FW: [Bcma-l] Guided Tours with Headsets - Live tour - asking if they want a tour

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:31:13 -0700

A little tip for live tours.

If you ask your visitors as they walk in the door if they would like a guided tour, they will often say "no thank you" (perhaps because they do not wish to impose.) Sadly they often miss out on so much, especially in sites where there is an historic time period furnishing without museum labels and intending to have guides impart the stories. 

I therefore encourage my guides to simply start chatting with visitors and to draw them in and not to put them on the spot by asking if they want a guided tour. If the visitor says that they are very limited for time, a good guide can condense the tour (although sadly many guides cannot adapt their tour to thus meet the visitor's needs.) If the visitors make it clear that they do not want a tour, then the guide can politely back off

Colin MacGregor Stevens,
Manager,
New Westminster Museum and Archives,
302 Royal Avenue,
New Westminster, BC, 
V3L 1H7

Phone Office:    604-527-4639
Work Cellular : 604-830-6965
Fax:                  604-527-4641
E-mail: cstevens@newwestcity.ca 
Web Site: www.newwestminster.ca 

-----Original Message-----
From: bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca [mailto:bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca] 
Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 9:17 AM
To: bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca
Subject: Re: FW: [Bcma-l] Guided Tours with Headsets]

I'm interested to know what you find out about the use of headsets. With our 
limited staff we find it difficult to give everyone a personal tour around 
our museum. In addition some people don't want the tour at all, but maybe 
they would use a headset??? It might be nice to provide another option to 
our visitors and doesn't necessarily mean that you don't offer tours. Having 
a pre-recorded tour would also be a good training tool for our summer staff.

Lorna Dishkin
Bella Coola Valley Museum
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca>
To: "BCMA-L" <bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca>
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 10:43 AM
Subject: [Fwd: FW: [Bcma-l] Guided Tours with Headsets]

-------- Original Message --------

I appreciate you comment HOWEVER, staff will have more of an opportunity
to visit and chat with our visitors.

Sites also need to start recognizing that it is going to become very
very difficult to find staff, we need to be prepared for the change.

We will always have staff, but need to be more strategic as to how we
are going to utilize their expertise.Ā

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General Manager

Community Futures Sun Country //

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*From:* Historic Hat Creek Ranch [mailto:hhcr@telus.net]
*Sent:* Friday, April 04, 2008 3:31 PM
*To:* Debra Arnott
*Subject:* Fw: [Bcma-l] Guided Tours with Headsets

----- Original Message -----

*From:* bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca
<mailto:bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca>

*To:* bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca <mailto:bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca>

*Sent:* Thursday, April 03, 2008 6:58 PM

*Subject:* Re: [Bcma-l] Guided Tours with Headsets

We eschew this form of touring as it does not involve human contact,
also creates a situation where guides are no longer needed, not a good
message to send to funding agencies.

Live people are best!

-- 
Larry A. Ewashen
Doukhobor Discovery Centre
112 Heritage Way
Castlegar BC V1N 4M5
www.Doukhobor-Museum.org <http://www.Doukhobor-Museum.org>
250-365-5327

On 03/04/2008, *bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca
<mailto:bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca>* <bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca
<mailto:bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca>> wrote:

We are thinking of introducing 'Guided Tours' with the use of Headsets,
for our visitors to the Historic Roadhouse.  We would be grateful for
the opportunity to contact anyone who is currently using this method of
touring.

Liza Curran
General Manager
Historic Hat Creek Ranch
P.O. Box 878, Junction Hwy 97 & 99
Cache Creek, BC  V0K 1H0
Phone: 250-457-9722
Fax: 250-457-9311
E-mail:  hhcr@telus.net <mailto:hhcr@telus.net>
Website: www.hatcreekranch.com <http://www.hatcreekranch.com/>

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