VUSSC/Content/Tourism/Applying Effective Communication Skills/Introduction to Unit 1

In this Unit, we introduce you to effective communication skills as being the main tool of a tour guide. Do you think it is important for a tour guide to acquire effective communication skills? You will agree that as a tour guide such skills are necessary if you are to perform your job well.

In the first section, we begin by presenting you with a general definition of communication. This is then followed by the main reasons you may have for communicating with your customers. We will then explain the process of communication through a communication model and from this we shall draw out the main features of effective communication. Often in the communication process, the message is not clearly received. This is because barriers to communication may exist. This is dealt with in the final section of the unit.

We hope that you will find the issues we raise in Unit 1 very stimulating and that you will be keen to contribute your views and even share your personal experiences.