How to Send Pro Forma Invoice to Your Customers in Odoo 17
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Creating Great Guided Tours
1. Giving A Great Guided! Tour MAA Conference 2010
June 4, 2010 Nikki Lober and Kathy Farretta, Riordan Mansion State Park
1. What is Interpretation âInterpretation facilitates a connection between the meanings of the
resource and the interests of the visitor.â -- Freeman Tilden
2. Taking Care of the Visitorsâ Needs
a. Maslowâs Hierarchy of Needs
---âChange my life!â
---âShow me the beauty.â
---âConnect the facts: How does
this relate to my life?â
-âGive me positive reinforcementâ
---âGet to know me.â
---âTreat me with respect, donât
embarrass me.â
---âHow long is the tour?â
âWhere are the restrooms?â
b. Active Listening: Learn to listen for the question the visitor is actually askingâŠ.i.e. Q: âDid the
Riordans have an electrical generator on the property?â A: The visitor really wants to know
where the electricity came from, so the answer is, âThey were connected to the city system.â
c. Good Customer Service Habits
3. Building your Tour: Tour Guide Preparation
A. POETRY keep these ideas in mind as you create your tour
i. P â Purposeful
ii. O â Organized
iii. E â Enjoyable
iv. T â Thematic
v. R â Relevant
vi. Y â You
B. Resources
i. Interpreting Our Heritage by Freeman Tilden
ii. Interpreting for Park Visitors by William J. Lewis
iii. The Good Guide: A Sourcebook for Interpreters, Docents, and Tour Guides by Alison L.
Grinder and E. Sue McCoy
iv. The Interpreterâs Guidebook: Techniques for Programs and Presentations by Kathleen
Regnier, Michael Gross, and Ron Zimmerman
v. Great Tours! Thematic Tour and Guide Training for Historic Sites by Barbara Abramoff
Levy, Sandra Mackenzie Lloyd, Susan Porter Schreiber
vi. Interpretation of Historic Sites by William T. Alderson and Shirley Payne Low
C. Follow experienced tour guides
2. 4. Creating Your Own Theme âThe Nuggetâ
a. Goals - what do you want the program accomplish
b. Objectives - what the visitor will do as a result of your interpretive efforts
c. Theme - the purpose of the presentation (the important ideas found in your Museum/Park)
i. The theme of your tour weaves together the facts to convey the important messages
you want the visitors to remember.
ii. Checklist for your theme:
1. Is my theme a complete sentence?
2. Does my theme tell an important story about this site that will enrich the visitorâs
experience?
3. Is this a theme that my audience can relate to?
4. Is this a theme I personally care about?
5. Finally, if visitors were asked what my talk was about, would they be able to
identify my theme?
âThere are several advantages to using a theme. One of the most important of these is that it
limits the subject being covered, and thus encourages unified, in-depth interpretation. The use
of a theme can steer you away from such things as: mere ticking off of dates, giving lists of
happenings, making identifications with no reference to context. By wording a theme you
narrow and refine your topic.â -- Interpreting for Park Visitors William J. Lewis
5. Taking Your Tour To the Next Level
âArtifacts and useful objects are a part of all recorded history. They are devised,
invented, and made as adjuncts to the human beingâs ability to accomplish work or
enjoy pleasure. A close examination of any object is a graphic description of the
level of intelligence, manual dexterity, and artistic comprehension of the civilization
that produced it. It can reflect, as well, the climate, religious beliefs, form of
government, the natural materials at hand, the structure of commerce, and the extent
of manâs scientific and emotional sophistication.â --R. Latham, âThe Artifact as
Cultural Cipher, â in Who Designs America? quoted in Thomas J. Schlereth,
Artifacts and the American Past
6. Keeping Your Tour Fresh
a. Follow up: After you have given several tours follow on another tour to get new ideas to freshen
up your tour
i. Participate in other interpretive programming opportunities to gain knowledge, ideas,
techniques and enthusiasm from your peers.
b. Keep doing research--new information keeps your tour fresh
i. New info enhances your tour Accuracy
ii. Constant research helps prevent âInformation Driftâ
c. Do whatever it takes for you to stay excited about your tour
3. d. Ask Questions
i. âŠbut donât ask questions if they wonât know the answer.
ii. Do ask non-threatening questions:
1. Observation âWhat do you think this room was used for?â
2. Experience âWhat would it be like to mash potatoes with this?â
3. Compare âDoes this look like your refrigerator at home?â
4. Evaluate âHow effective is this air circulation system?â
5. Opinion âWhat is your favorite room, and why?â
6. Imagine âCan you imagine the sounds of the neighborhood in 1904? Would there
be cars? What noises do horses make? How about the mill whistle?â
e. Use the senses
i. âImagine this home full of piano music and singingâ
ii. âTaste this blade of grassâ
iii. âSmell the Ponderosa Pine, does it smell like vanilla or butterscotchâ
iv. âTouch this pine cone, is it surprising how light it is?â
7. Tour Logistics
a. Assessing a Group for a tour
i. Determining ability to do the tour (Talk to individuals directly that may have difficulty on
the tour.)
1. Make sure all visitors are aware of the length and challenges of the tour.
2. Identify individuals who may have difficulty with the physical requirements of
the tour.
3. Look for canes, limps, slow unsteady walking
4. Trouble standing for the length of the tour
ii. Difficulty Hearing
1. Note behavior which might indicate hearing difficulty, such as their friend
speaking loudly to them, asking you to repeat, hearing aids.
2. Speak directly to person, keep them near you if you can, donât âwalk and talkâ
3. Electro Voice
iii. Make sure people get the opportunity to go to the restroom and get a drink. (Watch for
dehydrationâall year round.)
b. Staying on Schedule
i. Start on Time!
ii. Keep on Schedule without pressuring the group
1. Pace yourself (Donât tell the visitors you are giving them a âquickâ tour)
2. Picking only two or three things per room to talk about.
3. Donât âwalk and talk
iii. Beware of Indulgence
âTake charge in a positive manner. The people expect you to be the leader,
and a listless, uncertain beginning will weaken your creditability.â
-- William J. Lewis, Interpreting for Park Visitors
4. 8. Concluding Your Tour
a. Wrap up with a summary statement
b. Orient the group to where they are located versus where you started
c. Thank your group
i. You may announce that you will be available for further questions
1. This lets people know they can now leave
2. It also allows more interested people to get you undivided attention
9. Some Tips About Visitors from Lewis, Interpreting for Park Visitors
a. Most visitorsâŠwill have visited one or more other historic areas, and theyâll want to know what
makes you special to them [ie. how is this story a common one the visitor can relate to??]
b. Most visitorsâŠwill be more interested in people than in things, and will be bored by mere
identification of objects or too many facts or dates.
c. Most visitorsâŠarenât interested in knowing who donated what.
d. Most visitorsâŠwill be turned off if your presentation is in bad taste, if youâre cheap,
sensational, or vulgar. You must avoid the temptation to exaggerate for effect.
e. Most visitorsâŠwonât be interested in your personal opinion on controversial matters [This is
especially not appropriate in a State Park] âŠ. or your personal story.
f. Most visitorsâŠwonât want to hear all you know. Be Selective.
g. Visitors will want you to adapt your presentation to them. [i.e. what are they interested in
hearing?]