How to tell great stories on tour? Story telling advice for guides! 

I find the story gets better after I have told it a few times. Paying close to how the audience reacts to the story helps me mold develop the piece for maximum enjoyment and message for all.

im just a kid who has burning desire to become a TG..i dont see alot of TG on youtube.. thx for being one of my teacher.. i learn a lot from u... thx guy

I am a tour guide with Ride the Ducks of Seattle. We have to tell our stories at 25 mph., and we have to deal with extremes in traffic. My tip: Know enough details about a given story that you can stretch it out incase you're stuck in traffic. PS: If you ever find yourself in Seattle, please do take my tour. I would love to have your feedback, sir (Ask for Stormy Weathers).

Hi. Thank you for your video. As a tourist guide, I normally raise questions just a minute before we reach the site. This helps a lot to stare their attention and get them ready to get the info.

Thanks for the advice. I have a mock guiding finals on Monday and I’m a bit overwhelmed. This helped me compose the thoughts for my spiels. :))

Once I've got the audiences attention I always start by setting the scene and trying to draw the audience in. I try and get them to imagine what life was like in the time I'm referring to. For example St Margaret Clitherow who was executed for hiding Catholic priests. She lived on the medieval Shambles, which was a street of butchers and the street was busy, noisy, smelly and dirty with blood thrown into the street by the butchers mingling with toilet waste thrown from the upper stories where people lived so Ive set the scene before I end up outside her house and I then introduce her as she was as butchers wife. I then move on to the fact that it was illegal to be a Catholic in the 16th century but that many people still tried to practice their faith in secret. I mention the severe penalties and the dangers involved and that despite that danger she bravely helped hide priests in her house. When she was found out she refused to enter a guilty plea. She felt she had done nothing wrong and so to force her to confess she was subjected to the terrible punishment of pressing. The door of her house was placed on top of her and one by one heavy stones were placed on top. Despite this she remained silent. This continued for 15 minutes until eventually she died. Her courage and stoicism impressed all who saw it and led to her eventually being canonised and there is now a shrine to her on the street she called her home.

When I design tours, I try to create points throughout that reference a particular story I shared earlier on the route. I also try to create bookends, a point at the beginning and end of the tour that connect. For example, on a ghost walk I lead, the tour starts discussing a prison with a pretty dreary past that's allegedly haunted. The last stop on the route is a small park where a particular uprising occurred. One of the key figures of that uprising was a 17 year woman who was imprisoned and beaten to death by guards at the prison discussed at the start of the tour (the woman's ghost is said to haunt the park). I do a similar thing on a hiking tour I designed. A key theme of the tour are two significant Buddhist monks. The tour hikes around two peaks named after both of them. I start off the tour sharing brief information about both, then go into detail of one of those monks as the route moves through the peak named after him. I shift to sharing stories about the second monk as the route moves through the peak named after him. At the end, I blend it all together a share a couple of significant stories of events of both monks together. I find it's useful to link events and stories through smooth storytelling as much as possible on a tour.

After telling several different stories on our tours, I know the ones that seem to resonate with most groups. My biggest challenge at times is when the group members are all friends and some want to just chat with each other and some are trying to tune in. My problem is that I find that other chatter very distracting for me.

Hi, Thank you for teaching us how to tell great stories on Tour. I am a Tour guider from Rwanda. the story I tell to my guest is all about the tragedy( Genocide) that took place in Rwanda in 1994 against Tutsi.

I'm start learning a lots of things from you. Thank you so much for helping me and others guide. Welcome you anytime in Cambodia. Thank!!!!

I'm a beginner tour guide in Flores Island and around Komodo National Park, thank you for sharing🙏

This is very helpful. Thankyou❤

Thank you! This is really helpful

The way that you use the words is every bit as important as the words that you use. If it's a high speed chase, make it sound like a high speed chase. If it's a slow, tense build up, use a cadence that mirrors that.

Thank you for the video. I learned a lot.

Finished Watching? Join us over in the comments section at Be a Better Guide to share your input and see what others are saying. Let us know your best story telling tips! How do you tell great stories on tour? www.beabetterguide.com/video-how-to-tell-great-stories-on-tour-story-telling-advice-for-guides/#comments

Thank you for your sharings, but what you guys think if a tour guide start making some fun stories like a stand up comedy on a bus, is that safe? and what things need to care when doing that

Wear a costume or accessory, a hat, glasses, jacket. create a character. for example when guiding Chicago a pipe and a gangster hat will make you look just like AL Capone. Your audience will be captivated. Use gestures, if in your story someone is looking out, then place your hand above your eyes.

Dear sir l am really learning from you. Very important messages you are delivering.But i have lot more question to be asked. I have only months of experience as a tour guide and i want to learn more from you. Thank you for guiding me. I welcome you to kerala (god,s own country )India.

Thank you for the video .. watching from Leh Ladakh (India )

Thank you for your great information..

Thank you so much for sharing I really appreciate it

I would like to be a tour guide This video is so good for me

it's very worth to watch your videos.thank you

Thanks you so much

nice to see the video .. it is a bit useful, but what if you are guiding a bus tour.. where you can not stand on bus. facing the front sitting on the front seat. and audience can only listen voice. ?

Mighty impressed with your tips. Just joined the community too.

Thank youu💕

Really tour guide...👏👊

Cheers man!Greatings from São Paulo!#rocktourguide #italianoemsaopaulo

Very informative , keep it up 😀

You re so saucy I ve subscribed!

I'm start now to get more things from you broo your welcome to tanzania broo

I need an answer... someone can help me please? You are one week into a five week tour and several passengers have approached you in regards to the hygiene of one particular passenger. After having a brief discussion with this passenger's roommate, you discover that the passenger in question does not bathe, did not bring any toiletries with him/her, and believes that jumping into the sea once a week is sufficient cleansing of the body. What do you do and how would you approach this client?

Teşekkür ederim çok bilgilendirici bir video olmuş 🇮🇷🌸

Amazibg! But I could not understand completely what u spoke because I am not good at English. Next videos, could you please give eng-sub for non-English followers easier to understand. ^^

I am a tour guide in Vietnam. Welcome

ti adoro!!! come to Rome!!!

❤

Ah ha Thanks Peace.

sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh

Tour guide = good income ???

hello mr gölz lol

grüsse an 8c

Finished Watching? Join us over in the comments section at Be a Better Guide to share your input and see what others are saying. Let me know in the comments below your best story telling tips! How do you tell great stories on tour? www.beabetterguide.com/video-how-to-tell-great-stories-on-tour-story-telling-advice-for-guides/#comments