Welcoming Adult or Multigenerational Tours

  • Visitors sense if you are friendly and accessible from your words, facial expressions, and body language. Smile and show your sense of humor. A tour is a fun activity!
  • Introduce yourself, and if comfortable, include your preferred pronouns (e.g., she/her/hers) within your introduction.
  • Ask icebreakers: “What brings you to the museum today?” or “What type of art do you enjoy?” Avoid asking the question “Where are you from?” as this is a form of microaggression, especially when asked of people of color. (For more on the negative impact of this simple question, visit this video link or article link.)
  • Establish good eye contact and voice level with the group. Check that everyone can hear you, even at the back of the group. Norms for eye contact vary. If you do not get eye contact back from some visitors, that is all right.
  • Use inclusive language (all, everybody, everyone, you all, folks, etc.) and avoid gender binaries (e.g., boys/girls, ladies/gentlemen).
  • Clearly convey the theme of the tour. Set the shared expectation of what you will be exploring together.
  • For public tours, confirm that the tour lasts one hour, but note that visitors always are free to leave the tour at any point.
  • Do not assume your audience knows the rules of the museum, regardless of age. Briefly state the rules, such as keeping one-foot away from art and display cases. It is far more considerate to explain a rule before visitors have made a mistake than having to tell them after the fact.
  • Always ask if anyone in the group needs to use the elevator before moving between floors. If someone does need to use the elevator, try to bring the whole group that way instead of separating.
  • For adult groups, you could also offer the use of gallery stools to allow people to be more comfortable for the duration of the tour.
  • At the start, mention that you hope to hear their opinions, questions, and ideas throughout the tour. No one has all the answers, including you! Art offers itself to multiple observations, interpretations, and viewpoints.