Berlin is a great city with history and culture as well as with many incredible stories to be heard. With this being a walking tour, you are in a position to give visitors from different parts of the world a feel of this active city. To make your Berlin walking tour as engaging and inspiring as possible we collected the list of recommendations for the Berlin walking tour guide.
1. Conduct Thorough Research
It would be highly advisable to make research on historical background of Berlin, main attractions and noteworthy events before one takes the groups for a Berlin walking tour. Make sure you’re comfortable with all the typical tourist attractions like, for example, Brandenburg Gate and some of out of beaten track places such as the East Side Gallery. Berlin’s historical and contemporary profile will help you give Berlin’s ‘stories’ both accuracy and appeal.
Tip: Visit Museums and Archives
Some of the best museum that explain Berlin history include the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and the DDR Museum. Also, before or after getting to the site you may visit local archives where there are primary sources and other resources such as photographs and others who provide factual and personal accounts respectively that can help when preparing the content of your tour.
2. Develop Engaging Stories
In his work, one of the most distinctive features of a great walking tour is the capacity to incorporate interesting stories. Stories help in explaining the significance of the landmarks and develop hat to the recipients of the information. Boil it down beyond facts and dates and work towards telling stories that can be interesting and motivating.
Example: The Fall of the Berlin Wall
When describing the wall, share the shocking story of how people were separated when the division started and the tales of how East Berliners began rejoicing once the wall came down. Up to this point, what really makes history interesting and easy to remember is when there are personal narrations or experiences highlighted.
3. Use Visual Aids
Using pictures, photographs, maps, diagrams in your writing greatly help in the narration of a captivating story. Present photographs of Berlin landmarks as they were before and how they look after the restoration process; apply spotlights or simply make marks on the map showing the location of the Arch, the Berlin cathedral, and the Royal Palace; or depict architectural drawings. Illustrations complement your story; people can see the city through the eyes of the participant.
Tip: Use Technology
It is also important while your tours to use perhaps tablets or smart phones to show images, videos or maps. These technologies enhance the general appearance of the conventional walking tour and also help to make the experience interesting to the targeted audience.
4. Create an Interactive Experience
Make your walking tours engaging by engaging the participants from start to the end of the tour. A: Invite questions, ask the opinion of the people, and let the people present tell their own stories where it might be relevant to the tour. This kind of interaction increases the perception of used environment and makes the proposed experience more individual.
Tip: Use Props
When telling the stories, use related materials such as a piece of the Berlin Wall, or replica models of other historical relics. Having the participants touch these items, not only enriches their knowledge but also makes part of the tour fun and remarkable.
5. Master Time Management
Generally, it is recommended that the time be tightly packed during the tour in order to make the best use of the time. A slow paced tour makes sure that many of the participants have enough time to understand the information given to them. Make sure one or the other is not taken to mean that time is free for rest and eating, more especially in longer tours.
Tip: Plan for Unexpected Delays
Explain mechanical abnormalities leading to unanticipated changes, traffic, closure of routes or bad weather. It’s always good to have some contingencies and some spare runs in case one is disrupted in some way or another.
6. Be Responsive and Adapt
It should be borne in mind that no two tour groups are the same. You have to relate your stories according to the interests of the audience, mean timing, and frequency of occurrence of an incident. Cultivate good listeners with regard to what they have to say, their questions or reactions. Evaluating flexibility and adaptability allow clients to receive an excellent experience.
Tip: Get Feedback
American focus: try to receive as much feedback as it is possible from the participants at the end of the tour. This will not only help you do a better job, but it will also explain how much you personally value coming up with ways to make the next customer’s visit even better.
7. Stay Knowledgeable and Up-to-Date
From what has been discussed in this paper, Berlin is a city that has the capacity to transformation and produce enhancements. Never leave yourself ignorant about events, new attractions, and new updates if any. For more information and knowledge about Berlin you should attend workshops and seminars or simply listen to a lecture.
Tip: Network with Other Guides
Sharing experiences and information with other Berlin walking tour guides is one of the best ways to get ideas of what is hot in the market. Local guide associations, professional events and virtual groups will be useful for finding similar professions.
Conclusion
Implementing all these ideas should assist you to become one of the best Berlin walking tour guide in the near future. Let me remind you, theoretical and practical preparation, searching for interesting stories, using visuals, creating the tasks and games, time and again, in proper pace, being prepared for unexpected situations, having desire to learn more – those are the recipes for extraordinary and effective tour. Thus, grab your cellphones, tablets or cameras and the streets of Berlin will turn into your theatre where you can actively promote history and fascinating culture of the city!
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