Storytelling is the heart and soul of a great tour narrative. An effective guided tour has more than a beginning, a middle and an end; it has a point. Learn more about how AudioConexus is changing the way travelers experience sightseeing on buses, boats, trolleys, trains and trams. We call our solution TriggerPOINT – a GPS enabled, portable, carry on, carry off multilingual tour entertainment system that completely automates location based sightseeing experiences in multiple languages simultaneously. What this means is – everyone gets the same tour at the same time in their own language – high-quality, fun and entertaining sightseeing experiences every time your tours depart. Great stories are supported by professional narrators, character actors, music and sound effects to complete an audio theatre experience.

1. WHY YOU NEED BETTER TOURS @audioconexus

2. PUT ME OUT OF MY MISERY TOUR EMPTY SEATS RIGHT NOW, SOMEONE OUT THERE IS ON A REALLY BORING TOUR HOPEFULLY IT’S NOT YOURS

3. FUN YOUR TOUR SHOULD BE ENTERTAINING EDUCATIONAL INSPIRING DON’T BORE PEOPLE FLOOR PEOPLE

4. ME Just for fun, we like to go on sightseeing tours just to see what other people think of the commentary experience.

5. ME Just for fun, we like to go on sightseeing tours just to see what other people think of the commentary experience. Most of the time it ain’t good

6. About 90% of drivers and guides don’t memorize a script and just wing it. And every tour is different

7. About 90% of drivers and guides don’t memorize a script and just wing it. And every tour is different Which would be okay if this didn’t make some people sad (or mad) OR BORED

8. And you can have a great guide...

9. And you can have a great guide... But they’re hard to find And some guides cost more have bad days are inconsistent rushed ain’t storytellers etc.

10. What chance is there that every guide you hire is like Anthony Quinn? Or that your average tours are going to share average stories? Why are travelers going to choose you?

11. I’ve got to write something about this remarkably average tour. Listen. This is the best tour ever. I’m telling you – this is really average! I really need to tell all my friends about this average tour when I get home. What is that? I’m engaged. Really, I am.

12. “Recognizing experiences as a distinct economic offering provides the key to future economic growth.” The world is changing

13. “Recognizing experiences as a distinct economic offering provides the key to future economic growth.” The world is changing Today's travelers are looking for experiences that fulfill the three "Es”

14. We’re talking about engaging the senses with: entertainment & excitement & education

15. EVERYTIME YOUR TOUR DEPARTS

16. SOME TOURS SUCK Because there are no scripts or time for training, rehearsals or preparation

17. OK, we admit that we’ve only seen a few tour guides like this:

18. BUT Storytelling is the heart and soul of a great tour narrative

19. Guided tours that preoccupy themselves with describing what’s on the right, what’s on the left — are simply announcing a route map.

20. The worst sin is to be boring

21. So what makes a tour great?

22. An effective guided tour has more than a beginning, a middle and an end; it has a point.

23. Like a good story well spun, a great tour narrative forges an imaginative connection between teller and told.

24. A great tour, with a great story as its core and context, is infused with its own particular magic and energized by its own unique electricity. Deciding the story to tell is only half the story

25. A great tour, with a great story as its core and context, is infused with its own particular magic and energized by its own unique electricity. Deciding the story to tell is only half the story Bringing that story to life is the other half of the battle

26. a great tour narrative uses every tool of storytelling at its imaginative disposal historical persona, single and multiple narrators, music, sound effects, dramatic reenactment

27. not only to engage the attention and sustain the interest of its audience

28. but to immerse them within an enhanced experience whose whole is demonstrably greater than the sum of its part

29. A great tour is story-driven, it entertains; that’s what makes it truly memorable.

30. If you’re boring or your tours suck PEOPLE WILL TALK

31. If you’re boring or your tours suck PEOPLE WILL TALK and

32. YOU CAN’T IGNORE SOCIAL MEDIA

33. *Reviews by real people found on the Web. Names withheld. The guide was very cynical and said demeaning things about guests. We were very unhappy with the tour and service provided. Our tour guide had a thick accent and broken English and was difficult to understand.

34. boring sightseeing tour full of facts The most boring tour ever! I'm a fair person, but this tour was terrible. The guide was very cynical and said demeaning things about guests. The tour guide got into bad mood after and the rest of our tour was touch and go We were very unhappy with the tour and service provided. The guides at the bus stops and the tour guide on board the bus were not very helpful or knowledgeable. boring sightseeing tour Our tour guide had a thick accent and broken English and was difficult to understand. The guides varied from good to bad and often gave conflicting information Being a good tour guide is something I take seriously. I had an unprofessional driver, and a boring tour. Boring tour guide

35. Seth Godin knows how to make a successful business tick “How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?” – Seth Godin, Seth’s Blog

36. So we decided to put together 10 Telltale Signs You Need Better Tours

37. Your tour is "good enough" 1 Either you deliver Wow or you're wasting time and money. Your tour sounds like a history lecture 2 A traveler said it best: "a guide needs to be a good storyteller. A pure recitation of facts is mind-numbingly boring." You don't follow a script 3 Lack of consistency is why businesses fail or fail to grow.

38. You're not getting much feedback or any comments 4 If people aren't talking about your tours it's because they didn't have anything to talk about. You asked staff members to write your stories 5 We’ve seen a lot of bad tours. Using professional writers means you’ll go from good to great. You're talking about things people don't care about 6 If you're talking about things people don't care about - don't expect them to care about your tour.

39. You're using the commentary from 10 years ago 7 Your commentary is outdated. It more than likely feels stale and old - not only for you - but for your passengers. Your marketing builds your business (and will save you) 8 Focus on creating an exceptional customer experience first. Then worry about the marketing. Anyone can provide a great tour 9 Great guides have the knack. The mojo. The magic. Invest in storytellers.

40. You don't know your audience 10 Focus on attracting audience(s) that share your worldview. And then write commentary that will engage and entertain your audience. The bottom line is your stories matter. And they matter to your audience.

41. PROVIDING ENGAGING, ENTERTAINING TOURS IS NOT A MYSTICAL ART

42. MAKE A POINT BE CONSISTENT TELL STORIES INSPIRE PEOPLE

43. Thanks! www.audioconexus.com @audioconexus

44. CREDITS WEBSITES FLICKR.COM WIKIMEDIA.COM ISTOCKPHOTO.COM YOUTUBE.COM VIDEO YouTube/Mock the Week Highlight /Bad Things To Hear From a Tour Guide/BBC QUOTES Quote from The Experience Economy - Pine and Gilmore THANKS A Special Thanks to Blair Shakell for writing The Importance of Storytelling. He’s not only one of our writers, he’s an amazing guy and we’re lucky to have him writing for us. And to @JESSEDEE for evangelizing about what it takes to make a great presentation. PHOTOS Flickr/Sightseeing/Thomas van de Weerd Flickr/Pout/Dan Foy Flickr/Packard tourist sightseeing car/Commons Flickr/New York Bus/Commons Flickr/flickr contacts/Hobvias Sudoneighm Flickr/Our Guide 3/Son of Groucho Wikimedia/CarrisTur – Tourists/Pedro Simões Quote from The Experience Economy - Pine and Gilmore Flickr/DSC_0252/Joshua Ganderson Flickr/Larry Lessig makes a point/Robert Scoble Flickr/Catatonic Delirium/joaquinuy Flickr/El Grito Del Fantasma/Javier Prazak Flickr/40+37 Magic 8 Ball/Bark Flickr/View on Black/John Steven Fernandez Flickr/Seth.Godin.MBA/Aaron Tang Flickr/Rain Man’s Rainbow/Steve Jurvetson Flickr/Conjuration Original/DhilungKirat