How to be a good tour guide

Table of contents

Introduction .............................................................................................................. 3

Concept map ............................................................................................................ 4

1. Let’s listen ............................................................................................................ 5

Phone call .............................................................................................................. 5
Wh questions ......................................................................................................... 7
Greetings and goodbye .......................................................................................... 8

2. Let’s write ........................................................................................................... 11

How to fill a registration form................................................................................ 11
Taking notes ........................................................................................................ 13
Verb to be - affirmative ......................................................................................... 15
Definite articles .................................................................................................... 16
Indefinite articles .................................................................................................. 16

3. Let’s read ............................................................................................................ 18

Santa Marta. A historical center ........................................................................... 18
Contractions ......................................................................................................... 19

4. Let’s talk .............................................................................................................. 21

How to introduce yourself..................................................................................... 21
Verbs describing day to day activities .................................................................. 23
Short answers with to be verb .............................................................................. 23
Present simple negatives ..................................................................................... 24
Greeting example ................................................................................................. 24

5. Group management ........................................................................................... 25

How to be a good tour guide ................................................................................ 25
Appearance adjectives ......................................................................................... 27
Qualities adjectives .............................................................................................. 27
Personality adjectives .......................................................................................... 28
Tips to be a very good tour guide ......................................................................... 28

References .............................................................................................................. 30
 Introduction

It’s a pleasure for us to give you a warm welcome to the Tour Guiding program,
known in Spanish as Tecnólogo en Guianza Turística.
When you complete this English program, you will be able to develop a fluent
conversation with people from all over the world, to manage and guide groups of
people through different scenarios, in urban areas and natural environments. Also,
you will learn how to manage cultural differences in order to make your speech more
meaningful for the visitors.
In this material you will learn how to answer a phone call properly, to fill a registration
form, to get information from a text, to greet others, to introduce yourself to others
and to give instructions.

Es un placer para nosotros darles una cálida bienvenida al programa Tecnólogo en

Guianza Turística.
Al completar este programa de inglés, podrá desarrollar una conversación fluida con
personas de todo el mundo, para gestionar y guiar a grupos de personas a través de
diferentes escenarios, en áreas urbanas y entornos naturales. Además, aprenderá a
manejar las diferencias culturales para que su discurso sea más significativo para
los visitantes.
En este material usted aprenderá cómo contestar correctamente a una llamada
telefónica, a rellenar un formulario de registro, a obtener información de un texto, a
saludar a otros, a presentarse con otros y a dar instrucciones.

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 Concept map

On the concept map that is shared below, the thematic interaction is well evidenced
and the content is present in this training material.

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 1. Let’s listen

Phone call

Fuente: SENA

Pedro: Hello! Welcome to “LPQ Tours and Adventures Colombia”, a travel agency to
discover Colombia. My name is Pedro and I will show you how to answer phone
calls.

Let’s see how to answer the phone in a regular conversation with a client.

Fuente: SENA

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Pedro: Good morning! My name is Pedro and you are talking to LPQ Tours and
Adventures Colombia. How can I help you?

Jürgen: Hello, my name is Jürgen. I am from Germany. I want to visit Parque

Tayrona with my wife and some friends this vacation. What plans do you have for
me?

Pedro: Of course, sir. Thank you for choosing our agency. We have low prices and
the best tour guides for you. How long do you plan to stay in Parque Tayrona? And
when would you like to travel?

Jürgen: I want to stay there one week. Maybe for this summer vacation, on August.

Pedro: Let’s see. We have a great offer at the moment: We can receive our guests
in our private bus directly from the airport and take you to the park. The entrance to
the park costs 27 dollars, we include the hotel, food and guiding. It will be 50 dollars
each day.

Jürgen: Ok, it sounds good to me. I think I’m going to make a reservation.

Pedro: Very good, Mr. Jürgen. I’m glad you liked the offer. Then I’m going to write
some information about you and your family to make the reservation.

Fuente: SENA

Pedro: The first thing kids do when they are learning their native language is to ask.

If you ask, you will never get lost, and you can find almost everything you want to
know.

So, you have to learn how to ask for information.

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Wh questions

In the next chart, you can find the wh auxiliars. We use them to create open
questions.

Fuente: SENA

Examples:

• Where is the supermarket?

• Who is your guide?

• Why are you in Colombia?

• When does the bus depart?

• How can I go to the beach?

• What is the hotel address?

• Which is the best destination in Colombia?

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 Fuente: SENA

In English, you can say hello and goodbye in different ways depending on the time of
the day and the context. Here, you will learn about the most common ways to say
hello and goodbye and how to respond.

Greetings and goodbye

Greetings Response Use

• Good morning.

Good morning. • How are you?

Before 12:00 p.m.
• Hello!

• Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. • How are you? After 12:00 p.m.

• Hello!
• Good evening.

Good evening. • How are you? From 6:00 p.m.

• Hello!

Fuente: SENA

Greetings Response Use

Hi! At any time during day or
Hi!
How are you? night.

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 Hello! Hello!

Fuente: SENA

Greetings Response Use

How are you?
I'm fine. Thank you. At any time during day or
How is it going?
night.
How are you doing? Very well, thank you.

Fuente: SENA

Goodbye Response Use

• Bye!
Bye! • Good bye!

• Take care.
Good bye!
• See you! At any time during day or
night.
• See you around!
• Have a nice day!

• Have a nice afternoon! You too!

• Have a nice night!

Fuente: SENA

Goodbye Response Use

See you around! Bye!
• Bye!
See you later!
At any time during day or
• Take care!
night.
• You too!
Take care!
• I will!

Fuente: SENA

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 Fuente: SENA

Pedro: Now that you learned the basics, it's time to put it into practice!

Fuente: SENA

After listening to the audio, please complete the next conversations:

1. is the from here?

o When / Where / How / Why.

o vest / yeast / coast / moist.

2. long has been here?

o Where / When / How / Which.

o she / beach / feast / ship.

3. are we now?

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 o Where / When / How / Which.

o joking / playing / fishing / going.

4. time does stay open until?

o Where / When / How / What.

o the restaurant / the bar / the hotel / the bathroom.

5. do you recommend me?

o Where / When / Which / What.

o bar / hotel / home / hole.

2. Let’s write

How to fill a registration form

Fuente: SENA

Pedro: Hello! If you want to make a reservation of a tour, you will have to make the
right questions, and understand the answers so you won’t make a mistake. Foreign
people are very strict with their time and they love it when the plans work out.

Now we will show you how to properly fill a standard registration form.

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 Fuente: SENA
Pedro: Hello Mr. Jürgen, it’s Pedro. We will write down all the information for your
tour. My partner Ana will help you out.

Jürgen: Ok. Let me talk with your partner, then.

Fuente: SENA

Ana: Hello, Mr. Jürgen, this is Ana speaking. I’ll make you some questions in order
to write down a registration form. The first one is: for how long are you planning to
stay in Colombia?

Jürgen: I want to stay there one week. Maybe for this summer vacation, on August.

Ana: Very good, Mr. Jürgen. Then I’ll schedule the tour for the first week of August.
Is that correct?

Jürgen: Yes, that’s correct. I want to enjoy my vacations.

Ana: Alright. So, now we have to buy the tickets. You will get a 15 % of discount if
we buy the tickets today.

Jürgen: That’s good.

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Ana: Alright. Then, I’m going to need a deposit to buy the tickets. How many people
are going to come to Colombia?

Jürgen: We are 10 people, one kid, and nine adults.

Ana: Very good. So, it will be a total of 500 dollars for the hotel, food and guiding.
And the round trip from Berlin to Santa Marta will be 2.000 dollars. In total, for the ten
visitors, will be 25.000 dollars.

Jürgen: It’s ok, we can afford that price. I will pay with my credit card.

Ana: Yes, sir. Thank you. Now, let’s choose the activities to do in Parque Tayrona.
Do you prefer water sports, nature tours, ethnic tourism. Which one is your favorite?

Jürgen: Well, actually, we like them all. We will have one week to do everything.

Ana: That’s the attitude, Mr. Jürgen. Let me assure you that you will have an
unforgettable vacation with us.

Jürgen: I know, and we are happy to visit Colombia!

Ana: Oh, and the last thing for your tour. Please, get vaccinated against yellow fever
at least one month before your travel.

Jürgen: Ok, we will get our vaccines as soon as possible. Thank you very much for
that advice.

Ana: My pleasure. Now, let’s fill the registration form up.

Taking notes

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Fuente: SENA

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 Fuente: SENA

Verb to be - affirmative

In English, the verb to be is used to express existence (who you are) and condition
or location (where you are). In Spanish, you use two different verbs: ser (existence)
and estar (location).

The conjugation of the verb to be is the following:

Personal pronouns To be
I Am
You Are
He
She Is
It (refers to animals or things)
We Are
They Are

Fuente: SENA

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Definite articles

Refer to specific nouns and it is used for all genders, in singular and in plural.

The article the is used:

A. When we refer to geographical points.

Example: The North Pole.

B. When we refer to rivers, oceans and seas.

Example: The Amazon River, the Atlantic Ocean, the East China Sea.

C. When we refer to things that are unique.

Example: The Statue of Liberty, the Pope, the Himalayas.

They are unique, because there is only one of a kind.

D. When there is only one of a kind in a place or in a surrounding area.

Example: I need the book that is on the table.

Indefinite articles

Refer to non-specific nouns. There are two kinds of indefinite articles: a and an.

A. The indefinite article a is used before nouns that begin with consonant sounds.

Examples:

o This is a beautiful house.

o I have a guitar at home.

o She needs a telephone to make a call.

o They read a difficult book.

B. The indefinite article an is used before nouns that begin with vowel sounds.

Examples:

o We want to eat an apple.

o She is an English teacher.

o There is an elephant in the zoo.

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o They need an ambulance.

C. The indefinite articles are also used before professions and job titles.

Examples:

o She is an engineer.

o He is a doctor.

D. When you refer to a specific person with a profession or job title, you should use
the definite article the.

Examples:

o The doctor is not here.

o The teacher is from Germany.

Compare the following examples:

• I have a book.

Fuente: SENA

The article a is used because it refers to a book in general, not to a specific one.

• The history book is interesting.

Fuente: SENA

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The article the is used because it refers to a specific book, in this case, the history
book.

Pedro: Now that you learned the basics, it's time to put it into practice!

Fuente: SENA

On this exercise a man is talking to his wife about his plans for next vacations.

Please, listen to the audio and write the word that is missing in the blank spaces.

Darling, you know what? This year _________ to Peru with you. I found a
_________ tour on the web. It’s a five days and four night tour. I even _________
the _________ for next month. You don’t have a chance to say no. I even spoke to
your _________ about it and he said “sure, go ahead”. And paying the tour was so
_________! It was just 1.000 dollars. Listen, we _________ from El Dorado Airport
at 7:30 in the morning, we arrive to Lima Airport, and we return five days later. So we
better start _________ up because Peru is awaiting for us!

3. Let’s read

Santa Marta. A historical center

Fuente: SENA

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Pedro: Ana, Parque Tayrona is one of our best destinations in the Caribbean. I
guess it’s better to read a bit more about the story of this park and its native
communities. I found this interesting article on internet:

You can also visit the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, one of the most important
historic sites of the city. This house was the place where Simon Bolivar stopped to
recover his strength on his way to Europe from Bogota. Bolivar had been commander of
the patriot army that expelled the Spaniards from Colombia in 1819 and he went on to
liberate what today are the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
and Panama, reuniting them under a single new republic called La Gran Colombia.

By the time Bolivar reached Santa Marta in 1830 he was already gravely ill of
tuberculosis and his dream of La Gran Colombia had been chattered by the infighting
among local leaders from the different regions that only recently had achieved their
independence. Bolivar never managed to gain his strength back and he died in Santa
Marta on December 17th 1830.

From Santa Marta, it is also possible to visit the town of Aracataca, the birthplace of
Nobel Prize winning writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It is said that Aracataca was the
town Garcia Marquez had in mind when he created the fictitious Macondo, featured in
his award-winning novel 100 years of Solitude.

We hope this article gives you a general idea about these two great destinations in
Colombia and you decide to include them in your itinerary. (Uncover, 2013)

Tour guide tip: When tourists arrive to a new destination, sometimes they like to
listen to stories about the places they’re visiting. You can learn specific historical
dates and give precise information according the interest of your clients.

Contractions

In English it is very common to have one two words in one. The fact of joining words
is known as the contraction, and to make these contractions we use the apostrophe.

This apostrophe is only a comma located at the top.

Pronouns Verb to be Apostrophe

I Am I´m
You Are You´re
He He´s
She Is She´s
It It´s
We Are We´re
They Are They´re

Fuente: SENA

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Pedro: Now that you learned the basics, it's time to put it into practice!

Fuente: SENA

After reading the text, please answer the following questions:

1. Why is the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino one of the most important historic
sites of the city?

A. Simon Bolivar was baptized in that church.

B. It resisted the attacks of the Spaniard Crown.

C. Was the place where Simon Bolivar defeated the Spaniards.

D. It was the place where Simon Bolivar stopped to recover his strength on his
way to Europe from Bogota.

2. Bolivar had been the commander of the patriot army that expelled the Spaniards
from Colombia in:

A. 1810.

B. 1815.

C. 1819.

D. 1820.

3. La Gran Colombia was once composed by:

A. 4 countries.

B. 5 countries.

C. 6 countries.

D. 7 countries.

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4. Simon Bolivar:

A. Died in Santa Marta on December 17th 1830.

B. Died in Cartagena on October 11th 1831.

C. Died in Cartagena on November 17th 1832.

D. Died in Santa Marta on December 17th 1833.

5. Aracataca, is the _____________ of Nobel Prize winning writer Gabriel Garcia

Marquez:

A. Mother.

B. Alter-ego.

C. Main character.

D. Birthplace.

4. Let’s talk

How to introduce yourself

Fuente: SENA

Pedro: Ana, let’s go to the airport for Mr. Jürgen and his family. Today we have to go
to Parque Tayrona with them, so we better hurry up and arrive there early.

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 Fuente: SENA

Pedro: It’s a pleasure for us to be your guides on this wonderful tour. We want to
express our gratitude toward the group and tell you that Colombia gives you a warm
welcome. We are going to stay a moment on the beach, we are waiting for a boat to
go to the sea. So, feel comfortable and please, enjoy the life.

Fuente: SENA

Pedro: When you talk to foreign tourists, you can be formal or informal, depending
on your personality and your guest disposition. Some people are outgoing and like to
be treated as a friend, not as a client. On the other hand, there are tourists who
prefer to remain alone, silent and avoid people contact.

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You have to be very careful not to bother your guests. If you see your comments or
personality dislike them, please, change the way you talk to them.

Verbs describing day to day activities

After a basic presentation, you can start to ask about your guest’s preferences, to
know them better and have more meaningful conversations. You can practice the
next sentences.

Verb Question Response

Do you want to eat Sure! I want to eat
To eat.
something? lasagna.
What do you like to do on
To like. I like to stay in bed.
weekends?
What do you prefer?
To prefer. I prefer to ride a bike.
Walking or ride a bike?
Do you want to go Yes! I want to go to a
To want.
camping? mountain or to the jungle.
I like reading. / I like to
To like. What things do you like? read. / I like to watch
movies.
I love animals. / I love
To love. What things do you love? people. / I love cinema. / I
love literature.
Tell me, what things do I hate lies. / I hate getting
To hate.
you hate? up early.

Fuente: SENA

Short answers with to be verb

When you start to talk in English, you can answer many questions just saying Yes, I
am or No, I’m not.

Short affirmative Short negative

Questions
answers answers
Am I Ecuadorian? Yes, I am. No, I´m not.
Are you Argentinian? Yes, you are. No, you aren´t.
Is she German? Yes, she is. No, she isn´t.
Is he Dutch? Yes, he is. No, he isn´t.
Are we Portuguese? Yes, we are. No, we aren´t.

Fuente: SENA

When you introduce yourself to somebody, start to talk slowly, with good volume and
intonation. Be gentle and kind.

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Present simple negatives

The verb to be is used to deny some action, which is occurring in the present.

Negative form with

Pronouns Negative form
apostrophe
I I am not I'm not
You You are not You're not
He He is not He's not

She She is not She's not

It It is not It's not

We We are not We're not

They They are not They're not

Fuente: SENA

Fuente: SENA

Greeting example

In this section, let’s see how you can start a casual conversation with a tourist. Pay
attention to the questions and the answers each character makes.

Pedro: Hi! I’m Pedro. What’s your name?

Heidi: Hello! My name is Heidi. Nice to meet you!

Pedro: Nice to meet you too. I am going to be your tour guide today.

Heidi: Oh, that’s awesome. I’m very happy to be in Colombia.

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Pedro: Where are you from, Heidi?

Heidi: I’m from Berlin, in Germany. And you?

Pedro: Very nice! I’m from Colombia. What do you like to do?

Heidi: I like to travel and meet new people.

Pedro: I hope you enjoy this tour.

Heidi: I will enjoy it. I want to know Parque Tayrona.

Pedro: Are you single or married?

Heidi: I’m married. Jürgen is my husband.
Pedro: Jürgen is a very nice man.
Heidi: Yes, we have a kid.
Pedro: Heidi, I have to prepare lunch. I have to go. See you soon!
Heidi: Ok, Pedro, see you soon!
Pedro: Have fun in the beach, Heidy! Bye bye!
Heidi: Thank you!

5. Group management

How to be a good tour guide

Fuente: SENA

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Pedro: Every tour and every group is different. In this part you will learn different
expressions and useful sentences to use when you are in charge of a group. Also,
you will learn some of the attitudes and behaviors that a tour guide should have to be
the best and to promote a high standard service.

The key to good customer service is to pay attention to the group's reaction, and try
to make your customers feel as comfortable as possible.

Be aware of your customer’s needs and always answer their questions.

Do you have a question, Sir?

Yes? (If you see a hand raised).
Is there something I can help you with?
I'll try my best to answer your questions.
I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that. (Sorry I don't know).
That's an interesting question.
I wish I knew the answer. (Sorry, I don't know).

Fuente: SENA

Fuente: Pixabay (2011)

Hmm. That's a tough (difficult) question.

I'll have to look into that further.
I'll have to ask someone about that.
Hmm. I've never been asked that before.

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 Pardon my English; I don't quite understand your question.
I'm not sure, but I can find out for you.

Fuente: SENA
Appearance adjectives

Adorable. Your new baby is just adorable.

This is the most beautiful river I have
Beautiful.
ever seen.
Rule number two: if you make a mess,
Clean.
clean it up.
In my opinion, elegance in a woman is a
Elegant. mixture of beauty, grace, and quiet
confidence.
Find someone who likes to wear fancy
Fancy.
clothes.
Television has tried to add glamor to the
Glamorous. world of sports by doing profiles on the
athletes.
Handsome. That boy with blue eyes is so handsome!
My grandparents don’t like rock music
Old fashioned. because it’s too noisy. They are so old
fashioned.
Lady Gaga looks very ordinary without
Ordinary.
makeup.
The house is ugly in the outside, but
Ugly.
beautiful in the inside.

Fuente: SENA

Qualities adjectives

Please, be careful when you walk near

Careful.
that cliff.
I think that girl is clever because she’s
Clever.
good at chess.
Easy. Climbing that mountain is not so easy.
That soccer player is a very talented
Gifted.
defense. He’s gifted.
When we go hiking it’s very helpful to
Helpful.
carry water.
Before any outside activity it’s important
Important.
to have the right equipment.
I wish I were rich to travel all around the
Rich.
world.
If I want to be a good tour guide I have to
Shy.
avoid being shy with others.

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 Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a
Tender.
tender look which becomes a habit.
If we see an uninterested tourist, we
Uninterested.
have to find a way to motivate him.

Fuente: SENA

Personality adjectives

The weather today is agreeable and

Agreeable.
sunny.
If you want to discover the world you
Brave.
have to be brave.
When you have an argument with
Calm.
somebody it’s better to be calmed.
We have to be gentle with tourists who
Gentle.
want to make a question.
The best way to have a happy guest is to
Happy.
do our best.
When a guide is lively the tour is
Lively.
transformed into a real adventure.
Always be nice with your guests, they’re
Nice.
your responsibility.
Every time we make our best to please
Relieved.
our guests they will feel relieved.
A pleased guest will be thankful with you
Thankful.
and will probably come back.
You have to be witty to get the best of
Witty.
each place you visit.

Fuente: SENA

And finally, here you will find some strategies to be the best tour guide. Pay close
attention to these advices and put them into practice on your next tour guidance.

Tips to be a very good tour guide

Greet people when you meet them and

Speak to people.
try to keep a good conversation.
An honest smile will break the ice and
Smile to people. make your guests more comfortable with
you.
When you call people by their names,
Call people by name.
they feel you care about them.
You can make friends by being friendly.
Be friendly. A warm environment make people feel
good.

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 Act as if everything is a real pleasure.
Be helpful.
The client is always right.
If you try, you can focus on people
Be interested in people.
needs and wishes.
People appreciate a tour guide that
Consider the feelings of others. shows respect and interest for their
feelings.
Try to do the things you promised to do
Punctuality.
on time, according to the schedule.

Fuente: SENA

Fuente: SENA

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 References

Pixabay. (2011). Alpinista. Recuperado de https://pixabay.com

Uncover. (2013). Tayrona Park and Santa Marta: A great blend of nature and history.
Recuperado de http://www.uncovercolombia.com

Control del documento

Nombre Cargo Dependencia Fecha

Centro de Gestión
de Mercados,
Autor Logística y
Julián David Experto Agosto de
Tecnologías de la
Mejía Vargas técnico 2017
Información.
Regional Distrito
Capital
Rachman Guionista - Centro
Agosto de
Adaptación Bustillo Línea de Agroindustrial.
2017
Martínez producción Regional Quindío

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