Key Guiding Skills II- How to talk about

About this course

In this course, tour guides and prospective tour guides will explore the essential skills that you need to succeed in tour guiding. This course will prepare you to talk about sensitive topics and build up intercultural competencies.

 

Who is this course for? 

The course is intended for tour guides and prospective tour guides and anyone interested in the topic.

What will you learn? 

• You will learn how to talk about popular cultures, politics and religion, history, daily life and taboos
• You will gain intercultural competencies for learning and understanding
• You will get practical tips for enhancing intercultural understanding on tour

Keywords: Tour guiding, skills, intercultural competencies, intercultural understanding

Communication Skills – Introduction

In this section, you will receive an introduction into communicating about culture, politics, religion and much more in tourism. 

Introduction to Communication

Description

Welcome back. It’s great to see you again in this, the third learning unit. Together, we’ve already addressed some important elements of tour guiding. The last session was about the different methods you can use to create an interactive and entertaining tour, and the skills you need too. We also took a look at communication strategies and different presentation styles. I don’t know about you, but my favourite part there was the use of different media, storytelling and dramaturgy.

Now let’s move on to this learning unit. Here comes the second part of the key guiding skills. It will be about how we can best address different topics during a guided tour. I think most of you can confirm that participants come from very different social and cultural backgrounds. And that also means that not everyone feels equally comfortable with every topic. So it’s important to think in advance about how topics such as religion, politics, history and even everyday life can be addressed and meaningfully integrated into the tour.

One thing is certain, the vast majority of participants are very interested in such topics, particularly in relation to the host country. And that interest is something that we, as representatives of the host country, often greatly enjoy, and it’s something we’re also keen to promote.

So how do we manage to address such topics without making any of our guests feel uncomfortable? That is what this learning unit is about. I’m really looking forward to it, and I hope you are too. So let’s jump right in and start with the dos and the don’ts.

Communication Skills – Do’s and Don’ts

Lesson 1: Do’s and Don’ts

We are not the only ones who think about the do’ s and don’ts, Anna and Elias have produced a podcast on this very topic. I am happy to share it with you here.

Description

[Elias] Hello fellow tour guides. Today Anna and I would like to talk to you about the dos and don’ts of tour guide etiquette. We’ve gained quite a bit of experience in this area. 

[Anna] Let’s start with the topic of punctuality. Never ever be late. 

[Elias] Always be on time. Or better still, be there a little earlier to welcome your guests. 

[Anna] Exactly. And be well prepared for your guided tours. Research all the topics thoroughly beforehand. Although I’ve been giving guided tours myself for some time and I’m always quite well prepared, I have to admit that I still find it a bit difficult when I can’t answer guests’ questions. That makes me feel really uncomfortable. What about you, Elias? 

[Elias] Yes, I know that feeling too, but then I just say straight up that I don’t know the answer at the moment. Afterwards, I do some research and get back to them. I think that’s a good way of doing things. It means I remain polite and professional. 

[Anna] That’s a great solution. Needless to say, it’s really important that we don’t provide inaccurate or incomplete information. And we must always be friendly. 

[Elias] It’s also really important to keep calm in conflict situations and to respond carefully to guests complaints and needs. 

[Anna] Yes, that also reminds me of another important point: never make inappropriate jokes. That happened to me once as a guest. I took part in a city tour, and the tour guide kept cracking jokes and telling inappropriate anecdotes. 

[Elias] That sounds awfully unpleasant. 

[Anna] It was. It really was. Anyway, it’s also important that you don’t talk nonstop. Give your guests time to digest the information you’re telling them. 

[Elias] Yes, and another big topic. We should be careful to avoid talking about how much we earn. That’s a no no as well as anything that might put the tour operator in a poor light.

[Anna] Good point. There really isn’t a place for anything negative in a guided tour anyway, right? I mean, we should definitely not speak badly about the country either. No matter if it’s about the government or religion or whatever.

[Elias] I totally agree with you. We also need to be very careful about sensitive issues and pay close attention to the social and cultural background of the guests too. Know your audience. 

[Anna] That’s a nice way to end, isn’t it? 

[Elias] And thanks to our audience for listening. Wherever you are, enjoy your next tour and keep the dos and don’ts in mind.

Of course, the do’ s and don’ts cover many more topics than Anna and Elias addressed in their podcast. What do you think about the assignment of these aspects? Are they do’ s and don’ts?

Communication Skills – Talking about Different Topics

Lesson 1: Popular cultures

Popular culture is the set of practices, beliefs, and objects referring to the traditions and material culture of society or social system. It includes cultural products such as sport, music, art, literature, fashion, dance, film, television and radio that are consumed by the majority of a society’s population. 

Today, popular culture is available to be consumed through a variety of different channels: “mass media” embraces an enormous variety of media and forms, ranging from e.g. newspapers, magazines, books, TV, radio and cinema, documentaries, podcasts, web sites and social media channels etc.

Examples include:

• Music
• Film and television
• Cyber culture
• Sport
• Fashion

Suitable pop culture topics

The question that always arose for me was, how can we as tour guides bring this overarching theme into our leadership? I wrote my thoughts on this on these flashcards.

Culture topics 

How has popularity of gospel music impacted on church service attendance? Which American television programmes are popular in your country?

Social topics 

How does xx influence consumer behaviour in your country? Does xx promote gender equality?

Science topics 

Advantages and disadvantages of the use of smartphones, Comparison of paying by smartphone e.g. in Africa and Europe etc.  

Idols and heroes

Has xx changed the perception of women in your society? Can xx be considered as an idol in your country?

Tips for preparing a commentary/introduction to group discussion about pop culture in tour guiding

When discussing pop culture with guests, it is always important to let everyone participate in the debate. I have put together some discussion tips for this with corresponding examples for you.

Research and choose a topic

Research and choose a topic everybody can relate to/compare or contrast topic to your or guest’ country.

Example: Musician x from your country has more positive impact on youth than for example Justin Bieber.

Provide examples and facts

Provide examples and facts > audience can learn immensely through pop culture.

Example: Musician x has run several music workshops for disadvantaged youngsters in your country, inspired and encouraged them greatly to attend training and education, provided them with future prospects etc.

Make listening enjoyable

Make listening enjoyable > audience doesn’t like to listen to boring stories. 

Example: Play music or video clip of Musician x or interviews with workshop participants etc.

Encourage participants

Encourage participants to take part in feedback or group discussion, to come up with own examples from their country and to share experiences with group

You can use a whole range of interpretative media and material for such discussion sessions, such as:
 Multimedia, audio-visual, pictures, objects, artefacts, newspaper and magazine excerpts etc.

For an introduction to this topic, I have put together some tasks for you.

• Write a list with objects of popular culture in your country. Identify links and connections to similar objects from other countries.
• Create a biography about an idol from the field of sports, music or drama from your country who is internationally known. 
• Prepare a short commentary about this idol, using appropriate interpretative media. Practice with a colleague or friend.

Lesson 2: Politics and Religion

Experience sharing

My experience in my guided tours, and I imagine yours is similar, is that tourists are usually very interested in learning about the politics and religion or religions of the country they’re visiting. While other topics can be dealt with and explained rather easily, religion, politics and political systems are classified as sensitive or hot topics and require a mixture of sensitivity and tolerance.

We, as professional tour guides, respect that every country possesses its own form of government and religions, creating its own set of rules. Visitors are expected to comply with such regulations. It’s one of our basic responsibilities as tour guides to convey this to our guests who might not be familiar with customs that differ from their experiences in their home countries.

We need to ensure that guests show respect towards the form of government and religion in the country visited and that they aren’t openly critical of these. It doesn’t matter how the guests personally feel about it. This applies, for example, to a possible ban on alcohol or rules on appropriate clothing, for example at religious sites. In such cases, it’s important to follow the rules. Violating them can have serious consequences. Not only do guests seriously offend people in the host country, they can also lose the status of guest, for example through immediate expulsion. So to avoid this, we should regularly remind guests of any rules during our guided tours.

The same applies to us as tour guides, of course. It’s therefore crucial that we respect the values and interests prevalent within the country. We should therefore provide our guests with factual and objective information, free of judgement. I know from my own experience how difficult it can be to keep one’s own opinion to oneself on occasion. Nonetheless, it’s really important to avoid making personal statements or to offer opinions or critical questions.

When discussions arise within the group, we need to act as diplomatic mediators. Our goal must be to create intercultural understanding. Some guests can be quite stubborn about this and it’s absolutely fine to say clearly that this is not appropriate. All this does not mean, of course, that we cannot address critical issues at all. We just have to handle them carefully. It would be possible, for example, to cite the opinion of the ruling party as a notion on a certain topic, and then leave it up to the guests to form their own opinions on the matter.

I think it’s very important to be familiar with the country’s rules and regulations. I’ve therefore put together two small research tasks for you to do afterwards.

• Describe rules and regulations in your country which visitors should obey. Prepare a short and factual introductory talk to your guests. 
• Reflection: How would you remind your guest on national rules and regulations? How would you be approaching individual guests who might have disobeyed prevailing rules?

Lesson 3: History

Most tour programs are dominated by the conveyance of historical and art historical monuments, data and facts etc. Tour guides implement conversational as well as structural techniques for presenting historical facts and relationships in an interesting and factual correct way.

Presenting history – Conversational techniques 

There are many ways to communicate history in an appealing way. In presenting and interpreting the historical story of the heritage site, it is necessary to be selective and to decide which elements will be most interesting to the kind of people that the site will attract. 

At this point I would like to give you some tips on conversational technique.

Presenting opposing points of view

• Human-interest stories are often the most popular.
• Unpleasant discussions with political and religious questions > name different perspectives and leave it to the guest, which opinion he supports. E.g. king/politician…. from the point of view of his friends and opponents, pros and cons of locating certain industries in the region

Choosing examples

• Select those from the multitude of facts that are exemplary in nature, omit irrelevant facts unless it helps to illustrate. Too much detailed information “kills” the listener

Personalization

• Create more memorable stories e.g. in front of the monument, the house, the grave of a famous person etc.
• Portray a period of time from the point of view of an invented person (“scenic tour”).

Choosing sources

• Sources can be musical, visual, plastic and architectural evidence of the past.
• Linguistic sources that may be used: poems, excerpts from short stories, novels etc.; official regulations, notes and chronicles, diary entries; letters, leaflets, invoices; police reports, judgments; newspaper clippings, news etc.; historical travelogues; food and menu cards.

Particularization

• Simplified, concrete individual case studies are easier to absorb than generalizations.
• Details and numbers and should relate to the participants’ background knowledge
• Explanations in clear, concrete language, avoid foreign words.
• Examples: “15 years before America was discovered”, “A generation before”, “This picture is 5×6 meters – so it has the area of a one-room apartment”, “The artist grew very old and died at the age of 90.” etc.

Presenting history – structural guidelines 

Bridging the gap between the past and the present is always appealing to guests. However, it is also important to watch out for errors in tradition and one-sided perspectives. I have compiled some tips on this for you here.

References to the Present

• Comparison of constructions and ways of thinking (past and present)
• Continuity between then and now. 
• Examples: Changes in the landscape due to large construction projects (canals, railways, motorways, reactions of the population to them then and now); Jurisprudence in the Middle Ages – legal principles today; Medieval road network in a region compared to the course of today’s expressways; Begging in the past – social care today; Travel (e.g. pilgrimage) in the past and tourism today; Environmental problems in the Middle Ages, in the Baroque period and today

Clarity

• Explain stories and abstract terms with help of visual “cliff-hangers” (busts, tombs, family palaces, churches, squares, pictures, sculptures) “synchronisation” of information with the appropriate object, use of pictorial language
• Examples: City model – layout of a medieval city, city history

Factual Correctness

Beware of:

• Misprints or errors, etc. in travel literature
• One-sided representations, viewpoints of other groups are not taken into account
• Linguistic ambiguity, especially wrong terms, generalisations and simplifications

Now it’s your turn. Imagine you have to deliver a historical tour. For the preparation I provide you with two tasks here.

• Identify and describe at least 5 sources you could use for a historical commentary.
• Prepare a short lecture about a historical monument in your home town. Apply conversational and structural techniques in your presentation. Practice with a colleague or friend. 

Lesson 4: Daily life

Learning something about the daily life of the host country is always exciting for our guests on a tour. I therefore asked my colleague from Georgia if he could give an insight into his approach to this topic and he agreed.

Guidance

Giving examples, especially your owns, always increase the credibility among the guests, like the restaurants you go, the shops you visit, the food you try and so on and on. So the guests are always interested in which one is the best.

For instance, in Tbilissi we have about 10 different sulphur baths, so they will definitely ask which one you prefer personally. So recommendations and your personal experience play sometimes a crucial role in the tour. But always remember that that becomes then your responsibility.

Presenting a local person in the tour will always give a bit more adventure and peril to the guest in the tour, but make sure that the local person stays close to the topic. That’s why I always try to ask some neutral questions. For instance, whenever we travel in the old buildings, I always ask the local person how many families live in one or another older Tbilissian yard and the number always fascinates the guests. So if you would like to include some local people in the tour, always try to ask some neutral questions and that will always help the situation.

During the tour, the guide might be asked either off topic questions or too private questions. In both cases, the guide announces that in front of the group the question is off the topic and then finds a specific time and place to explain it to the person privately.

The main thing is still about the guide. The guide has to be easily spotted during the tour. That’s why the elements like an umbrella, a bow tie, a hat or a badge will serve a very crucial role in order to spot where he or she goes during the tour and to follow the guide.

And the second point, the guide has to carefully study the road in different times of the day and the different weather conditions in order to give the maximum impression to the guests.

Direct approaches to convey issues and themes of daily life

That was really exciting, wasn’t it? I have thought about how you can approach this topic yourself and have put together a few important points.

Report on your own experiences

Report on your own experiences in the country, describe your daily life, your family or friends, tell a bit more about contacts with e.g. authorities, hospitals, institutions, public transport, etc. 

Example: “Unlike in Germany, you always have to buy the ticket before taking the train, validate it beforehand and validate it again when you leave the train.”

Let local people speak briefly

Let local people speak briefly in front of the group whenever an opportunity arises.

Example: Join in for a dinner meal, a visit to a private apartment/house could also be incorporated into the tour if treated with respect etc. 

Address local people in a friendly and polite manner

Address local people in a friendly and polite manner when the opportunity arises and question them briefly e.g. cafes, restaurants, public transport, etc. 

Example: “We are a tour group from Germany. Do you know Germany?” or “What do you love about your country? What is your favorite local food? What do you recommend we do while we are here?” etc.

Expect personal questions about daily life

Groups led by local guide are always interested in personal and private things, expect more personal questions about daily life.

Example: “Where were you born, where did you grow up etc. Your favourite dishes? Your favourite place in the country” etc.

Discussing everyday life in the country with our guests does not have to be completely spontaneous. Rather, you should prepare thoroughly for it.

• Write a short list with questions about daily life which you might want to address to local people in your country. Consider what your customers might find interesting. What can they relate to?
• Research and identify at least 3 sources you could use to explain daily life issues to your customers, connecting historical facts with the present situation in your country. 

Lesson 5: Taboos

To lead into our next topic, I have arranged an interview with Angelika Müller. She is the head of international tour guide recruiting and training at studiosus, one of the leading tour operators in the cultural tours segment.

Play Video

Interview

[Presenter] Welcome to another expert interview. This time our expert is Angelika Müller. Having worked as a tour guide herself for many years, she’s very familiar with the day-to-day challenges of the job, and that fits in very nicely with today’s topic “How do we deal with taboos?”.  Hello, Angelika. Let’s start with the first question. What are taboos and why is it so difficult to talk about them?

 Well, taboos are implicit conventions regarding behaviour or utterances. Every culture, every society has got its own taboos. For example, what one should not do, what one should not talk about, or only talk about in a very specific way. But what may be declared unfit for one group by custom or religion, may be perfectly acceptable to another. All cultures have their own specific social agreements about what is desirable or allowed, and what is not. They therefore have their own ideas of “right” and “wrong”. We grow up quite naturally in our very own social and cultural framework and rarely question it. Different cultures have different bits or even prohibitions, which are usually accepted and followed tacitly.

Things or ways of acting that are taboo in one culture can be quite unproblematic in another. We are all culturally influenced in different ways, so culture is an invisible orientation system we grow up in and we normally just take it for granted. It affects our thinking, influences our assessments and the way we act. In our daily life, we usually don’t question it, since we have received ideas of right or wrong. When travelling and getting in touch with other cultures and people, one might get confused, because familiar patterns no longer apply naturally in a different orientation or social system. 

Travellers want to avoid making mistakes. Many prepare properly for a trip, but of course they cannot know all the customs and rules in the culture or country that makes their new holiday destination.

 [Presenter] Which topics do you think are particularly sensitive?

 Well, for example, religion, social systems, politics. These topics are particularly sensitive, but generally speaking they belong to the daily normative culture of a country. That is why they are so interesting to travellers. And they might want to know which different religions are there, how is the state politically organised, what is the average age of the people, how is the health system like? And so on. Sometimes, it is a huge challenge for tour guides to talk about the mentioned topics or other topics in a most objective way without getting too personal. It may just help to describe a situation, yet not judge it.

 [Presenter] In your experience, what are the actions or behaviours that tool guests or tour guides need to be aware of?

 Well, let’s look at some examples regarding gestures. Sometimes we speak with hands and feet, especially on holiday when we are not able to communicate by using the local language. Sometimes, this can simply lead to confusion, for example when counting things with fingers instead of saying the right numbers. Or it can seem disrespectful. For example, thumbs up or the OK sign. This can have completely different meanings in different cultures. I give you another example. In some countries it is even considered unclean to eat or touch people with the left hand.

If we talk about body contact, in some countries women and men don’t touch each other in public, even if they are married. These rules also apply to guests who are expected to behave accordingly. A no-go in some cultures is also touching people on the head. This means guests need to know this so that they, for example, don’t stroke children’s heads. 

And if you go on, looking at photographs. On holiday, people encounter other cultures, landscapes, architectures, etc. And they like to take beautiful photos as a souvenir or a memory. They often try to find extraordinary objects and then show the results to the family and friends. Many travellers also post them on their social media channels. Holidaymakers are often not even aware of what they are allowed to photograph or not. Or they get just carried away with, well, let’s say “hunting fever”, and no longer think about what they have read in their travel guide books before. In any case, the right to one’s own image definitely applies everywhere in the world. And if someone makes it clear that he or she does not want to be photographed, then this should be respected. In the worst case scenario, this can also mean an intervention by the tour guide, even if this means standing between the cameras and the person or object being photographed. And under no circumstances should children be given money to have their picture taken, including the situation when parents, older siblings or other people force them to do so.

 Let’s look at another topic, inappropriate clothing. Dress codes can highly vary from country to country. They may be prescribed or even strictly required when visiting, for example, religious places. Short skirts or trousers, bare shoulders, etc. may be considered a no go or disrespectful. Tour guides should prepare their guests for the local customs or certain situations that they will find themselves in so, that they can dress accordingly.

 Let’s look at some taboos for tour guides. For example, inventing stories. Sometimes guests ask unusual questions or want to get special information. If a tour guide does not know an immediate answer to such a question, he or she should not make up some story. This might make guests to lose confidence in their tour guide, and they might start doubting everything that the tour guide has told them so far or will ever tell them. Instead, they should postpone the answer until later and make sure the guests will obtain the relevant information. But that must not be forgotten because the guests are waiting for it. And it’s always advisable to not make promises one cannot keep.

 Another important example is relationships with guests. Sometimes guests might feel like friends. Friendly interaction is of course important within the group and makes the tour guides through a lot easier. However, tour guides should always be aware that they need to keep a professional relationship with their guests and stick to it. This includes, for example, treating everyone in the group equally. Giving particular guests more attention, flirting with them, or getting romantically involved is a taboo for tour guides. This could have a big impact on the group’s mood, and there are always other guests who won’t either like it or accept it.

[Presenter] What role would you say tour guides play in this context, also in terms of knowledge transfer?

 Well, here tour guides play an important role, both as cultural mediators as well as ambassadors by sharing their knowledge with the guests and preparing them well for certain situations or cross culture interaction, so that they do not put their food in their mouth too many times. Some things could be embarrassing or even forbidden and in the worst case could harm the group as a whole as well as the tour guide in the end.

In these cases, tour guides are required as translators and can give a short introductory course on nonverbal language usage in an entertaining way by practising the most important gestures, for example on the coach while driving to the next place or tourist attraction. 

The tour guides know exactly what is allowed, what is not wanted or even forbidden in each of their countries. This means that it is part of their job to inform their guests as early as possible and give them an insight into the cultural, social or historical background of their countries. Guests want to know why might it not be permitted to take pictures of, let’s say, women, children, religious interiors, tombs, military bases? Why is this taboo? So they need to know what would be the consequences of such action, not only for the photographers themselves or the group, but also for the tour guides.

Tour guides can inform their guests in general about these points at the beginning of the trip, and then in a more specific manner at the very day of the trip or the visit of a tourist attraction. Sometimes suggesting a change of perspective may also help. How would, for example, guests react if tourists were standing at their home in front of the garden, taking pictures of the family on the terrace or the children playing?

It’s about raising the guests’ awareness, but also showing them other objects which they are welcome to photograph. And if the tour guide also takes into account the time of the day and the position of the sun, their guests will usually be satisfied and excited. The mentioned topics and given examples are no rocket science, they’re all about basics in our cultures and it’s worth to keep them in mind and to help the guests understand them too.

 [Presenter] Well, I think that rounds everything off wonderfully. Many thanks to you. I look forward to seeing you very soon for another expert interview.

How to deal with taboos and moral incorrect behavior

There are always situations where taboo topics might come up. But how do we behave properly in such situations and how can we safely address sensitive issues? I have written down my thoughts on this on index cards.

Explain and clarify

Explain and clarify to group what culturally sensitive topics mean in your country and culture > to raise customers’ intercultural awareness, managing expectations, plateau formation etc. 

Necessary facts

Avoid going into taboo subjects more than mentioning the necessary facts > always stay on an objective and factual level, comparing to customers culture in objective way etc.

Stay calm and don’t be offended

If guests insist on talking about taboo subjects, stay calm and don’t be offended. Neither take it personally or take sides. Try to disengage customers from “hot” topics by being flexible and creative, distracting and leading discussion into a new and less sensitive topic etc.

Establish and explain

Establish and explain a framework of moral correct and incorrect behaviour to the group, according to your country’s and culture’s values.

Provide space

Provide space for customers to reflect on morality, as tourists come from diverse cultural backgrounds, social realities and ideological systems that shape their moral perceptions and justifications.  

Avoid visiting

Avoid visiting emotionally sensitive or controversial sites, e.g. places of death and danger etc, if it’s not part of the tour itinerary.

Address moral conflicts

Always address moral conflicts with guest(s) on individual level first before communicating it at a collective level/to whole group.

Communicate and discipline

Communicate and discipline transgressive behaviour of guests. If guest is not complying with rules, cancel travel contract.

I think for all of us this is a very important issue. I have therefore come up with two research tasks on how you can approach the topic for yourself.

• Identify topics which are sensitive in your culture. Describe how you would explain these topics, which language would you use and how would you make your guests aware about these “hot” topics? 
• Reflection: Have you experienced examples of transgressive behaviour from tourists in your country? What happened? How did it make you feel? 

 

Communication Skills – Intercultural Learning and Understanding

Lesson 1: Intercultural learning and understanding

Intercultural awareness and understanding

Intercultural understanding stimulates people’s interest in the lives of others and encourages people to make connections between their own world and the world of others in a non-judgemental way, encouraging empathy and respect towards their own and the other culture.

Levels of intercultural understanding

Unaware

People are unaware that there are different ways beside their own way. 

Aware

People are aware of different behaviors but think their way is the most appropriate.

Unsure

People are unsure about different behaviours but are non-judgmental and willing to bring different ways together.

Creating

People bring different views and behaviour together, creating a new shared culture by showing respect and empathy.

Intercultural understanding and learning in tour guiding

I find the following question very important. Can you answer it and complete the short sentences?

What is the role of the tour guide in terms of intercultural understanding?

1. Tour Guides are Cultural Meditators
   1. Tour guides help Guests to understand the culture of the host country
   1. Tour guides are aware of the groups cultural background
   1. Tour guides consider the Intercultural trap of their participants

Steps to facilitate intercultural understanding in tour groups

Tour guides facilitate discussions, enabling participants to discover, understand and reflect on intercultural differences and hence have the opportunity to gain intercultural learning experiences which include emotional processes.

In my eyes, two aspects play a major role. I have listed them here for you.

Recognizing culture and developing respect

• Review views, beliefs, assumptions and values from your own culture, critically view own values, cultural perspectives and practices.
• Take interest and be non-judgmental – differences between own culture and host culture, collect information, ask questions and clarify meanings (language gap to be translated).
• Review assumptions about host culture > the recognition and acceptance of differences is a basic requirement for “international understanding”, painting a picture of one’s own country and that of a foreign country as realistic as possible.

Interacting and empathising with others

• Develop empathy and respect, taking responsibility > Promoting empathy means that you learn to better “understand” the country you are traveling to, its system and its people – with your head and your feelings!
• Intercultural learning takes place – Gaining insight, benefits for both sides from views and experiences, reflecting on intercultural experiences and taking responsibility.

Lesson 2: Practical tips for enhancing intercultural understanding on tour

There are a number of tricks we can use as tour guides to promote intercultural understanding within our tour group. This includes, for example, avoiding “I” statements and using “why” statements instead, in order to initiate reflection on cultural norms and values.  I have compiled further tips for you here.  

Creating intercultural situations

Creating “intercultural situations”: authentic (“real”) impressions of everyday life e.g.:  

• A trip with public transport providing impressions other than with own coach.
• Facilitate discussions which locals and local tour guides, talking about subjects that both know from their respective everyday lives and in which they show interest in each other (e.g. sport, music, family life …). 
• Conversations and inquiries with passers-by, providing interesting daily life information. 
• Meals in local restaurants; sensory examination of one’s own tasting and eating habits. 
• Encourage guests to buy typical groceries and souvenirs at local markets and to taste them > traveller plunges into the hustle and bustle and can use all of his senses.
• Provide free time for individual travellers allowing to “immerse” as discreetly as possible in the everyday world and let the impressions affect him.

Conversational techniques

Conversational techniques e.g.:

• Create relaxed situations in which conversations about previous experiences or about general aspects of the visited country visited possible e.g. café on the market square, a short walk or program breaks in attractive locations. 
• Questioning techniques: “… and how is it at home?” generates greater participation than simply listening to the guests or to explain something.  
• Try to fill gaps in “international comparability” by explaining, remove as many inhibitions as possible supported by information material. 
• If a participant comes from the country, but e.g.  lives now in Germany, include them as ‘mediators between cultures’, increasing authenticity and helping with translations.

Translation techniques

Translation techniques if participants do not speak the other language e.g.:

• Concise and simple language, avoid long and complicated phrases and passages
• Allow small “digestion times”, allowing more space to think and to add own comments in between
• Ask again if anything is unclear.
• Summarise “intermediate translation” of a discussion in order not to lose too much time and keep everyone up to date.
• Distribute translating responsibility to other participants if possible, effort of the whole group (and not just their leadership). You can help each other.

Mediating “Intercultural Conflicts”

Mediating “Intercultural Conflicts”, e.g.: 

• Firstly, don’t take comments personal
• Create balance and good relationships early within the group. 
• For some people, an explanation of the local conditions already means that “one makes common cause with the foreigners”, emphasise on your role as tour guide (facilitator/mediator/representative of foreign culture) and not as individual.
• Explain and refer to cultural background and customs, taking the other persons cultural background into consideration, avoid stereotypes.
• Be a good listener, be sensitive and take other perspective seriously, create an environment which allows everyone to speak equally and to be respected

An inappropriate comment

A group of Norwegian holidaymakers just arrived by plane. During the coach ride to the hotel, the guests look out of the window. A traveller notices road construction worker resting in the shade.

1. Quite the opposite actually, the workers here often work up to 12 hours a day and that in the heat.
2. Yes, you are right. The workers here are really lazy. You should get out and tell them that clearly.

You have successfully completed the third learning unit of the course “Digital Tour Guiding”. I look forward to seeing you again in the next learning unit.