Qualities

of an

Ideal Tour

Guide- Jenelyn Madriaga

1. Enthusiasm – the most important characteristic of a successful guide.2. An outgoing and approachable nature.3. Self-confidence4. A proactive nature5. Sensitivity6. Flexibility7. Authenticity

8. A pleasant professional appearance9. Sense of humor10. Knowledge11. Good communication skills12. Organization13. Decisiveness14. Good health15. Personal Integrity16. Charisma

Although the ideal guide wouldembody all the traits, having orachieving them and learning to applythem in the various unpredictableexperiences of guiding is verydifficult.

As Cherem stated, “ A guide should be prepared for a lifetime of personal and professional development - a lifetime of becoming”.

Moments of Truth

-Jan Carlzon – SAS President

- Is the precise instant when the customer comes into contact with any aspect of your business and, on the basis of that contact, forms an opinion about the quality of your service and potentially the quality of your product.

Karl Albrecht-moments of truth --- “the anthem for service management”

In a global service-oriented economy, moments of truth will determine the

existence of many businesses.

CYCLE

OF

SERVICE

Seven Sins of Service, Karl Albrecht

1.Treating Customers with apathy2.Brushing customers off3.Being cold to customers4.Treating customers with

condescension5.Working like a robot6.Getting hung up on the rule book7.Giving customers the “run-around”

Working with Different Age Groups

o Students- as many sites and cities around, the world

provide ideal learning environments for children of all ages which makes the number for student trips increased in number.

- for some guides, groups of young students are

the most difficult to guide because they present

special challenges in terms of discipline, motivation and interest level.

o Senior Citizens- are the favorite age group of guides.

They are generally appreciative, curious, interested, attentive, eager for experience and willing to contribute their own life experience.

Guides who do not know the interest of young people will have a difficult time reaching them or giving an effective tour.

Keep in Mind when guiding a Senior Citizen

1.Allow extra time for the tour as many activities will take longer, such as getting on and off a motor coach, eating and walking anywhere.

2.Pause frequently and make several short stops on walking tours.

3. Be particularly attentive to fatigue or any sign of stress or illness.

4. Pay close attention to special medical problems or difficulties and pay special attention to their status.

5. Since hearing and memory problems are more common as people age, always repeat instructions especially meeting times.

Working with “Difficult” People

Guides, like others who work with people, meet tourists who complain, those who are late, or those who dominate others.It is the guide who is largely responsible for the ambiance of a tour.

In the first meeting, visitors will scrutinize(observe)The guides for signs about his/her attitude, personality, capability, and other indications about the kind of experience they will have.

If such scrutiny is disheartening, guides should note the following:

1.People travel on tours to enjoy themselves. As ne tour operator said, “This isn’t brain surgery. Relax and enjoy yourself, and your group will, too.”

2.Most people would like to see the guide succeed.

3.No one expects perfection. In fact, many perfectionists turn people off.

Establishing Rapport and Cohesiveness

RAPPORT ~ sympathetic relationship and mutual trust.

COHESIVENESS ~ working together.

Many psychologist and human relations experts advocate learning techniques for developing rapport. The most popular of these is the neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) which is based on the premise that people perceive primarily on one of three ways – visually, auditory, kinesthetically. By recognizing on which of the three ways others perceive, guides are better equipped to deal with various personalities.

Tips to develop Rapport and Cohesiveness

1. Be prepared2. Adopt an attitude of friendliness and take

responsibility for creating and maintaining harmony.

3. Let visitors know that their environment is of primary concern.

4. Respect others and be a careful, concerned listener.

5. Give clear instructions.

6. Don’t give ultimatums that cannot or will notbe enforced.

7. Follow through on promises.8. Avoid playing favorites.9. Exemplify the desired behavior.

Working under Difficult Circumstances

The most difficult circumstances are those involving safety. However, the most common situation guides encounter are complaints about some aspect of thetour.Handling complaints requires patience and diplomacy.Since guides are normally hired by tour operators, they must speak on behalf of the company. Since majority of the companies follow the rule ”The customer is always right”, it is the guide’s duty to show genuine concern to the visitor while at the same time defending the company.

In cases of customer complaints, guides should ask themselves:

1.What exactly is the complaint.2.Is the guest’s complaint valid?3.Can the situation beresolved easily?

Dealing with HABITUALLY LATE PASSENGERS

Habitually late passengers are common problems

for tour guides. Late comings shows lack of

courtesy.

Therefore, there is an urgent need for guides to

establish policies such as giving firm time.This will win the respect of those who are

consistently on time: those who care less about

punctuality will at least respect the policies.

Leaving behind a late person is many

times reasonable and justified.

Dealing with DIFFICULT QUESTIONS

The more experienced a guide is, the more likely she is to welcome questions, especially challenging ones.

Questions that are difficult for guides:

1. Questions for which a guide does not have an answer.

2. Questions whose answers are controversial.3. Questions that are too personal.4. Questions that shed an unfavorable light on the

guide or some aspect of the region.

The following factors are helpful in answering questions:

1.Welcome questions.2.Be gracious, even when the question is

difficult.3.Never regard a question as stupid or trivial.4.Never feel obliged to answer personal

questions.5.Acknowledge a controversial question, then

move on to more positive points.6.Use humor when appropriate.

Cross-cultural Understanding

Guides are required to conduct tours for people from other cultures.

The following are the guidelines that may help those in the service industry develop a multicultural perspective:

1. Learn about the people and cultures of the world.

- Through the media, literature, school and meeting neighbors and visitors fro different countries, one can learn much about the values, habits and preferences of others.

2. Travel- Nothing offers a better way for truly

understanding other cultures than travel. Travelers learn to understand people on a level which is not possible through reading.

3. Learn a language.- Learning and using other’s language is one of the

most basic and effective gestures in attaining cross-cultural experiences.

4. Participate in specialized cross-cultural training.- Such training is necessary to guides since it

intensifies travel experience and generates good-will.

The following basic guidelines are recommended by cross-cultural counselors for those who work with different cultures and language:

1. Speak slowly and distinctly until the level of understanding is established.

2. Pay attention to voice volume.3. Encourage listeners to question what they

do not understand, or interrupt if they need to have something repeated

4. Encourage and reassure visitors in their use of the language.

5. Be patient6. Speak in terms of positives rather

than negatives.7. In case an interpreter is present, talk

to the listener and not to the interpreter.