How to Be a Museum Guide

If you are fascinated by art, history, film or fashion, you can get paid for talking about the things you love by becoming a museum guide. That said, after awhile, many guides suffer from burnout. The energy needed to give exciting tours is dependent on your ability to dynamically interact with others as well as your ability to be bring new insight into old ideas.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Knowledge of your subject matter
• An engaging personality
• A good speaking voice

How to Be a Museum Guide

1. Read up on your subject matter. You should do this at least twice a week. Search the internet for news stories related to your subject. If you find new, interesting facts, relate them to the members of your tour.

2. Stay well-hydrated. Your voice may get tired, so you will want to drink plenty of water.

3. Be enthusiastic when you greet your tour group. Make eye contact and try to learn their names.

4. Use humor to keep people interested.

5. Read and interpret your guests' body language. This is extremely important. Some people want detailed knowledge, others just want an overview. If your guests seem restless, or if they are yawning, you are probably giving out too much information.

6. Ask if people have questions.

7. Pace your tour, especially if it's a long one. Ask if people need rest room breaks.

8. At the end of your tour, thank your guests and ask if they need information about local restaurants or other attractions.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are working at a history museum, consider dressing in a manner that alludes to that period.
• People don't care how much you know as much as they want to know how much you care. Your tour is for your group. It is not a means of showing off your knowledge.
• If you don't know the answer to a question, do not make up an answer.
• If certain historical facts have not been proven, you need to indicate that this is so.
• Never present folklore as fact.