Be a Better Guide Podcast - Tourism Training, Hospitality and Travel Business Success

Be a Better Guide Podcast - Tourism Training, Hospitality and Travel Business Success

By Kelsey Tonner: Award-winning Tour Guide Trainer, Tourism Consultant and Travel Business CoachSociety & CultureBusinessPlaces & TravelManagement
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Be a Better Guide Podcast - Tourism Training, Hospitality and Travel Business Success episodes

  • Episode 26 – 4 things tour guides should STOP doing in conversations, right now!
    Want to hear about some of my bad habits?

    Well, I usually bite my nails, I sometimes make people wait for me… and my girlfriend accuses me of being obscenely positive… and that’s just the tippest tip of the iceberg.
    Well, the worst bad habits are the ones that we don’t even realize we are doing (not all of us are so lucky to have such an outspoken girlfriend!) For us as tour guides, tour leaders and those looking for a job in the travel industry – here are four bad habits that can really get in the way of a great tour and engaging conversations with your clients.
    Want a hint? They all have to do with focusing too much attention on ourselves… In this week’s tour guide training and community QnA, I tackle bad habits and what we can do to stop them!
    -Kelsey T


    Finished Listening?

    Let me know in the comments below if you have any of these bad habits. Know of any others we are tour guides should avoid? Share them with the community!


     



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  • Episode 25 – 3 ways you are losing credibility as a Tour leader, before you even open your mouth!
    First Impressions could not be more important for a Tour Guide or Tour Manager – Arguably one of the first tests you have to pass.
    Unfortunately, many tour leaders, even with professional training, lose credibility before they even open their mouths! This week’s QnA focuses on how we can all put our best foot forward and really make a strong impression right from the get go.
    We’ll also spend a humourously large amount of time discussing the pros and cons of mustard stains… well folks, the jury is finally in.
    Up for it?
    -Kelsey T
    Finished Listening?
    Let me know in the comments where and how you have seen other tour leaders and guides loose credibility before their tours even started! What is the absolute worst way to start a tour? …and let’s keep those posts P.G. my friends. = )



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  • Episode 24 – How to get people talking and avoid that awkward pause – Tour Guide Training
    The Big Question: How to Get People Talking on Tour?
    Let’s face it, no matter which part of the world we work in – all of us guides need to be comfortable talking to people we’ve just met. For many, this is an especially challenging part of the job and one that takes a lot of practice to improve.
    Well to help you on your way, this week’s audience-driven tour guide training will offer 3 great tips on how to get people talking and avoid that dreaded awkward silence.
    -Kelsey T
    Finished Listening?
    Share your personal experiences and tips for getting people chatting in the comments below! What has worked for you in the past? What is the one piece of advice you would give a brand new tour guide?



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  • Episode 23 – Warning Speech Disfluency and how it could be RUINING your tour
    It happens to all of us some of the time, but almost nobody knows what it’s called!
    Well my friends, today we shed light on speech disfluency and how we as tour guides, tour leaders and tour managers can fall victim to this bad habit.
    But never fear! We also talk about four ways to keep those pesky filler words out of your speech. That way people can focus on the amazing things that you are sharing, and won’t be distracted by the way you are saying them.
    -Kelsey T
    Finished Listening?
    Let me know in the comments below if your tours were suffering from speech disfluency, and what you did to turn that around! What did you find most effective in keeping down your ‘umms’ and ‘uhhhs’?



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  • Episode 22 – One technique that great speakers use that most Tour Guides have never heard of
    As tour guides, we have a lot to learn from some of the great orators of history, as well as great speakers in our modern era.
    They provide us with powerful technique that great speakers use to hone our public speaking, plus a grab bag of tools we should be able to use in our tour leading jobs.
    Today I share one skill that will keep people hanging off of your every word. It’s simple, easy to implement, and it even will help you memorize the key parts of your tour.
    Interested? Click above to join me on this week’s free online tour guide training and learn how to make your next tour shine!
    -Kelsey T
    Finished Listening?
    I challenge you to use the technique that great speakers use in your next public speaking engagement – whether its on tour or otherwise. Then come on back, and let me know how it went in the comments below! As always, share this training if you’re inspired and subscribe to join the community!
     



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  • Episode 21 – What Bill Clinton can teach us about being an exceptional tour guide
    Bill Clinton is easily one of the most engaging and charismatic speakers of our generation. But have you ever stopped to consider what makes his speaking so effective?
    In this week’s tour guide training, we break down some of Bill’s techniques using video footage from one of his ‘re-elect Obama’ speeches. This particular speech is regarded as one of Clinton’s finest and has been analyzed on a number of other blogs online (@TimFerriss)
    But today we hone in on how the former president’s techniques can be applied to our jobs as tour leaders, tour managers and tour guides. Watch my video first and I will give you four things to look for as you analyze the Bill Clinton clip below.
    You may be surprised at some of the ways this powerful politician can keep an audience energized, engaged and hanging off of his every word!
    Once you’re ready, click here to see the full Bill Clinton speech (but beware: the full clip is 49 minutes long!) Even if you only watch a few sections of this speech, you will find plenty of fantastic examples of how you can take your speaking to the next level.
    -Kelsey T
    Finished Listening?
    Did you notice any other techniques that Bill Clinton uses to keep the audience engaged? Share this podcast using any of the social buttons and let me know in the comments how can we as tour guides modify our speaking to emulate the former president!
     



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  • Episode 20 – How to Deal with an Angry Customer – The Tao of Tour Leading
    If you have been a tour leader, tour guide or tour director for any length of time, there is a pretty good chance you’ve had to deal with an angry customer.
    And I don’t mean a disappointed or slightly irritated client either – I mean REALLY angry. Well, it turns out that there are things that we as tour guides can train ourselves to do when faced with this kind of emotion.
    I’ll let you in on two little words that can make a WORLD of difference. And guess what? We’ll even get a quote and terrible impersonation of Lao Tzu! Alright! Now that’s the kind of tour guide training I can get behind.
    This week’s Tour Guide TV, not to be missed!
    -Kelsey T
    Finished Listening?
    Let me know in the comments how you deal with an angry or upset guest! Any horror stories you want to share? = )
     



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  • Episode 19 – A few things your clients never ask on tour, but secretly want to know
    After spending hundreds of dollars on ‘mind-reading, wearable tech’ from sketchy online stores, I will be the first to tell you that mind reading technology has not yet arrived.
    However, after leading tours for almost ten years now, I’ve been able to pick up on a few questions that clients never ask on tour. These will not be surprising for many of you, but here is why I think they are important:
    1) It is great service to pre-emptively answer a question before it is asked!
    2) It reassures people that you will take good care of them while on your tour
    3) If you answer the question once for the whole group, you will not have to answer these questions individually over and over.
    Here at Be a Better Guide we love giving great service. So this week save your money and watch this free online tour guide training instead!


    -Kelsey T

    Finished Listening?
    Share this podcast using any of the social buttons and let me know in the comments how you keep your tours running on time! I know for a fact that many of you have a ton of experience, and I’d love to hear your tips.
     


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  • Episode 18 – How to use props and visual aids on tour! Make your tour stand out from the rest
    Are you curious as to how to use props and visual aids on your tour?
    Would you like to have your tour stand out from the pack? Is there some way to have people walk away from your tour eager to recommend it to others?
    Of course there is! We here at Be a Better Guide spend everyday thinking about how to best provide tour guide training, inspiration and collect insights so that your tour will grow into something worth talking about.
    -Kelsey T
    Finished Listening?
    Share this podcast using any of the social buttons and let me know in the comments how you keep your tours running on time! I know for a fact that many of you have a ton of experience, and I’d love to hear your tips.
     


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  • Episode 17 – How to make your tours more interactive Be a Better Guide insights – Tour Guide Training
    Today we talk about how to make tours more interactive.
    Keeping the attention of your group is one of your biggest challenges as a tour guide, tour leader or tour director. On any given tour the leader is doing the majority of the speaking, and so it is especially important to think of creative ways to get your audience to participate.
     

    You should never treat your tour like a lecture and even the most powerful and interesting tour guides on the planet, will always benefit by having some interactivity and group participation. In this week’s tour guide training, I share some of my favorite tour experiences, and the creative ways in which they engaged those of us on tour.
     

    -Kelsey T

    Finished Listening?
    Share this podcast using any of the social buttons and let me know in the comments how you keep your tours running on time! I know for a fact that many of you have a ton of experience, and I’d love to hear your tips.
     


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About Be a Better Guide Podcast - Tourism Training, Hospitality and Travel Business Success

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Kelsey Tonner is an experienced, global tour guide and founder of the Be a Better Guide Project, a movement that brings together tour guides and tour operators from around the world to learn from one…