GROUP TRAINING
Savannah Guides delivers a range of non-accredited training workshops. Each of these is suitable for experienced or novice guides and the group interaction builds confidence, team bonding and support. Guides typically bring their specialised content knowledge to share with others, expanding knowledge as well as skills.
EcoGuide Workshop
In a full day workshop, we examine the full range of guiding skills, mapped from the Certificate III in Guiding qualification to the EcoGuide Workbook, including:
- Knowledge of the tourism industry
- Knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of an EcoGuide
- Communication skills
- Customer service
- Safety, workplace health and safety, and risk management
- Group management
- Develop and deliver tour activities
- Knowledge of subject matter relevant to tour activity
- Prepare and present tour commentaries
- Plan and implement minimal impact principles
- Sustainable activities and social and environmental benefits
- Commitment to ongoing professional development
- Respecting Aboriginal culture
- Ecotourism leadership
This workshop is suitable as a refresher and skills gap identification for experienced guides (minimum 12 months) who then have the option of pursuing EcoGuide Certification by completing a practical Guiding Assessment, holding current First Aid and CPR. For up to ten participants the workbook and Guiding Assessment can be completed in one day. Larger groups can add a second day to the workshop for guiding assessments. Alternatively, guides can submit a video of them guiding at a later date for assessment. Full details of EcoGuide certification are here.
Novice guides will also benefit from the EcoGuide workshop as it is the most compact overview of the guiding role. They can complete the workbook and then accumulate the necessary guiding experience and other components over the following months to create a professional development target.
One Hour Workshop: The Power of Storytelling
A short overview of the principles of Storytelling and commentary creation. PowerPoint based with a summary handout.
Three Hour Workshop: Building Your Guiding Toolbox
This focuses on knowing your guests, Storytelling techniques and delivering key messages. A valuable set of tools for guides, delivered in a highly interactive PowerPoint based workshop that develops strong takeaway skills and concrete examples for use in the field. Includes a handout of all principles.
Onsite Knowledge Sharing
This 3-4 hour session usually follows the Building Your Guiding Toolbox workshops, applying the specific techniques to your tour. We walk through your tour with guides sharing their techniques and look at the Toolbox techniques to expand ideas and tour elements.
Interpretive Manual Option
We can create a Manual to support your ongoing training of new guides, combining key elements of the Building Your Guiding Toolbox Workshop with the content information and mechanics of staging your tour. After the workshop day we will add some research into useful resources from your sources as well as fresh content sources so guides can dig deeper into their topics and build more stories.
If you already have an Interpretive Manual for your tour, you can bring it to the Onsite Knowledge Sharing session to enhance yourself or we can use it as a base for a new version. Allow an extra day or two for us to create your Manual.
Pre-Season Refresher
Savannah Guides can run a tailored workshop to motivate and upskill your guides before the visitor season starts. This can be a half or full day activity targeting interpretive and/or operational skills and can combine with your updates to create a powerful team building experience.
Collaborative Experience Development
Designing or reviewing your visitor experience with Savannah Guides facilitation can inject powerful emotional, sensory or transformational elements. We can gather your management and guide input and design a practical process to achieve specific objectives and inspire your guests. Working through this with your team builds their ownership and commitment to great experience delivery.
Contact Savannah Guides for more information on these workshops. Generally workshops are delivered face-to-face, however online Zoom delivery is also possible in most cases.