Laughs around London

Every tour guide dreams of having an easy, natural connection with their clients. But tours can be short, schedules are busy, and it's hard to establish an instant bond with strangers. For London tour guide @J, there's a definite knack to this. His secret? Laughter.

As well as delivering London's funniest tour, JJ is a committed foodie, who loves sharing his knowledge of the city with small groups (while making them laugh!). He specialises in bespoke tours, planning them in conjunction with his clients, and is never happier than when sharing the many wonderful food options that London has to offer.

JJ's father and grandfather were also tour guides, so guiding clearly runs in his blood. Our chat was wide-ranging, covering food tours, the art of improv and the joys of being a seasonal Santa Claus. If you missed it, you can watch the replay here.

"If you connect with someone from a different culture with joy in your heart, humour, and if you want to connect with them, not to make fun at their expense but to enjoy going across that cultural divide, I don't think you can go wrong."

Drawing on years of improvisational comedy experience, JJ highlighted the power of laughter in breaking the ice and building instant connections. His approach to tour guiding is not about scripted jokes but about creating spontaneous, humorous interactions that help people to relax into their tour.

Obviously, cultural sensitives are something that need to be taken into account when tour guiding, especially when using humour – what is funny to one person could be baffling or even offensive to the other. For JJ, it's all about "reading the room", tailoring his approach in the moment and using humour as a universal language of connection and joy.

"You'll have something in your life that then allows you to hook either a gag or a fun experience to link with that group. And that connects you very quickly."

?So, if you want to incorporate humour into your tours, where should you start? Here's JJ's advice:

• Read the room: like JJ, use humour to make connections but be mindful of cultural sensitivities.
• Listen actively: understand and respond to the specific interests and needs of your clients.
• Share stories: personal anecdotes are a great way of connecting with your listeners
• Be true to yourself: don't push yourself out of your comfort zone. When it comes to humour, it's important to be genuine.
• Don't be afraid to show you're vulnerable: some of the greatest comedians are much more likely to talk about their failures than their successes.
• Steer clear of scripted jokes: however, if something works take note of it and use it again.

Huge thanks to JJ for sharing his approach to tour guiding and providing an enlightening half hour. If you've got any questions for him, you can message him here or visit his website.

Do you use humour in your tours? Got any advice to add? Please share it in the comments.