3 Easy Ways To Connect With Absolutely Anyone
Tips from the country’s most interesting tour guide
Why are people sometimes so unspeakably boring? Here’s a secret: They aren’t. You just have to be interested in what they have to say. I’ve learned this during my years as a cult-favorite (hey, they say it, not me) tour guide, documentary subject, and story spinner. And I know that with a few guidelines, anyone can create interesting, dynamic conversations.
Being a tour guide doesn’t mean that I’ve always found talking to people to be easy or natural. Here’s how I think of it: I once heard an interview with musician Elvis Costello in which the prolific songwriter explained that he is actually that not good at playing the guitar. He considers himself to be the opposite of a virtuoso. His original songs derive from the fact that he is in a constant state of desperately reaching for notes, doing his best to simulate what he would play if he could.
I became a tour guide for a similar reason. I’ve always loved history and the city, and I love walking around city streets, navigated by my own inspiration and a continual prioritization of beauty. Attempting to make city history come alive for a family from Kansas City and the couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary who just got in from Wales who are sitting right across the aisle…
