Tour Guiding: Interacting With The Audience

The book I am reading, The Good Guide, reveals that interaction is of utmost importance. In the text it says "It is important for us to remember that touring involves interaction. Quality of interaction affects whether our interpretation is enthusiastic." (Grinder 120) In other words, interaction is a key part of engaging an audience. Though I agreed that interaction is important, I immediately wondered- how could I better connect with the audience? The book gave me an unlikely answer. It said, "Tour guides sometimes lose their train of thought in using unfamiliar, descriptive adjectives. A recent study, for example, found that as many as 28% of the respondents at an art lecture did not know the terms and concepts presented (Fischer, 1984). The lesson here is that, whenever possible familiar words should be used." (Grinder 123). This idea seemed unexpected to me because I thought tour guides should use a larger vocabulary to show they knew what they were doing, which is apparently not the case. After reading this, I understood that to further connect with my audience I should use words that are not intimidating and are easy to understand by everyone. My most recent tour of the Kent Historical Museum was a group of three adults. Though I had a feeling they knew as much, maybe even more about the museum than I did, I decided to not make any assumptions and went ahead with my tour. As The Good Guide had told me, I did not try to use language that was complex or new to those who have not been to the museum (Grinder 124). When I did use any words that were beyond my usual vocabulary and were specific to Kent's history, I explained them fairly simply. The results of my actions were positive. The audience looked very engaged in the tour and followed along to what I was saying. At the end of the tour, as a lady walked towards the exit, she picked up a pamphlet and said she was interested in coming again. 



Grinder, Alison L., and E. Sue. McCoy. The Good Guide: A Sourcebook for Interpreters, Docents, and Tour Guides. Scottsdale, AZ: Ironwood, 1985. Print.