How are you feeling?

Much as you would like, not all visitors to Rome are brimming with enthusiasm when they're following you around the Forum or making their way through the Vatican Museums, particularly when it's hot and crowded. Some tourists have just stepped off a transatlantic flight and are experiencing jetlag. Others may be suffering from heat exhaustion and for many Rome may only be one leg of a long holiday in many busy cities. Don't forget that you're also a stranger to your guests and so they may be unwilling to open up.

Whatever the reason, connecting with your tourists on a personal human level is an absolute must for all guides. To do this you should empathise right at the beginning of a tour. Open welcoming body language and good eye contact certainly help to break down barriers. Furthermore, before telling them a million facts about about historic figures, key dates and famous events, I believe you should ask your tourists this simple question:

How are you feeling? 

This way you are letting them know that it's not always easy being a tourist, particularly as they're on a busy city sightseeing holiday, instead of lying on a remote beach sipping a cocktail.  So here's a piece of empathetic text that you might like to try at the beginning of your next tour:

Good morning. My name is David and I'll be taking you around the Colosseum and Forum for the next two and a half hours. But first, I'd like to ask...How are you? How are you feeling?.... Perhaps some of you have had a long flight and you're feeling a little jetlagged.  Beautiful as Rome is, it can sometimes be a bit chaotic, so I hope my city is being kind to you.  Or for some of you maybe this is not your first guided tour of the holiday and you're thinking "Oh gosh another tour, I'm going to die!!!!" I promise I'll take it easy on you and no, no-one has ever died on one of my tours. So you're in safe hands.......Okay everyone, if you're ready, then let's go!