I’ve been leading international tours and training tour directors and guides for years. I love learning about cultures and sharing stories with fellow professionals. Last year I was privileged to get to know a wonderful professional Bulgarian local tour guide. Boby, the local tour guide, took my online tour management class but I’m sure I learned as much from her as she did from me.
As a local guide, Boby has worked with groups from around the world. She has also traveled extensively so she has an amazing understanding and ability to express and share her experiences. Her insight has given my students a wonderful understanding of what the local guides may be feeling as they work with visitors from around the world.
When one of my students expressed her concern and fear of delivering narration for the first time, Boby shared her first experience. I think it’s good advice for all new tour directors and tour guides.
She said, “I can tell you a story about my very first presence in front of a large group from USA. I am a Bulgarian and English is not my mother tongue. On the other hand, at that time (I was twenty-four just graduated from the university and was very shy), Bulgaria was a communist country and we did not really see Americans, nor we had any idea about the difference between British English and American English. Believe me, there is a great difference.
However, I had to talk in front of forty-two Americans, who I did not understand at all. I was about to cry and wanted to hide, but I was at work and had a week ahead and a lot to talk about. I am sure everybody has his moments of being shy and feeling uneasy.
Then the tour director (he was an American of Polish origin) came to me and said in Polish (yes, I know Polish)—he said—just talk, keep talking. Don’t worry that you make mistakes, don’t worry about how good or bad you sound. When you are talking people do listen. They will understand you and even will help you.
That was all I needed. Just talk and don’t think of what you look like and how you sound. You sound great and you look tremendous—I am positive about it. Wish you luck. Go for it.”
