That’s the message behind the Share the Spirit program developed by the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, the Jasper Adult Learning Centre, Tourism Jasper, the municipality and Parks Canada.
“The Share the Spirit Program encourages those living in Jasper to further the spirit of welcoming the world to our destination,” said Pattie Pavlov, general manager of the Chamber. “We want everyone to feel welcome from the moment they arrive.”
The one-day training program teaches residents of Jasper how to provide that welcoming feeling and provides them with the tools to ensure each visitor receives the best possible service.
One of those tools is positive communication. While training nine new ambassadors April 22, Pavlov explained that communication is less about the words you say and more about your body language and tone.
“Words are only 10 per cent of your message,” she said, explaingin that body language accounts for 50 per cent and tone makes up the remaining 40 per cent.
With that in mind, Pavlov told the program participants to be aware of their posture and tone when speaking to customers and she reminded them that “you get what you give.
“So if you give a smile, you’ll likely get one.”
As well as communications skills, the Share the Spirit program teaches participants conflict management and ways to make memorable experiences for visitors.
Participants also learned about the history of the park and town. For that portion of the day, Karen Byers of the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives took the group around town for a history walk and Parks Canada interpreter Brian Catto took them to Pyramid Island to talk about the park.
“There are three main reasons people come to Jasper,” said Catto, “the mountains, wildlife and glaciers. So if you know a bit about each of those, you can make people happy.”
He recommended wildlife stories as an easy go-to to share with visitors, because that’s the kind of thing they love to hear. He noted, though, that it’s important to also remind visitors of the dangers of wildlife, as many will have limited to no experience with wild animals.
Pavlov closed the day by reminding participants that visitors have endless destinations to choose from when they’re planning a vacation, so when they choose Jasper, we want to make sure they’re happy they did.
There are seven Share the Spirit training days between May 13 and June 24. To register, contact the Jasper Adult Learning Centre at [email protected] or call 780-852-4418.
