My first tour

On Sunday gave my first tour of the Boone House. I went on two practice tours with each of the other interns, and gave a different part of the tour each time. Then I decided that I was ready to give a complete tour of the house. The tours always begin on the lawn of the Boone House, and you give an introduction and tell the people who the Boones were, and give a brief history of the house. Next you bring them down into the spring cellar, and talk about food preservation and how the Boones would have gotten along in such a small one room log cabin with thirteen people. Then you go back up and into the house, beginning with the English Parlor. This is a typical English setup with English Furniture. Then into the kitchen, then the German parlor, and the master bedroom. Then it’s upstairs, and into the spinning room, slave’s quarters, and two other three other bedrooms.

How do I feel after giving my first tour? Really it is not all that hard. People expect you to be the leader, you are the tour guide, and sort of the expert on the subject matter at hand. Most people listen pretty attentively and ask questions that show you that they are interested. I felt that the hardest part of the tour was the introduction that took place on the lawn of the Boone House. There you are just talking to people right off the top of your head. Once you get inside the house, all of the furnishings act as prompts to jog your memory and give you things to talk about. I pride myself on my public communication skills, and I really tried hard to elaborate on things enough to make myself understood. I think that people were following me because all of the questions I was asked were regarding things other than what I had already explained, so I knew that people were not confused by what I was saying. One woman even came into the gift shop later on and told me that she had enjoyed my tour.