To increase visibility, you must be visible. What better way than a laboratory tour or open house that allows laboratory personnel to explain their daily work and demonstrate the interesting and important contributions they make to health care? Tours are superb opportunities for career recruitment, too.

Tours are appropriate for almost every audience and your audience will determine the type of tour you host. Depending on your goals and the messages you are conveying, invite administrators or business organizations, local legislators, the media, the general public, school groups—from first graders to college classes—or youth groups such as Scouts, or 4-H Clubs.

First, be sure you have the permission and support of the laboratory/hospital management. Include the public relations experts at your institution—they can help you to publicize your tours.

Plan the Tour

Consider scheduling (off-peak times are recommended), the best tour length for the group, traffic flow, and the number of visitors that can be accommodated per group.

Resist the temptation to talk about everything in your laboratory during the tour. Focus on what your visitors need and want to know, and consider what you would like them to know—for example, misunderstandings about the HIV antibodies test can be cleared up by explaining the procedures and what the results actually mean to the patient.

Keep your presentation brief—10 to 15 minutes is a good length. Be sure to use everyday langauge where possible so you don't confuse the visitors.

Choose tour guides from your most motivated and enthusiastic colleagues and have them help you "script" the tour. While guides should tailor their own presentations, develop an outline that includes all the pertinent points in your message. If you are recruiting, be sure the tour guides relate their personal stories (education, training, current title and duties) and why they love their careers!

Tour guides need not do all the talking. Ask willing colleagues to talk with your visitors and demonstrate what they are doing. They can ad lib about the test they are doing and give some background on themselves, too.

It is also helpful to create a laboratory "fact sheet" with information on the types of laboratories in your institution and the duties of each and the volume and types of tests conducted. Again, keep your audiences in mind! For young children, a drawing of the laboratory to color or a "lab story" that they can illustrate with their own impressions of the lab is a nice approach and you will love the pictures they will send you! For older kids, a puzzle might be fun. For adults, a factual brochure written is a question and answer style will be welcome.

Take the Tour

Do a "dry run" and try to see your laboratory as others will see it. Tidy up if necessary and eliminate clutter and any potential hazards. Would "visual aids" be helpful in explaining areas of the laboratory? Many laboratories introduce tours with a display including photos of the staff at work.

Post signs directing tour guests to the laboratory from all the building entrances or have guides greet them at one door and start the tour there. Be sure everyone is prepared for questions that might arise and encourage your guests to ask!

Use the tour as an opportunity to recommend actions, such as donating blood, or having regular cholesterol tests or annual Pap smears.

Finally, use some followup strategy such as an evaluation form for adults, a creative "assignment" for younger audiences. The feedback will help you plan bigger and better tours in the future and might provide a fresh, unique perspective for the laboratory staff.