The Art of Communication

•Prepare the proper speech for
tour guiding
•Project your unique personality
when speaking
•Explain the public speaking tactics

•Group Activity to introduce verbal
and non verbal communication
•Public Speaking
•Overcoming public speaking
anxiety

Communication is an art because it is
creative, fluid, persuasive and
dynamic.

“Good communication is
the foundation of any
successful relationship, be it
personal or professional.”

As a tour guide, communication will be your main
tool in informing and guiding guests around sites
and keeping their interest. Below, we have some
suggested reasons why communication is so
important in a tour guiding context. After reading
through them, why don't you tackle the activities
which follow, which are based on some of the
main reasons for communicating in tour guiding.
Source : http://wikieducator.org/VUSSC/Content/Tourism/Applying_Effective_Communication_Skills/Reasons_for_communicating

You will use communication to present your country to tourists. As a
tour guide you will have to answer many questions, handle queries
and present information to tourists. Among these types of
information will be :
• giving directions and commentaries;
• explaining procedures and itineraries;
• providing advice on safety and security; and
• describing tourist attractions.
• This information to guests can be: helpful suggestions to prepare
themselves for a tour, advice about personal belongings to take,
medical advice on preventative medicines, and information
about available services at tourist destinations.

Communication helps to clarify facts so that there
is no confusion or misunderstandings. Also,
sometimes there are unexpected events during a
tour which can force the tour guide to change
plans, and these changed plans have to be
communicated to the tour group as soon as
possible, to get consensus on alternative
itineraries.

Communication is also the tool you’ll use to promote the
tourism products and services of your country, such as the
destinations and events they will visit and enquire about.
Remember, tourists visit your country in order to see what
attractions the country has to offer and to perceive and
experience the country from your perspective. As a tour
guide, therefore, it will be your responsibility to motivate
and reinforce the tourist’s interest in your country. Your
commentaries are the « eye » through which tourists will
see the country and you are the representative of the
people of your country.

How well you communicate with your tour
group will determine the success of the tour
and how successful you are in your career
as a tour guide. Conversations help to
develop rapport which will build
interpersonal relationships This is important
for sustaining the tourism activities.

Communication will enable you to collect
relevant feedback from the tourists with a
view to gauging the interests and
expectations of the tourists. This feedback
obtained can be communicated to all
concerned. From this you will be able to
explore ways of improving subsequent tour
activities.

Verbal communication refers to the use of sounds
and language to relay a message. It serves as a
vehicle for expressing desires, ideas and concepts
and is vital to the processes of learning and
teaching.
In combination with nonverbal forms of
communication, verbal communication acts as the
primary tool for expression between two or more
people.
Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/150573-what-is-verbal-communication/

Interpersonal communication and public
speaking are the two basic types of verbal
communication.
Whereas public speaking involves one or more
people delivering a message to a group,
interpersonal communication generally refers to a
two-way exchange that involves both talking and
listening.

Verbal communication has many purposes, but its main
function is relaying a message to one or more recipients.
It encompasses everything from simple one-syllable
sounds to complex discussions and relies on both
language and emotion to produce the desired effect.

Verbal communication
can be used to inform,
inquire, argue and
discuss topics of all
kinds. It is vital to
teaching and learning,
as well as forming
bonds and building
relationships with other
people.

Although all species communicate, language itself is a
purely human phenomenon that allows for more precision
than the communication methods of other beings.

The sharing of information between
individuals by using speech.
Individuals within any industry need to
effectively use verbal communication that
employs readily understood spoken
words, as well as ensuring that the
enunciation, stress and tone of voice with
which the words are expressed is
appropriate.
Source: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/verbal-communication.html

1. Use objective, accurate langauge
2. Let people finish what they want to say
3. Rephrase when necessary
4. talk- peer to peer
5. Try to eliminate noise
6. Look for feedback
Source:
http://www.google.com.ph/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sba.pdx.edu%2Ffaculty%2Fkarynl%2FIntercul
Com%2Fimg013.gif&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sba.pdx.edu%2Ffaculty%2Fkarynl%2FInterculCom%2Fsl
d013.htm&h=450&w=600&tbnid=yfwLkGZOSvzv3M%3A&zoom=1&docid=Bsmml9KpAfpyDM&ei=dAyAVIO
MM4O58gXB_IGQCg&tbm=isch&ved=0CFwQMyghMCE&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=1641&page=3&start=31&nd
sp=21

To ensure the quality of your commentary, take note of
the following:
1. Pay careful attention to what you will say
2. Be specific
3. Be accurate
4. Know your audience
5. Keep it light and positive
6. Personalize your information

Non-verbal communications include facial
expressions, the tone and pitch of the
voice, gestures displayed through body
language (kinesics) and the physical
distance between the communicators
(proxemics).
These non-verbal signals can give clues and
additional information and meaning over
and above spoken (verbal) communication.
Source: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/nonverbal-communication.html

Non-verbal Messages Allow People To:
Reinforce or modify what is said in words. For
example, people may nod their heads vigorously
when saying "Yes" to emphasize that they agree
with the other person, but a shrug of the
shoulders and a sad expression when saying "I'm
fine thanks,” may imply that things are not really
fine at all!

It is our nonverbal
communication—our facial
expressions, gestures, eye
contact, posture, and tone of
voice—that speak the loudest.
Source: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships/nonverbal-communication.htm

When faced with mixed signals, the
listener has to choose whether to
believe your verbal or nonverbal
message, and, in most cases, they're
going to choose the nonverbal
because it's a natural, unconscious
language that broadcasts our true
feelings and intentions in any given
moment.
Source: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships/nonverbal-communication.htm

Body movements include gestures,
posture, head and hand movements
or whole body movements. Body
movements can be used to reinforce or
emphasize what a person is saying and
also offer information about the
emotions and attitudes of a person.

Gestures can be some of the most direct
and obvious body language signals.
Waving, pointing, and using the fingers to
indicate numerical amounts are all very
common and easy to understand gestures.

Interesting sites to visit:
http://www.slideshare.net/meryemx/m
eanings-of-hand-gestures-in-differenet-
cultures
http://travel.ninemsn.com.au/world/ru
degestures/835248/innocent-gestures-
that-mean-rude-things-abroad

Eye Contact serves three main
purposes:
1. To give and receive feedback.
2. To let a partner know when it is
their 'turn' to speak.
3. To communicate something about a
relationship between people.

Cleanliness, Hair, Confidence,
Smile with your eyes, Posture

•“Personal presentation is very
important, as people’s perception
of you is motivated by the way
you look.”
• -Perlits, 2002

• Every culture has different levels of physical
closeness appropriate to different types of
relationship, and individuals learn these distances
from the society in which they grew up.
• In today's multicultural society, it is important to
consider the range of non-verbal codes as expressed
in different ethnic groups. When someone violates an
'appropriate' distance, people may feel
uncomfortable or defensive. Their actions may well
be open to misinterpretation.

In Western society, four distances have
been defined according to the
relationship between the people
involved, the study of personal space is
termed proxemics.
These four distances are associated
with the four main types of relationship
- intimate, personal, social and public.

Fear Dampening Strategies:
1. Focus on one person
2. Accept an audience desire to like you
3. View nervousness as an ally
4. Know that experience lessens fear
5. Take strength in the fact that you know
more than your audience.

• Prepare a 1 minute speech on why you
chose tourism as a course. Impromptu,
extemporaneous.
• Remember Verbal and nonverbal cues –
body language, gestures, eye contact
etc
• Lets start with the surname that starts
with the letter A and move from there.
3:20

Rapport describes a close and harmonious
relationship in which the people or groups
concerned understand each other's feelings or
ideas and communicate well.
- from the old French verb rapporter which means
literally to carry something back; and, in the
sense of how people relate to each other means
that what one person sends out the other sends
back.

1. MIRROR their Body Language
Mirroring does not mean that you
should do exactly the same thing as
the customer but you should try to
establish similarities to develop a
comfort zone.

2. MIMIC
Accents: Copy their accent slightly. You don’t want
to come across as mocking them, but listen to how
they pronounce words. Many people do this
naturally to some extent, and saying that accents
rub off on you easily may be a sufficient excuse
if they react negatively to it.
Do they talk loud or soft? You’ll want to talk at
their volume level at all times.

• Mimic the depth of their voice. People talk in one of
three ways: through their nose, throat, or chest.
Figuring it out won’t be too difficult. Compare them to
the descriptions below and shift the depth of your
voice a little bit closer to theirs.
• Throat: A very throaty person will sound similar to Kermit the
Frog
• Nose: A person who talks through their nose will sound a bit
like they’re congested.
• Chest: People who talk to their chest usually sound very deep
and loud.

3. SYNCRONIZE
• During the conversation, breathe
like they breathe. This will create a
hypnotic synchronization.

4. Match their rate of speech.
Some people talk really really fast, and
some people talk very s-l-o-w-l-y. Another
thing to listen for is their cadence, or the
rhythm, of their speech. Do they speak in
bursts, or at a steady rhythm?

5. Repeat and approve.
This is so simple yet but probably one that most people
often forget. After they speak, make sure you repeat a
very brief synopsis of what they say and then approve
(excellent, great, amazing, that’s exciting). This shows
that you are indeed listening. For some odd reason,
people like it when you listen! Learning how to be a
good listener helps establish empathy, which is crucial
building block of rapport.

6. Assume you already have rapport.
Talk to the person as if they're a close
friend whom you completely trust, and who
completely trusts you. If you act in this
manner, you will send out subconscious
signals encouraging the other person to
view you the same way

“Rapport is a relationship,
especially one of mutual trust
or emotional affinity.”
- Perlitz, 2002

MICROPHONE TECHNIQUE
1. Check the volume and quality which can be done
with the help of the driver
2. Check the sound again after the tourist are
seated
3. Encourage tourist to inform you if the audio turns
bad
4. Use natural volume when speaking
5. Use a firm and constant pressure on the
microphone if needed.

Usual words used to check the
microphone
“Test one, two, one two”
“Mick check, mike check”
“Testing, testing”

Communication has a huge role in supporting sustainable
tourism development and managing its multiple
dimensions.
Communication can create and facilitate a
system that allows stakeholders to
exchange opinions and arrive at
consensual solutions.
Effective use of communication tools can also link
products to markets, and can contribute to visitors’ safe
and positive experiences.
Source:http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTDEVCOMMENG/Resources/Commtourism.PDF

Tourism is an industry that sells
intangible experiences.
Communication is vital to the success of tourism
businesses since it is only through the effective use
of communication that tourism marketers can
offer to customers tangible cues about those
intangible experiences. Also, while communication
is an essential component in the conduct of any
service business, it has got an overarching role in
tourism.
Source: http://www.anglohigher.com/magazines/magazine_detail/97/38

Tourists are individuals who want to escape from
the routines of the mundane world. They want to
experience ‘the other’ aspect of their selves not
allowed to be expressed in the ordinary life
settings. Such a conceptualization of the tourism
phenomenon gives us clues about the type of
communication that will be appreciated by
tourists.
Source: http://www.anglohigher.com/magazines/magazine_detail/97/38

Aside from the listed ways to overcome anxiety, choose 5 tips, or
techniques or ways to overcome anxiety. For each tip, explain it
using your own words, interpret it to the best of your abilities.
Search the following sites:
http://sbinformation.about.com/od/marketingsales/a/speaking.h
tm
https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-
business/openforum/articles/easiest-ways-to-manage-your-
public-speaking-fear-2/
http://www.inc.com/ilan-mochari/3-tips-presentation-anxiety.html
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/communication-
success/201305/5-tips-reducing-public-speaking-nervousness

The Art of Communication

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The Art of Communication