Ambassador Guide

Before, during & after the tour

Short reminders to support your training. If Campus Compass doesn't have an answer, it's okay to say you don't know and follow up with a Thunderbird staff member.

1. 1

   Before the Tour

   Arrive

   • Be at the front desk 10 minutes before the scheduled tour. Punctuality is important.
   • Running late? Call one of the CALT members.

   Look the part

   • Dress code is business casual.
   • Wear your CA polo with slacks, skirts, and dress shoes.
   • No jeans or flip-flops.
   • Wear your Thunderbird name badge whenever you wear your CA polo at a CA event.

   Bring the right attitude

   • Enthusiasm, respect, a professional approach, empathy, and punctuality.

   Open the tour

   • Welcome your guests to Thunderbird, introduce yourself, and set the agenda.
   • Share where you're from, your major, year, and activities.
2. 2

   During the Tour

   Presence

   • Speak LOUDLY and CLEARLY and maintain eye contact.
   • Smile and show energy and enthusiasm. No gum.
   • You're not "selling" Thunderbird. Be friendly, enthusiastic, and honest — without overdoing it or seeming disinterested.
   • Don't make negative comparisons between Thunderbird and other schools.

   Pace

   • Be conscious of time and keep the tour moving. Talk as you walk.
   • Make sure everyone in your group can hear and see what you're talking about.
   • Watch the walking pace. Elderly guests, young children, and guests with disabilities may need to rest or walk slower.

   Conversation

   • Keep it appropriate and professional.
   • Explain any abbreviations you use (BGM, MGM, MLM, 4+1, etc.).
   • Tell tasteful personal stories: why you chose Thunderbird, what you like, what you do on campus. You're the expert.
   • In quiet moments, ask guests open-ended questions about themselves: where they're from, schools they're considering, what they're looking for.

   Back-up stories

   • GCL / internships
   • Student employment
   • Alumni relationships and involvement
   • Thunderbird traditions: Pub Nights, First Tuesdays, Regional Nights
   • Student activities and student experience

   If you don't know an answer

   • Tell guests you'll pass the question to the CALT or RA team, and they will follow up with an answer.
3. 3

   After the Tour

   Close the tour

   • Thank your guests for visiting campus.
   • Bring them back to the second-floor reception area. If they have nothing else planned, they can take the elevator down to the first floor and leave.
   • Have more meetings? Guide them there — typically Alumni Relations (second floor, left side of the ring) or the Student Success Center (second floor).

   Log and report

   • Fill out the CA Hour Log Form (linked in the WhatsApp CA Group Chat description).
   • Share whether you feel the prospective students appear to have the "Thunderbird Fit." The admissions team values your input.
   • Check in with CALT about any problems with the tour or route: locked rooms, poorly chosen residence rooms, difficult questions, special concerns.
   • Pass along any questions you couldn't answer.