What is an Encore Group Leader?
The Encore Group Leader is the designated person who is leading the international performance tour. Usually the Group Leader is the director of the touring ensemble or an assistant designated to put the touring arrangements together.
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Encore Group Leaders assume basic responsibility for the following:
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As group leader, you already provide supervision and counseling to your participants, whether they are students, family or adults. This article is designed to assist you in the application of your skills and experience while on tour.
Setting the Tone
Our priority is to make your trip a success and to take care of every single detail. Your role is to supervise the conduct and oversee the well-being of the participants entrusted to you and to set the tone for the group. That means giving your participants daily cues on how to react to their new environment and learn from it. When participants return home, their impression of the trip will be a mirror image of your own.
For example, although frustrating experiences sometimes occur when traveling, they need not prevent your group members from having the time of their lives. If there are delays caused by traffic conditions or long lines, your task as “morale officer” will be to help the group rise above the situation. By putting a positive spin on things and meeting frustration with humor, you can turn minor delays and mishaps into experiences that your participants will joke about for years to come.
Discipline
Please note, that you are the disciplinarian for your participants. Discipline is not the tour manager’s job. He or she will report any infractions to you and, of course, will intervene in an emergency situation. But as the group leader, you are the one directly responsible for your group.
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The crucial elements of discipline are:
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Assistant Group Leaders
The role of an assistant varies by group, but usually involves supporting the group leader before and during the tour. In the rare event that the group leader is temporarily unable to lead the group, the assistant should be ready to assume group leader responsibilities and should be familiar with the information contained in this manual.
Rules for Group Leaders
Encore Tours must have standard procedures in the unlikely event that a group leader neglects his or her duties. Although such events are extremely rare, this article would not be complete without a brief reference to such a possibility.
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In Case of Emergency
You and the tour manager are primarily responsible for resolving emergencies involving any of your participants. Your tour manager has access to 24/7 support, but please remember that the tour manager has responsibility for the whole bus.
If you have any problems before you meet your tour manager, including flight delays, it is your responsibility to call the Encore Tours/ACIS Emergency Number.