COMMAND   KNOWLEDGE You cannot give a good tour if you do not have a wealth of command knowledge. For instance, say you are conducting a tour of your aircraft carrier for a local community group while in port. A member of the group asks you to describe the different types of aircraft that operate from the deck of the carrier. After a long pause, you  say,  “Well,  that  information  is  in  your  welcome aboard booklet — let me see if I can digit out for you.” Obviously, this is the response of a lazy tour guide. Your credibility, and that of the command, is at stake during every tour. If you cannot answer simple questions without referring to a “safety net,” your tour group will be disenchanted. Before the tour, you should know the mission  and  history  of  the  command,  its  hardware, important statistics, and so on. You can do this by giving yourself  a  mock  tour  and  asking  yourself  probable questions the day before. Carry a copy of the welcome aboard booklet and refer to it if you run into any rough areas. DEMEANOR It is easy to describe the demeanor you must have when  you  conduct  a  tour:  Act  like  a  public  affairs professional! Be enthusiastic during a tour, but do not become asocial gadfly. You are giving a tour to explain the mission and history of your command, not to make lifelong friends or win a popularity contest. PATIENCE Another  factor  that  teams  with  enthusiasm  is patience. Patience comes into play when you try to keep a large tour group on the tour route. You cannot treat the group  like  a  herd  of  cattle;  instead,  your  instructions must   be   conveyed   in   an   appropriate   tone   and accentuated with plenty of “pleases” and “thank-yous.” Patience  also  is  evident  when  you  are  asked  a “dumb” question. We all know there is no such thing as a dumb question, but on occasion a tour participant will ask you a question you think is absurd. For example, it is  not  uncommon  for  a  civilian  to  inquire  about  your ribbons and medals or your rating insignia. Sure, you and the 3,500 crew members on your ship know that a crossed quill and scroll represents the journalist rating — but that does not mean Mrs. Earwig, a 45-year-old high school science teacher from Billings, Mont., knows what it is. In this instance, briefly explain the Navy’s occupational  fields  and  rating  system  with  tact  and compassion. If you experience an onslaught of similar questions during the tour, handle each one in the same manner, but never vent your frustrations in public. VOICE  PROJECTION A tour guide who cannot be heard is of no use to a tour  group.  Make  sure  you  project  your  voice  with authority,   especially   at   airports   or   around   noisy equipment in the hangar bays. If there is enough money in   your   public   affairs   office   budget,   purchase   a megaphone  or  some  other  type  of  portable  voice amplification equipment. While  projecting  your  voice,  you  should  speak slowly  and  clearly  so  as  to  increase  your  chances  of being   understood. EMERGENCY  PROCEDURES One of your tour participants collapses while you are explaining the functions of the catapults on the flight deck. What happens to the rest of the group while you attend to the ailing person? Who should you call? Where is the nearest telephone? Answers  to  these  questions  are  available  in  the command  or  public  affairs  instruction  that  covers  the policies  and  procedures  for  public  tours.  Within  this instruction is a section pertaining to emergencies that occur  on  the  tour  route.  You  should  become  familiar with the entire instruction, but pay particular attention to the section dealing with contingency responses. If for some reason this instruction is not available at your   command,   seek   the   guidance   of   the   senior journalist or the PAO. You will find more detailed information on tours in Chapter 4 of PA Regs and in Chapter 1 of the JO 1 & C TRAMAN. EQUIPMENT  MAINTENANCE LEARNING   OBJECTIVE:   Identify   the procedures   for   maintaining   public   affairs office equipment, in terms of performing basic user maintenance and inventory. As  a  Navy  journalist  working  in  a  public  affairs office, you will use several pieces of equipment to carry out  your  mission  efficiently.  Although  today’s  “tools  of the  trade”  are  state-of-the-art  and  relatively  trouble-free, you must learn the basics of user maintenance to avoid problems at the most inopportune moments. NOTE: The  maintenance  procedures  in  this  section are rudimentary in nature and are not intended to replace the  more  detailed  methods  contained  in  owner’s/ operator’s manuals. Refer to these manuals for further equipment maintenance information. 16-17