ghost tour-guiding when I don't believe in ghosts ?!!?

To preface I'm open-minded to the existence of ghosts, but I've never conducted any "ghost tours."

However, I can share this advice with you. When you talk about a location's haunted reputation, think of it as sharing something of the tradition and folklore attached to it. Feel free to qualify your remarks. For example instead of saying (A) "This building is haunted by the ghost of a little boy," say something along the lines of (B) "Several people over the years have reported experiencing the ghost of a little boy" or (C) "Local tradition holds that the ghost of a little boy still inhabits this place."

Statement (A) is a factual assertion about the existence of ghosts and it wouldn't be honest for you to make. But (B) and (C) are qualified assertions about what others have claimed to experience or what local tradition or folklore claims. Statements like these *would* be true about any supposedly haunted place, regardless of whether there are really ghosts there. You wouldn't be compromising your honesty by making such qualified statements while conducting a ghost tour - and you will be fulfilling your duty as a tour guide by telling people the sorts of things they want to hear.

It's like doing any other job. You do it, and you get paid.

Was Jack Nicholson really a US Marine when he said "you can't handle the truth"? Was Arnie really an assassin robot? Is Barak Obama really delighted to be here whenever he visits each and every location he visits? Does an exotic dancer really want nothing more than to grind on your lap for three minutes? No, but they all do it. And if they're true professionals they do it really well, because that's the job they're paid to do. They don't have to believe in it, they just have to do it.

People on ghost tours aren't hiring you to tell them the truth about anything, and they don't care about your personal beliefs or disbeliefs. They're there to walk around and look for ghosts or at least ghostly things, and your job is to be their guide.

Obviously your job would be much easier if you did believe in ghosts, but if it was that easy (for anyone) nobody would pay you to do it. If you want to get paid for sharing your own personal beliefs, become a televangelist or professional lobbyist.

This isn't that hard of a situation. You simply follow instructions on the tour guide, you don't have to believe in ghosts to do this.

You learn every thing about the place you are going to give tours of and keep your own opinions and feelings to yourself. The Tour isn't about you, it's about History and stories being told.

"tread lightly"

no need to blatantly imply you don't believe...

Ghosts experience.. and belief in them is pretty subjective.

So you can always say that just because you've never had an experience doesn't mean they won't...

and if anyone gets offended.. then oh well. it's not your job to convince them

create a character that believes in ghosts for yourself. when you are working act as this character