Itinerary

Written travel schedule

made by a travel agency
for their client or
tourist.
 Commentary
A good tour commentary should
provide much relevant
information. Tour guides can help
tourists to absorb the information by
asking questions after you deliver the
commentary. It helps travellers to
internalise the information.
What is a commentary?
an expression of opinions or
offering of explanations
explanations about an event or
situation.
"an editorial commentary"
Skills Required for
Commentary Making
1. Strong Communication Skills
Being a guide is all about having strong
communication skills. It’s ok to be a quiet person, but
if you have to communicate with new people on a
daily basis, you just have to be able to do it well. On a
basic level guides should be great at projecting their
voices across a group, and be able to do so in a clear
and easy to understand way. On an interpersonal level,
being great at knowing how to communicate well with
people is a huge asset. This leads us to skill #2…
2. Personable and outgoing
This skill takes communication to the next level. Guides
shouldn’t just be able to communicate well, they have to be
great conversationalists with outgoing personalities; what we
call the “Star of the Show” quality, which isn’t something
you can teach. There can be a bit of social awkwardness
when a new group of strangers show up, and a guide should
be able to break that immediately to help people feel
comfortable talking to each other and their guide. This
ensures later on they feel open to add comments or add
questions along the way.
3. A Memory like a steal trap
Tour guides need to retain a lot of stats and facts
when walking people around a city- but they also
need to be a great story-teller. Guides simply
can’t get the information wrong, spend extra time
trying to remember it or spend the whole tour
reading from a piece of paper. Their memory
should be so good, that it seems as if they’ve just
always known these facts when they recite them.
But most of all, the story needs to sound like it’s
their own.
4. Improvisational skills
We’re not demanding your guides put on an improv
show, but the ability to change things up on the fly and
play off the energy of the group is important. Attendees
will likely have additional questions or comments along
the way. These things shouldn’t throw your guide for a
loop, they should be able to adjust their script as needed.
Sticking too closely to it, could end up making your
guests feel like there’s no room for them to say anything
at all.
5. Just Enough Enthusiasm
Just as guides will often play off the
energy of the group, your attendees will
likely feed off the energy of their guide.
Your guide has be enthusiastic about the
thing they’re talking about, but not so
enthusiastic that they fail to sound
genuine.
6. Humor
Just like being outgoing and
enthusiastic, humor can be the
perfect tool to cut any tensions and
as always add an extra layer of
entertainment for guests.
. Punctuality
7

Punctuality is a can’t do without

quality for tour guides. If your guide
isn’t on time to meet arriving
attendees at the meet up location
there will be confusion, frustration
and unhappy tour goers.
8. A Keen Sense of Direction

Outside of the fact that your tour guides should

know where they’re going, they should also be
able to help direct guests. At least on our tours for
Chicago Food Planet Food Tours, we start and
end in different locations. Often guides have to be
prepared to give some general directions to help
people get to where they need to be when the tour
is complete.
9. The Knowledge of a Local
Anyone can memorize and recite facts. Though
it’s not a requirement, some of the best guides are
locals themselves. What’s great about this quality
is that in addition to the planned facts and
statistics, they can bring their own knowledge,
experience and personal anecdotes to the tour.
This can make a tour feel particularly special for
guests who are looking for a genuine experience
outside the typical tourist attractions.
10. Passion for their City.
Last but certainly not least, true passion and
interest can take a tour from typical to
outstanding. Anyone can point and recite
facts, but those who really love what they do
can pass that passion onto tourists and locals
to make them feel it too. Plus those with
passion for their city, bring their own
CommunicationComponents
for Tour Guides
Open Communication
An important part of the communication skills for tour guides is
having open communication. For communication to be successful,
always encourage open communication. You can have open
communication by engaging your travellers, asking questions, inviting
their feedback and point of view. Do not use a convincing or superior
tone as open communication means accepting the different point of
views. This will help to increase understanding of the different type
of travellers you meet. It will also help to collect more knowledge
about different culture, places and things, thus improving yourself as
a tourist guide.
Active Listening
Being a good listener is one of the best ways to be a good communicator. By
listening, you can understand the needs of your travellers better. Always
practice active listening. There are three steps of active listing. Step one, pay
close attention to what your traveller is saying. I think as guides, we will tend to
rehearse what we want to say in our heads. As a result, this cause us to be
distracted and unable to listening attentively to what travellers have to say. Step
two, ask questions to clarify. If you are in doubt as to whether you understand,
always ask questions to clarify. Step three, paraphrase what your traveller is
saying to ensure that both parties are on the same page and have the same
understanding.
Listening is an important part of the communication skills for tour guides. Of
course, as tour guides, you cannot be only listening as it is your job to guide and
tell stories to your group.
Speak Clearly, at the desired pace
As tour guides, we always have a lot to say and eager to share.
However, at times, your travellers might not be native English
speakers. Also, they might be tired from all the travelling and
have a short attention span. Keep the information and
storytelling clear, concise, correct, complete and concrete. By
that, you do not beat around the bush, use difficult words or
tell false information. In addition, always remember to keep it
short and simple (KISS). As a guideline, the desired pace is
110 to 140 words per minute.
Non-Verbal Communication
Other than what you speak and hear, it is also
important what travellers see and how you portray
yourself as a tour guide. Non-verbal
communication is also an important part of the
communication skills for tour guides. Your body
language, eye contact and hand gestures are all
part of the message and stories a tour guide is
conveying.
Creating a personal
platform image
1. Voice-Rate of Speech
Volume is Critical. If
people cannot hear you
easily, they will not listen
to you anymore and just
see the views, sceneries
around.
Speak audibly- loud than soft voice is
more appropriate for tour guiding.
There are more space and distance
between your mouth and the guest’s
ears that your words have to travel
before being understood. It is entirely
different when you are just talking with
somebody over a cup of coffee
Be sure you are
speaking to be heard
by all not just few.
Keep your pacing or rate of
speech quick than slow, as
people tend to process
information mentally at a
higher rate of speed
Pitch and tones are as important as
the above-mentioned guidelines for
effective speech. If you tend to have
a monotone vocal pitch, practice
reading a fairy tale stories to a child.
Notice how expressive your voice
becomes as you read exciting lines.
Vocal ticks as “Um” and “ahh” are
distractions and becomes mannerisms that
you have to avoid by:
I. Consciously focus attention on the vocal
tick. Hear yourself saying them. Moreover, as
soon as you do, they will begin to go away.
II. Ask a friend, to signal each time they hear
you say it.
2. Eye Contact.
If you want to look and sound sincere,
maintain eye contact with the person you are
speaking. Looking a person in the eye means
you are listening to what he is sayingand it is a
message of recognition. Greet the guests as
they arrive for the tour. Talk to them by
looking at their eyes as you begin to speak.
They will respons with a smile, a nod, or
signals of recognition.
When you talk to an audience, see and
read their faces, take the cue from their
non-verbals. Good eye contact is a very
important way of communication. Look
around, not just one area, or group in
your audience. Not maintaining eye
contact means “you’re a non-person,”
not a famous person.
A penetrated glance means you are overly
interested in that person. It may bring
embarrassment and unfomfortable feeling. You
can break eye contact frequently as you talk or
listen. The technique is to look to the side of the
face then back, not steady look. A polite listener
will focus in the chin,mouth, or the side of the
face. Rules of eye contact depend on one’s
culture, and it pays to be conscious of the rules.
3. Body Language
Be conscious of your body language,
not overly so, but just enough to
become more mindful of its effect.
Watch for cues from others, focus on
how they move and ract to your
speech, and also how you react to
their body language and gestures
Cultivate “power moves” – right
posture-back straight, head up, A
firm handshake, relaxed-look –
hands on hips or in pockets, but
not slouchy. Firm gestures, avoid
fidgeting or hair twirling
4. Your Audience
Speech offers the benefit that writing does not,
that is the ability to get immediate, visible
feedback. In writing, there is a chance that
you get misinterpreted or misunderstood by
your audience. In speaking, there is more
flexibility. You can present a story, and change
the course based no the reaction or feedback
by the guests during the actual conduct of the
tour.
As a tour guide, ypu draw
energy also from your
audience/guests. Many times,
you get more excited and
energized because your guests
are excited from the start.
Listening is key to all effective
communication, without the ability to listen
effectively messages are easily misunderstood
– communication breaks down, and the
sender of the message can easily become
frustrated or irritated. If there is one
communication skill you should master then,
listening it is.
Listening in any language requires
focus and attention. It is a skill that
some people need to work harder
than others. Before sending of the
message, both the sender and the
receiver practice listening skills.
Some tips for effective listening
Use attentive body language

• Maintain eye contact and avoid visual

distractions
• Be aware of what your body language is
communicating as to how interested and willing
you are to listen.
• Observe the speaker’s non-verbal clues.
• Listen with your eyes more than your ears
Learn how to use your “thinking time” effectively by paying
attention and focusing on what you see or hear

• Keep your mind focused and away from

wandering by asking question about the
topic being discussed
• Make “mental notes” related to the
topic
Become an observer.

• Control your mouth, listen

well to get the idea of the
sentence
• It is impossible to speak and
listen at the same time
Listen with an open mind.
• Avoid prejudice. Broaden your sense of
understanding and try to be objective and not
subjective.
• Avoid the tendency to resist ideas being presented,
even if it does not interest you personally.
• Try to guard the tendency to skip or miss a line by
the speaker, simply because you had a text or a call,
and you did not hear that part of the sentence.
Do not jump to conclusions

• Be fair as you listen intently.

• Listen all the way, let the speaker finish
the idea being presented to complete
the information, to fully understand
what is being discussed.
Be an active listener.
Let the speaker
recognize that you are
listening.
When you are nervous, you cannot speak well. You should prevent
nervousness so you can speak well infront of the tourists. Here’s
some tips to avoid nervousness:

Know your topic. ...

Get organized. ...
Practice, and then practice some more. ...
Challenge specific worries. ...
Visualize your success. ...
Do some deep breathing. ...
Focus on your material, not on your audience. ...
Don't fear a moment of silence.
How to make a commentary
• Smile, greet and introduce yourself and the driver.
• Brief the guests about the tour fot he day.
• Review the inclusions and exclusions of the tour.
• Give the location and distance, traveling to the
destination.
• Tell them what to expect from the tour.
• Announce comfort stops
• Provide necessary precautions
• Don’t forget to point the famous landmarks along
the way.
Tips for effective commentary
• Begin with a smile, greeting and
introduction.
• Deliver information in a manner that would
interest the guests.
• Add sense of humor in your commentary.
• Remember that people join a tour to be
entertained with facts and stories about the
place and appreciate the things they see.
• Face the group not just the few.
• Speak clearly and slowly
• Voice should be audible
• Voice should be audible
• Practice eye contact
• Prepare yourself for questions to be asked
• Take control of your breathing and try to emphasize important
words.
• Use synonyms in explaining
• When mentioning a name, repeat ir or spell it.
• Maintain silence, if the need arises
• Listen carefully to questions and other concerns
• Never argue with the guests
• Always end your tour by thanking thr guests for joining the tour and
visiting the country.
Technnical writing skills
The tour guides are original script
writers because they must be
accurate in giving information which
guides them in the proper sequencing
and delivery of information to
guests.
Compose your thoughts and make
an outline, especially for the first
and last parts of the script. He first
part will create the impression on
the tourists while the last one will
most likely to be the one to be
remembered by them.
Make better scripts by
thinking of activities that
would make the tourists
remember the information
given to them.
If you feel like telling
stories about a place,
you should make it very
short and easy to
remember.
Review your script after
writing it.
Costing Principles
Costing the package tour is an important exercise
that determines the scale of sale and margin profit
in a peak and lean season. The actual cost of
buying the services is incurred to acquire the
goods and servicers for production and
consumption. Cost is defined as the total
expenditures for acquiring the various compinents
of services from the hotel, resort, transporter, for
the tailor-made packages.
That’s the end of our presentation. Thank you for listening!