the tour together (and moving at a group-appropriate pace)
Running a trial tour
Lesson 2 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 3 ORGANISING TOUR ACTIVITIES
Knowing who is in the group
Ability
Age
Carrying out research effectively
Scheduling
Punctuality
Calculating time required for different activities
Selecting complementary activities
Adapting
Creativity
Lesson 3 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 4 WORKING WITH OTHER SUPPLIERS AND ORGANISATIONS
Accommodation
Check-In
Adventure accommodation issues
Catering
Managing multiple dietary requirements when camping
Managing multiple dietary requirements from accommodations/hotels
Transport
Choosing transport services
Equipment
Linking with Other Organisations
Lesson 4 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 5 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR TOUR GUIDES
How to get jobs as a Tour Guide
Setting up YOUR own business
Developing a USP
Marketing a tour business
Lesson 5 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 6 TOUR RISK MANAGEMENT
PESTLE analysis – why it’s relevant
Assessing risk
How to plan for and manage risks
A risk assessment is a document which is created Risk Assessments
What do we mean by a risk on a tour?
Requirements for licenses or permits
Insurance
Tour risk management
Potential Hazards
Risk Assessment Matrix
Safety method statement
Review what you have been learning
Final Assessment