Book Review: Creating Great Visitor Experiences by Stephanie Weaver, part 3

This is the third and final installment of Stephanie Weaver's fantastic book, Creating Great Visitor Experiences. The third part of the book goes into great depth about the site.

Some places will not be changed to fit visitor trends - like historic buildings

The site is tricky because it will depend on at what level you are as part of the organization. If you are near the top and a decision maker as regards changing something significant, like approving a building project to improve the site, this third installment might be a good idea to get ideas and suggestions.

Implementing these practical changes in the fourth part of the book will help increase the visitor experience and probably save some money or make more. I am not sure how many of the higher level folks read this blog.

However, volunteer, entry level, or mid career professions may be able to make some well placed easy fixes or no-risk suggestions to help improve the site, with permission of their supervisor of course.

Since decision level executives will probably not read this post, it is up to the lower level readers to influence them from below. Weaver lays out an eight step process to revamp the site without having to build. They are:

1. Invitation - starts when a visitor says, "Let's do something today", and ends when they park in your lot.    
2. Welcome - the second they walk in the door and are greeted by someone.
3. Orientation - after moving away from the greeter and the visitor decides what to do next.
4. Comfort - this is found throughout the site in its design, it is how comfy the use of the site is to the visitor - mentally and physically.
5. Communication - everything in the written and spoken language which the visitor experiences.
6. Sensation - how well you engage the visitor's senses, including their senses of fun and adventure
7. Common sense - how practical everything is; working smarter, more efficiently, and logically.
8. Finale - how does a visit to the site ends and what they take with them.

While commentary on each of these points would be long winded when completed with well thought out practical how-tos in this post, the sections really do speak for themselves. To go through each step would be redundant and better handled by Weaver's book. 

However, some points are worth a closer look.

The Welcome step has to do with discovering the entrance and the greeting. The greeting is the part that can be changed faster than renovating the building entrance. The first contact is the first impression, and having a grumpy volunteer is not the good first impression. Select a front-line representative, be it a volunteer or entry level position, or someone else who has some experience in being personable and helpful.

In the Communication step, layers of redundant edits and revisions are made so that all communication - written, spoken, website, radio, sign, wayside, advertisement, or whatever are clear and concise. Communication is closely tied to the Brand and the Theme of the site.

Common Sense is such a critical step because sometimes we make up such rules, dogma, and  bureaucracy that it gets in the way of the things that matter. One example of using Common Sense would be to ask the front line or floor people. These employees, volunteers, or contract help (like in the case of security guards not employed by the organization) who walk around the site - they know what the popular exhibits are, they know how long visitors stay in the galleries, and where the messes are made - so ask them for their input. Weaver cites the situation when the city of Seattle was building a new public library; the planners included someone from the security and custodial staff at every design meeting. Common sense is also creating partnerships with like-minded organizations or businesses that mutually benefit each member of the partnership.Take a step back and evaluate if the things that are done are done for a clear and simple reason.

Taking a step back and trying to experience the site for the first time and seeing all the things that a first time visitor sees will help the site come a long way in making much needed improvements.

In short, this is an excellent book for entry level professionals to make impressive suggestions. 

Creating Great Visitor Experiences is an excellent book for mid level supervisory folks to make practical changes in the planning and implementation process. Going through the book in detail and the exercises as a executive team would be a great way to revamp on a practical level. 

For executive level folks, it is a great way to be able to improve the numbers for stakeholders while increasing the profile of the site. Increasing the site's revenue and visitation numbers might be a headache, but it is a good problem to have! It means that the changes have been successful and that the site is relevant to visitors and can increase capacity for more ambitious projects.

If you, the reader, are looking to find ways to improve your site, increase visitation, increase revenue, the profile of the site, or to shake things up, this book is worth the investment, or the time it takes to borrow a copy from the library. This is a book which should be suggested to any site. 

Book Review: Creating Great Visitor Experiences by Stephanie Weaver, part 2

The second part of the Creating Great Visitor Experiences (here is the first) dealt with what visitors want and how to best utilize the site's staff. This post will be a little longer than usual because there are a lot of deep and tasty nuggets of wisdom and insight from this book.

Visitors come to sites for a number of reasons, including combinations of reasons. Generally they go and do something because they have a surplus of free time, but it is usually limited. The visitor chooses from their free time options based on six rewards for use of their time, according to leisure time studies:

What are these students motivated by in this image?

• Social interaction 
• Active participation 
• Comfortable surroundings 
• Challenging, new, or unusual experiences 
• Opportunities to learn 
• A sense of doing something worthwhile 

The author, Stephanie Weaver, asserts that if sites begin to understand these visitor motivations for coming to a site, your site, it will help bring in others in the target audience. Hopefully these motivations bring them back, but also attract new and repeating visitors. Look over the list and see what your site already does and how you can improve them, or add new ones.   

On the other side, sites offer four kinds of experiences to seek, meet, and hopefully exceed the six motivations of visitors mentioned above. A site can offer these kinds of experiences:

• Educational
• Entertainment
• Aesthetic
• Escapist

Four E's

Combinations of these make for a more attractive destination and can appeal to more kinds of visitors. Stephanie Weaver notes further that

visitors are looking for something meaningful, authentic, genuine, and quintessential. Some examples she gives would be allowing the "real thing" to move people, seeing real animals in their real environment, or providing products and services that people expect when they come to a place where the reputation has already preceded itself for being true to itself. 

Much of Weaver's work in this middle section is based on consumer studies, marketing, advertising strategies, and consumer psychology. While the site where you work might not be so concerned about ticketing prices and how much merchandise is sold in order to keep the doors open, they are still underscoring the idea that you want more visitors to come and must compete against other forces vying for visitor's time and attention. Essentially, one of the goals is to ask the reader how to get near the top of a travel destination itinerary, compared to being a peripheral stop further in the description.   

We want our action to change visitor behavior from their experience during their visit. The four behaviors that we want to change is:

• Frequency - How often do they visit?
• Duration - How long do they stay on site? In each part of the site?
• Engagement - What do they do when they are here?
• Off site actions -  What do they do about the site when they are not there?

The new Ryan's Interpretations logo

Branding is an essential part of the site experience. Branding was mentioned in the previous post so now is a good time to go over it in better detail. Branding is more than a logo on a letterhead; it's so much more.

Branding is a whole concept in advertising and marketing. It is the look, feel, attitude, quality,  promises, origin, and future of a place or thing to the visiting consumer. It is so penetrating that it affects the manufacturers of the products. For example, are the items for sale made in the U.S.A? Are workers being given a fair wage or are they held in wage bondage overseas? Are the employees nice and respectful, or do they have bad attitudes, show low morale, or are struggling financially? These things affect the perception of the brand. 

Or is this the new Ryan's
Interpretations logo? 

A re-branding can add life to a struggling organization. A fresh coat of paint, some new employee training, a logo revamp and/or a name change can add new life. How does the visiting public perceive the name? Does it sound stodgy and elitist? Maybe consider a new name. 

Visitors first experience branding by how the site invests in its employees. The front line of the organization at the site is the first impression to the visitor. How far do the staff go out of the way for a visitor? The further they go, the better impression, especially with the right attitude. According to Weaver, the interaction of employee and visitor makes or breaks the experience. One bad day can crash all the careful planning and preparing. 

Definitely the new Ryan's Interpretations logo
(just kidding)

So how does a site attract quality staff? Part of it is branding, but also careful selection of employees that help set the culture and tone of working there. It comes from a top down approach as well. If the brass are willing to invest in great employees knowing that it will improve visitor perception, then it is a good indicator that a office place cultural shift will take place soon. 

Weaver suggests that the inverted power hierarchy triangle approach is a great place to start; where the executives and managers serve the employees, who serve the visiting customers at the top. Listening to the front line and making action happen improves employee manager relations and empowers the staff as a whole. 

An empowered staff and a motivated visitor have the potential
to create some great visitor experiences the the conditions at
the site support it. More on that next month!

I encourage the use of empowering employees because not only does it give them additional skills and experiences, it also raises the next generation of managers, administrators, and executives that have had field and front line experience. It also has the desired effect of making a better experience for the employee because the office baloney on the sides does not affect their front lines customer service as much. Happy staff are more loyal, compliant, and engaging than demoralized, underpaid, and disposable employees.

Again, Stephanie Weaver stresses doing the exercises in Part 4 to help assess the areas of problem and areas for improvement. Do not read this book like a theoretical text that requires no practical application. Take her up on the offer to help improve the site through your application of this book and see where it can go!

Next month will be Part 3 of Creating Great Visitor Experiences and will finish the review. The need for change had been addressed, the visitors' motivations and rewards have been addressed, and the staff's training and improvement has been addressed. Part 3 will focus in on the site itself.

Book Review: Creating Great Visitor Experiences by Stephanie Weaver, part 1

The need to improve should be an ongoing consideration for a interpretive site, regardless of what kind of site it may be. In the modern contemporary world in which we find ourselves, interpretive sites, whether for profit, nonprofit, or state sponsored, find themselves in competition. This competition is for the the attention of the visitor. The potential visitor is time-poor; with all the labor saving inventions the modern world has given us, we are always spending our precious time on something, whether it is useful or not. For example, a potential visitor could take a nap, watch TV, mindlessly search the internet, read a book, go to a sports game, take a cruise, exercise, or visit a site. What makes them want to come to your site compared to taking a nap? What makes them select your site or a competitor's? Stephanie Weaver's book, Creating Great Visitor Experiences, addresses how interpretive sites, museums, parks, zoos, gardens, and libraries can improve their sites on a practical and affordable level to compete with other options and bring in more visitors.

Book review for Creating
Great Visitor Experiences by
Stephanie Weaver

There is so much in this little book that it really should be considered a workbook rather than an expose or a study. The book is divided in four parts, but for purposes of better understanding, the review of the book will be completed over the course of three blog posts, with Parts 1 and 4 being examined this month and Parts 2 and 3 in the next two months.

One of the points the author makes early on is that the culture has changed. While some have decried the "edu-tainment" industry, it seems that to a degree, it is here to stay. People want to experience a place, not merely be entertained by it or educated by it. Sites (used broadly in the book to include where ever you may be) are in the business of creating and selling cultural experiences. Think of a Disney-themed site and compare it to the last museum, Park, or library you visited; which is more appealing? This kind of thinking should apply to for-profit, nonprofit, and state sponsored sites.

Improving visitor experiences creates repeat visitation, increases duration of visitation, increases education value, creates word of mouth advertising, and increases revenue. All of these things in turn help fund more services, programs, materials, and opportunities.

Likewise, a poor visitor experience is also likely to lead to a poor financial situation. Many missions of the places where visitors go have a preservation, protection, or conservation mission and improving visitor experiences leads to more care and concern about those places.

Weaver argues that the visitor experience has a larger scope than interpretation. Interpretation effort is wasted if the visitor has a frustrating time, like trying to find a bathroom, or not finding a parking space or the front door.

Part of the goal of the book is working with what you have. Sites are not rolling in dough, so improving the visitor experience can be a cheaper and more effective way to bring in more visitors than remodeling. If the customer service is lacking, a new wing and a fresh coat of paint is not going to bring visitors back.

Everything that the site has to offer needs to be evaluated for branding aimed at supporting your message, whether it is called a theme, goal, or mission.

Likewise, a bad visitor experience crushes the financial bottom line. Bad publicity is more likely to be by reported word of mouth than a good experience. One star reviews last longer and tend to hold more weight than five star reviews on travel sites and forums, thus the need to evaluate the entirety of the site, from advertising, parking lots, bathrooms, programs, personnel, and branding. Spare nothing and evaluate everything.

Studying up and taking notes 

Weaver suggests that there is an inside and outside visitor experience. No two visitors are the same. The inside experience is all the things that each visitor brings on the day of their visit, the bad and good days. A visitor may perceive things differently than originally intended by a site. The site cannot really fix what is inside a visitor, but can change the outside experiences of the visitor. That outside visitor experience begins when the visitor decides to visit the site and lasts until they drive away.

The visitor experience does not start at the door. In evaluating the site, step back and look at the whole picture. Everything matters. Your brand, your name,  and your mission is what your site is. The brand is the experience and your brand is only as good as your visitor's worst part of the experience. The exact definintion of brand is discussed in later chapters. All aspects of the experience fit together like a puzzle to form a whole. One bad or missing piece can ruin a puzzle.

Skipping parts two and three for now, part four is the practical side of the book. It gives suggestions for action groups and exercises to be completed to review what each site has, what it does well, and what it could do to improve. The exercises are grouped by each chapter, so an action group could read a chapter and discuss it, or do their "homework" between meets. However, the author suggests reading the whole book beforehand and then go through the book slowly, chapter by chapter, in the action groups. If you are serious about creating a greater visitor experience, this is where all the action is, so do not gloss over the exercises and questions; your site will be better for it.

I found the book useful and thoughtful and worth turning into a blog post. Next month, Part 2 of Creating Great Visitor Experiences will be the focus. One part will be about learning more about the visitor and what they want and what they need. The second part addresses preparing the staff for customer service and investing in them to improve themselves and ultimately, the site.

Public Speaking Tips

One of the enduring expectations of a history interpreter is the ability to talk with the public. While not all job responsibilities involve dealing with the public on a constant basis, such as a museum technician or a curator, even these kinds of "back of the office" kinds of jobs will eventually involve speaking to the public in instances such as proposals, meetings, or formal speaking events or lectures. Its is simply to be taken for granted, although sometimes, early in one's career in an internship or something similar, someone may not yet understand that talking to the public is expected. This may come as a shock to the kinds of positions that do a lot of research or "back of the office" kinds of jobs. From personal experience, I once knew an SCA intern who was shocked and alarmed that part of her job was to speak to people! She thought that she would be doing visitor center and cash register stuff, not talking to the public for tours or programs. If the reader is in such a situation, what cane be done about it?

Fortunately, the Internet is full of suggestions and information on any topic; a search on public speaking suggestions and tips might be a good idea. Since this blog post is on public speaking tips, it can be supposed that if you are reading this, you have already thought of that.

What this blog post will aim to do is direct recommendations toward an interpretation setting, rather than formal speaking.

The biggest suggestion may seem the most obvious: practice.

All the suggestions that you may have come across previously are probably right; practice in front of a mirror, practice with close friends or family, practice to you dog. Reading it at first helps review it in your mind, especially if the speaking bit was written by you. This helps catch errors and weird sentence phrasing that sounded good in your head and all right in print, but are in truth weird and awkward when spoken aloud.

Speaking from a prepared script helps cement information. In preparing a text, try to use spacing and indentation to "chunk" information into memorable bits with the important parts up front so that if you do forget, your information will be there and everything else is an explanation of your point.

Speaking to children was helpful for me in learning to address larger groups of adults later on. If you are already involved in youth groups, camps, or organizations, this is a chance to practice addressing large groups of people.

I am not sure where this nugget came from, but it is worth repeating: Do not get the attention to a crowd and begin with the words "All right..." and "Okay...". It is an amateurish opening that betrays inexperience. Aim for something welcoming such as, "Good morning everyone! May I have your attention please. As we begin..."

Front-load your structure and introduction. Introduce yourself, your topic, and other concerns, such as a quick safety briefing. In terms of structuring the presentation, address when questions should be asked, midstream or at the end. If it is an educational group, remind them to raise their hands if they have a question. Go back to your learning foundation: tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them what you want to tell them, and then tell them again what you told them. Intro, body, conclusion.

Sweep and smile. Look at everyone in the group at least once, but do not do it for long because it looks like you are staring and it makes people uncomfortable. Smile, too. It makes people think you are friendly. While you are at it, let you hands do the talking. If you do not know what to do with your hands, practice leaving them hang by your sides. It feels weird, but it looks natural.

It is acceptable to have "um" and "uh" in there from time to time. Public speaking, while prepared, has an element of improvisation and sometimes distractions do arise. Being prepared and practiced reduces this.

Be aware of your body language. Keep information relevant and interesting. Many people do not care about the details in a presentation; save those nitty-gritty details for the questions. Review verbal techniques for some ideas on keeping things interesting.

Hopefully, these suggestions help guide the uncertain and inexperienced interpreter into something that they can use to help ease them into becoming more confident in their ability to communicate to the public and increase their ability to reach their visitors.

Next month: The 5 year anniversary of Ryan's Interpretations blog!

Is ACE high or low?

Recently the National Park Service has been shifting its advanced Interpretive Programming to something that is called ACE, or "Audience Centered Experiences", in an effort to more closely engage visitors. As this is a fairly recent shift, some of the information may change or be different, so I will try to correct the information as I find it. The dynamic behind ACE is increasing visitation, to provide visitors with relevance, and to engage them through their own experiences. This level of interpretation can take place anywhere regardless of what kind of site it may be.

One of the reasons for this shift in emphasis is something that has been plaguing sites, parks, and other public education locations for the last few years: decreasing visitation. These places are getting less interested visitors and not enough minority demographics. The sense is that there are no means for exploring collective input from these communities and the sites "tell the same old story". This, combined with the rapid advancement of technology, makes maintaining and increasing visitation more difficult for public places. The effort is now being made to foster a facilitation style interpretation program that allows the visitors to input their thoughts and ideas into interpretive programming, thus creating more engagement and a better visitation experience. As defined as a such, the National Parks need to live up to their full potential, their argument goes. Visitors to a place using ACE would not only learn and enjoy themselves, but also gain new skills in critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, global awareness, and an understanding and literacy in scientific, civic, health, environmental, historical, and financial topics. Essentially the Park System would support and foster an "informed and active citizenry, prepared to meet the challenges of a globalized and changing society."

Less me talking and them listening is ok to me!

The shift is basically characterized as a movement away from the interpreter as presenter to being a collaborative facilitator for the visitors on programming. The shift for the visitors is from a subjective, passive learning and enjoying experience to a collective learning from each other sharing experience that helps them connect to each other, the resource, and their roles in society.



The stated purpose for ACE is to enrich people's lives through meaningful learning experiences and enjoyable recreation; protect and preserve natural and cultural resources through broad collaboration and shared stewardship; and inspire social and environmental consciousness to build community and to sustain the health of the planet.

Tilden Freeman

 ACE claims the heritage of Tilden Freeman's concepts of interpretation. "Not with the names of things, but by exposing the soul of things - those truths that lie behind what you are showing your visitor." Essentially the proponents of this system of interpretation want interpreters to go beyond learning and enjoyment to where Freeman really wanted interpretation to go. Through facilitated dialogue, collaborative effort with equal input, shared experience, and carefully crafted questioning, the visitors will walk away better people just for visiting.

Another interesting feature of ACE is rephrasing the interpretive structure. Rather than a Theme statement, ACE re-conceptualizes the Theme as an Essential Question. This Question is open-ended (meaning there are not "yes", "no", short answers, or even "right" answers) that helps create opportunities for "contribution of content and co-creation of meanings." So instead of using a Theme Statement like "Gettysburg was the turning point of the war in favor of the North away from the South", an interpreter could ask, "What makes conflicts change?"

Ask easy questions that everyone can answer first

One of the main features of ACE is the use of dialogic questions, the use of asking questions to create conversation. The technique for asking these kinds of questions is to remember an acronym ORACLE, or Only Right Answer Comes from Lived Experience. So rather than asking objective truth type of questions like, "What kind of kind of medical tool is this?", the kind with a right or wrong answer, the question might be, "What has your experience been with doctors?" It is very likely that everyone has been to the doctor and has had some sort of experience with the medical field and therefore everyone can comment on what their own experience is like. ORACLE is not to be used as a measurement of objective truth questions, such as accepting "incorrect" answers. The line of questioning is different. Dialogic Questions are also inviting, meaning that the questions and possible answers will not mark the visitor in a negative light such as giving a strong personal answer on a controversial topic. Dialogic Questions are also to be non-judgmental, without embedded cultural, political, or ideological assumptions. They are also supposed to be inclusive of everyone and conversational in nature so that it is more than a Q&A session, but rather a conversation. The line of questioning is supposed to be designed to scaffold or lead from self-centered answers to more community problem solving, from "me" to "we". This is done by creating social capital by asking easy and inviting questions first and as more people get involved and freely share ideas, asking harder questions that can only be answered after the visitors are comfortable with the safe space being created through discussion.

There are a number of things that I feel are great about ACE. ACE is an attempt to try to get the visitor to come away with a more meaningful experience because they invest themselves in the learning process. Listening to what the visitors are concerned with allows for more interesting and relevant programming. It is a well known fact that getting visitors involved in their learning makes for more impacting learning and experiences. Because the visitor becomes part of the program, this means that they are involved, rather than passively listening. The art of asking open-ended question comes naturally for me, mostly because I come from a background of teamwork facilitation and so really it is like applying the principles there in an interpretive setting, but not everyone has this background. It is really taking a next step approach to learning.

There are some aspects of ACE that are more of a harder sell, especially for the public. Most of the visitors coming may not be interested in sharing their thoughts and concerns in a public forum. Sometimes they just want to know more about the place and hear the story. In many cases, they want to see the important stuff, like see "guns go boom". For the interpreters, it puts them in a tough spot. For example, trying to link a historical perspective (how it was) with the visitors' concerns and interests sounds like a daunting task. The interpreters may ask themselves, "How do we know what it was really like and how can we connect what we know (or think we know) to what the audience of 5-50 people are interested in without having to ask them all individually?" One Ranger commented, "Why does this seem so needlessly complicated?" My comment, as part of my training as an interpreter to make complex concepts into easy to understand observations responded, "To me, the heart of the matter is to be relevant to your audience and get them involved in something." Another hard sell is to new interpreters who do not yet have a firm foundation of interpretation, how have yet to form their own program yet. So one drawback is that this is a next level advanced concern, rather than a whole systemic replacement. You have to know how to walk before you can race a 100 yard dash with hurdles, so to speak.

So the question is, "Are ACEs high or low, in your opinion?"  ♠ ♣ ♦ ♥ 

Interpreters Toolbox: High Level Activities

It's 2018 and a great way to start the year off right is to finish off the on-going series on the Interpreter's Toolbox and finding techniques and methods for making the interpreter's program more than a lecture.

So a review before jumping into the main focus. This series used a concentric center using four zones from which Interpretation comes from: Planning, Subtle Skill, Verbal, and Active. Simply characterized as: this is about what you think, how you act, what you say, and what you do. The beginning of this series started with the innermost of the rings and was based upon the interpreter demonstrating a shift in perception on how interpretive techniques should be used, growing from things within the interpreter to complicated things that the interpreter and the visitors will do. At last we come to the techniques that offer the most bang for the buck experience for the interpreter and the visitor. The are considered high level because of the coordination and complexity needed to master some of the skills involved, but any conducted activity can be made more intense or engaging with some adjustment.

Arts and crafts engage the creative side of visitors 

The first activities that are high level are arts and crafts. Making stuff is highly engaging. It is a high level engagement because the visitors, among them children, will need to pay attention to the instructions or rules, and follow them. Arts and crafts also need clear instructions and organized materials to use and likely oversight to help troubleshoot mistakes, spills, and other problems. The kind of arts and crafts will determine what kind of materials will be used. As for ideas, the internet is full of them; it is a matter of finding what you want or adapting what you find into what you want. Use key words like "DIY", or "make your own"; Pinterest is great for finding results but the links often do not have instructions on how. Maker websites abound with how-to steps and Youtube is great for more visual learners to learn and plan. It may sounds like kiddie things but some arts and crafts projects may be fun for adults too. It may be just popsicle sticks, glitter, and glue, but coordinating those materials into a something requires a lot more planning, guidance, instruction, and fine motor manipulation in order to create than one might think.

Dancing can be fun, right?

Dance is another high level activity because in many cases, the more sophisticated the dance, the more fine motor movement is needed. This does not mean that if a person cannot uses the arms or legs that they cannot participate; instead the dance must be altered in order to include everyone. A dance is coordinated set of movements, usually to music so there are two parts, the music and the motions. Music can be live or a recording, but make sure to do a sound check before because no one likes waiting on the music while someone goes and fiddles with the machines. It would be even more engaging to allow some people to play the music live if the instruments are easy and the music very simple because not everyone wants to dance. The motions can be adjusted to whatever the situation dictates and whatever the reason is for the dance. Many cultures have group dances where all the members of the community join in. Children are reluctant to dance in pairs of the opposite sex. Adults often are not taught the classic social dances as often as they used to, so instruction and sharing and being open to mistakes are some of the things the interpreter may need to emphasize when explaining what to do.

Exploration and discover activities are among the best ways to get people engaged with a resource. The Junior Ranger Program that the National Park Service does is one example of exploring the National Parks and discovering things that the average visitor does not always notice using a book that guides their attention. Maps, handouts, scavenger hunts, hands-on interpretive waysides, and Points of Interest are all things that help promote a higher level of engagement with the resource. For example, a descriptive map will help the visitor find things that would interest them. Hands-on interpretive waysides could also help keep interest along the way from destination to destination. Here the visitors curiosity drives their interest.

Playing Rounders at Harpers Ferry NHP 

Children learn by playing and a game is among the best ways to engage them but also adults. Games can be made up, secretly hiding as a quiz, or established schoolyard favorites. They also could be adaptations of popular board or television games, adapted for the purposes of the interpreter. Prizes may be given, which helps create a little bit of a incentive, but be careful that they are awarded fairly. As usual, think safety with some of the games. Dodge-ball may not be a great idea with the classic big red rubber ball, but maybe something else that will not knock the wind out of someone could be used instead. Fun is the motivation for engagement and while children are automatically drawn to games, adults want to have fun too and many love reliving their childhood games and showing their children how it was really done back then!

Poetry as an activity is probably the toughest to do. One cannot necessarily teach poetry unless they have a highly developed sense language mastery. Having a sense of rhythm and rhyme helps too. Having a pattern that will be used is also important, the names are not as important as the pattern in which they operate. But if the interpreter chooses to make it an open option to the visitors to create any kind of poetry they would like, it will dispel a lot of the extra stuff and allow the visitors to respond in their own way. Having a wall dedicated to some fine examples would be a plus for some people, sharing with the group might be too, although some will be hesitant to share so be prepared to deal with reluctant people.

Reenacting something or playing a role help put visitors in the
place of the historical figures they came to learn about
and let them see the decisions they had to make. 

If the interpreter works at a historical place, why not do a reenactment? Not all reenactments are battles! Most historical things that people can reenact involve no weaponry. Hold a trial, argue legislation and pass it, write significant letters with the visitors in the same setting in which they actually happened. Being a part of a historical conducted activity like a reenactment of something significant greatly increases the likelihood of creating a positive experience on behalf of the visitors. For this, the interpreter needs to give clear direction and should provide a script for the reenacting visitors to use. Using reproduction clothing and using props or artifacts (be careful with artifacts) can heighten the experience.

Like reenactment, role playing is another play acting resource. These are short parts of a play where the visitor participate in certain roles. Roles could be whatever is needed and need not necessarily be people, for example one role is erosion another is time and another is the resource like a statue. The visitors play the roles and see what the interactions result.

Scavenger hunts, mentioned above with exploring and discovering, is a technique that is a popular game. Most scavenger hunts are lists of things to collect and return. Usually the one or the group with the most items or returns first win. Since many places cannot remove items from the grounds or have items that are too heavy and given the proliferation of the camera phone, many use a "camera scavenger hunt" where the list are clue of what to look for and take their photos. This facilitates familiarity with the ground and gives a sense of "permission" to find things. By doing this activity visitors must learn how to navigate the grounds and the names of things as well as their orientation to one another quickly, safely, and hopefully, in a fun way.

Acting in a skit is another method for participation and engagement with visitors. As with all acting activities, some will be shy and others are born for the limelight, so do not make anyone perform if they do not want to, nor give the one ambitious person three roles. Skits are short. Having the visitors make up their own is the best, especially if they are older students and adults. After years of working as a camp counselors, if the kids make the skit, it needs to be rehearsed by someone with a brain and a short attention span because children's skits become long pointless actions with no end. Skits can have a moral, but must should illustrate some point that supports the goal of the interpreter.

Singing used to be very popular in pre-recording life. Now that people make careers and win talent shows based on how well one sings, we as a culture are very content to let them sing for us while we pretend to sing in our rooms, cars, and showers. As a result, people are self conscious about their ability to sing, so making one person sing a song may not get a great results. However, if some of the barriers can be broken down the group may respond, such as singing along with them or leading the singing. Having a recording that plays along with the visitors may be helpful too. It may also be a rewarding experience to get a song of the times sung.

John Brown puppet and Ryan at Harpers Ferry NHP 

The category of theater is going to be a complex one. There is little time or ability to do a full five act play unless they are volunteers but visitors themselves do not have the time to commit to making something like that work. But there are other kinds of theater styles that may be better suited for visitors with limited time. A short play with actions based on a script can be a single act play. Skits were already mentioned and are great because they are short. Reenactments are also a form of theater since there is a degree of acting in recreating an actual event. A Reader's Theater is a another example of theater that could be appropriate. This entails having a play script with narrator and speaking parts but no action and it is read aloud in a group. Think of the old time radio shows of yesteryear; they are basically reader's theaters. The use of puppets in a theater is great for children since there is an imagination component that they can participate in, or simply watch and enjoy. Puppets being used by interpreters or volunteers will probably need some quick crash course in how to use the puppets. There is also the consideration of use of props in plays as well as set-up and take down so plan accordingly.

For most of last year, the descriptions of interpretive techniques and methods demonstrated that there are many ways to engage the public. Interpreters should take the time to examine the merits of each technique and method and ascertain the full potential and effective use of each before being used as some of the ones discussed here and in previous posts have problems, concerns, and drawbacks as well. Yet by the interpreter taking the time to craft a great program and using appropriate interpretive techniques, the visiting public will get a fuller and richer experience when visiting. In this series, making full use of planning, subtle techniques, verbal skills, and engaging activities moved from within the interpreter to active participation with increasing complexity. It is my hope that this series helps the interpreter with their craft and make visiting historical site and places a better experience so that future generations will continue to visit and appreciate these places and continue to fund and support their upkeep and expansion.

Interpreters Toolbox: Low Activities, Part 3

This post will finish the last of the lower skill level activities that do not require much or are easy to perform with visitors. With the conclusion of this 'low-level' activity, the new year will have the very last installment of this Interpreter's Toolbox series with high level activities. More details next month, but for now, enjoy and learn about these last few techniques and make the program better.

The camera captures what our eyes see

Photograph - A picture taken by a camera. Similar to illustrations, photographs enjoy some degree of authenticity in recording history. While an illustration may be an artist's interpretation, photographs are perceived as pure, raw evidence. However, this is not the case. Clever photographers have manipulated photos for their purposes ever since photography's creation, so be critical of the pictures used. Candid photos tend to be trusted as reliable evidence more than studio shots, but it really all depends. As far as a program goes, it is better to use photos provided by the interpreter as evidence or to gather opinions and observations about the image and analyze the results. Taking photos as part of a program will be tricky because the visitor will have to know to bring a camera before the program begins. The common use of digital photography and integration with computers can be an interesting use for image collection, crowd-sourcing  information, and artistic expression.

Predictions can be tricky but make sure the visitors
have all the evidence they need in order to make a
good one.

Prediction - The use of information to make a judgement about the outcome. This technique gives the visitors the chance to give some input as to where the narrative will take them. It requires the visitor to use what knowledge they have to make a guess as to what happens next. As the narrative unfolds the predictions can be compared and contrasted to get a sense of how close to the narrative the visitors predicted the course would take.

Presentation of evidence - Making giving evidence in support of a position. This really intertwines with making a case or argument because they flow into each other so easily. Presenting evidence can be done by the interpreter or by the visitors in a program from prepared documents, images, or objects. Since objects and documents do not necessarily speak for themselves, the visitor could therefore interpret the meaning of their selected piece of evidence in making a case.  Depending on how the program is used, this technique could be very interactive as a high level activity.

Problem solving - Working on problems. Problem solving can be as simple or as complicated as desired, which is why it is in this section. Problems to be solved can be posed as a question, written down, on a worksheet, or debate/discussion. How it takes place is up to the interpreter.

Process analysis - Dissecting a method and evaluating the results. Analysis is a higher form of cognitive ability according to Bloom's taxonomy so it should probably in the higher activity level but there are higher levels still in that hierarchy. It is also not much of an 'activity' but more like a discussion method. This technique can be preformed after a demonstration, activity, reenactment, or production and analyzed to see how it was perceived by the visitors and see if there can be further improvements.

"The 'Pine Cone' "
The greatest tool ever devised for
outdoor education programs world
wide for sensory experiences.

Quiz - Assessing comprehension and understanding. This technique uses an informal exam to see if the visitors are learning anything. Most adults do not remember school with fondness so making the quiz fun and enjoyable and low-key is essential. Students on the program get enough quizzes and tests as it is so it is important to make your program not like school. But perhaps asking 3 questions just to see if the visitors are listening reinforces parts of the program that the interpreter wants the visitor to remember. Sometimes repeating information in the form of a question is basically a quiz, for example, "What did I say was the most important part of this building?" This technique can be foreshadowed with the simple (but alarming!) phrase "There will be a test at the end!"

Sensory experience -  A technique that stimulates or focuses on a one or maybe two senses. A touch box or a table is one simple example of this. Some higher end museum or sites will have a electric blower that blow smells into the visitors faces to get a whiff of something, since smell is one of the most under utilized senses stimulated in visitors and people in general. This can be done on the cheap by saying "Get a good deep breath and see if you can identify some of the smells here". Listening exercises help get a sense for the soundscape of the location. Sight is by far the sense people most use on a daily basis but the use of a microscope, magnifying glass, or binoculars can change a visitor's perspective. Taste can be dicey as a sensory experience because food in general is open to bureaucratic oversight, but plucking a honeysuckle flower for a taste is probably all right. Check with the management with taste or food.

Showing and telling some slick tin whistle jams

Show and tell - Finding an object and explaining before the group. This classic "Old School" method is well understood and easily used. Find an object and explain it to the peers. Finding an object uses resources. Setting up some boundaries is a good idea, like "remember to put it back where you found it" or "this object cannot go home with you" or "no, that is a priceless piece of American history and I don't have keys to this exhibit case". Presenting this object is the most difficult part of the activity since presenting to an audience can be stressful. Public speaking is frequently stated as being a top phobia. Usually most people simply will share with people they know, less so with people they do not know, and less still will share with complete strangers in a large group. This will be a test of "Knowledge of Audience".

Specimen - A sample of many. An example is usually a spoken or written case, whereas a specimen is a physical example from many. Specimen has a biological connection but can be applied broadly in this category to include all objects examined. Examining an object is the point of having a specimen, to look at, touch, smell, and listen.

"I've got the tool you need!"

Tools - Object used to solve problems. Tools are really a subsection of objects, since they are concrete items but they are used to preform for sort of specific task. Tools can be scissors to shovels, office supplies to agriculture gadgets to weapons. Be careful in considering what kinds of tools to use and their safe use by visitors, if that is what the intention of the tools are for. Using the tools to accomplish some actual work or as part of a demonstration or activity helps the visitor get a sense of connection to the past by the tools' correct use.

Next month will be the intense high-level activities that I would imagine most people are going to be looking for. Look for it in the new year!

Interpreters Toolbox: Low Activities, Part 2

This post will continue the elaboration of activities that do not require much or are easy to perform. Last month was the first installment and is proceeding alphabetically. Each of these activities are about being interactive with the visitors on a 'low' level compared to a 'high' level of interaction and interpretation. This part of the series is about doing.

Illustration - An illustration is a depiction using some kind of medium to make some sort of message. From that vague description comes a wide variety of options and choices and how they will be used. For example, is the interpreter making an illustration or are the visitors? What materials will they use? It can be crayons on lined paper, markers on posters, oil on canvas, or a desktop publishing software. Content and intent can vary depending. Give time to work on the illustration and discuss what it means with the visitors as a discussion about an artistic expression can yield some interesting exchanges of ideas.

Live Animals - Having or using live animals as part of the interpretive experience. Children will connect to animals almost instantly while adults will be a bit more reserved. The biggest concern is safety, not only for the visitors but also for the animals themselves. Be choosy in which animals to include and only bring out one at a time per interpreter. This way an interpreter can be directly responsible for the animal rather than trying to wrangle more than one with squirrely kids screaming. While attending a zoo demonstration for rescued animals, they suggested to shake hands in the air instead of applauding for an animal as the noise could stress, upset, or frighten the animal and this would be a good method for maintaining a enjoyable experience for all.

Living History allows visitors to get a sense of what things were
like back then.

Living History - The use of historical replica clothing and props to create a change of scenery in attempt to give a chance to step back into history and time. This is broken into two categories: third and first person. Third person is more casual, the interpreter is from the present time describing actions, clothing, and props of other and themselves. First person is best understood as 'acting' from the time and reacting as if they were really living in that time and the visitors were strangers. In some cases getting visitors into the dress of the time period helps gain some empathy of the time period, but can be expensive. Getting visitors to preform an action singly or as a group without a costume change is more likely to produce more meaning and memories as well as foster intellectual and emotional connections, but this will go into more detail in the high level activities.

Magic - Sleight of hand, illusion, or preplanned theatrics. Being entertaining is a perk for the visitors but it is likely that the interpreter is not an entertainer by trade and so magic tricks are superfluous. Yet if the interpreter can find appropriate ways to incorporate some magic into the program as a hook or as an icebreaker, it does show some utility.

Mapping can be as elaborate or as simple as you make it

Map - a representation of an area of land showing features. This can be used a number of ways. Using a preexisting map to find things like a "Where's Waldo" of the location. Or alternatively visitors could make their own map of the location as an activity.

Mirroring - Mimicking the actions of another. In this case, visitors mimic or imitate the interpreter or a lead visitor. Incorporating physical action into the program requires more of the visitor rather than being a passive observer or learner in a program. It requires that the visitors see and observe actions to emulate and do likewise. Imitation is one of the first and fundamental learning skills we are born with so using it in a program could mean quick absorption of information in order to participate in  some form of the program.

Modeling - Like mirroring, but this is what the interpreter does first and the visitors mirror. The interpreter models a behavior or action, then the visitors mirror the action. Depending on what is required a particularly adept visitor could demonstrate the action or behavior before the group. It is best to check with the visitor to see if they are comfortable being in front of people, some people do not like being in front of their peers ( or speaking for that matter).

Music - Sounds of beat and rhythm and harmonious patterns. Music is another universal attribute of human experience that can be appreciated by nearly everyone. Music does not necessarily have to be made by the visitors, but certainly worth a try if there are enough resources for all to participate or to take turns participating. Otherwise, the interpreter makes the music in some way, by either making it themselves or simply having someone else preform, or even just pressing 'Play'.

Naming - Overtly labeling things for clarity. The act of naming allows a basic point to start identifying basic nouns that are important to the program without assuming that the visitors already know them. This can be made to a low level activity by polling the crowd for the names of things and repeating the answer so all can hear.

Object/Prop -  Like an artifact but is generally not from the time period. It can be a reproduction item; made to look like something manufactured or used during the time period discuss. Or it can be a modern object that can be used to help explain or explore the present program like a magnifying glass, for example. Props are generally going to be something that the visitors can use, not not always. However, having the visitors interact with something provided is a technique that incorporates participation and interaction with the environment. Objects are limited only by the resources available to procure them for whatever purposes the interpreter wants so there is a very wide array of things the can be used; so many tings can be a prop or an object used in a program for whatever purpose.

Observing with an object

Observation - Examining surroundings. Making casual observations privately can become an activity by making the observations part of the program as a group activity. Here is an opportunity for opinions and observations from the group to get new perspectives and hopefully some new insights from the shared experience. Since each visitor will be different, some of the answers to what they observe will be different and hopefully will make for a fuller experience for the group.

Pace - The speed in which progress takes place. While this was covered in the verbal zone in terms of how fast a person speaks, it also applies to how fast an interpreter covers their content and makes their way from one point or location to the next. Movement is usually a sign for a transition in material so use the pace to keep everyone together but fast enough for the slowest person but not so slow as to drag a shamble to where ever the interpreter wants to go next. Basic movement together is a low activity that helps foster a low-grade sense of togetherness and teamwork, even among strangers. As a activity technique it is more of a supporting technique that assists with other techniques to make a more comprehensive whole program.

Interpreters Toolbox: Low Activities, Part 1

At long last the techniques and methods of activity and actually doing and working with the visitors in a tangible way are the focus of the next few months of material. To back up and recap, the purpose of this series is to re-conceptualize how interpretive methods and techniques are categorized. The organization has been from within the interpreter, to steadily moving out. The first was planning zone, followed by subtle things that the interpreter does, followed by the things that the interpreter communicates, mostly by speaking but could also be applied to writing. Now the series turns to doing, not just on the part of the interpreter but the visitors' as well. This series will break the doing into two parts: low level activity and high level activity, and transition from low to high over time. The low level activities will be broken into three parts and will be release once they are ready, but maybe at not the same blistering pace as with verbal techniques. These are also listed in alphabetical order to make it easier to follow. So here are some methods and techniques to use with visitors:

Artifacts give you the real deal, but check with your museum
person before you start handling things; some may require
special attention or may not be handled at all! Here: the
firing chamber to a Hall's Carbine removed.

Artifact- An object from that time period; found in the location, belonging to a person related to the program, or something else. This artifact could be handled or behind glass, although if it could be responsibly handled, that is probably more preferable since it doubles the power of place with an object directly related to the place. But not every artifact should be handled by the visitors. Handling the artifact, talking about it, explaining the significance of it to the program helps give a visual and interactive component to the program.

Assignment- Giving the visitors a job to do. It can range from picking up trash to being partner in a crowd-sourcing endeavor. By asking a visitor (or a group or team of visitors) to participate in some way, this not only helps create memories, meaningful relationships to the resource and program, but also helps instill a sense of ownership in the program and the resource. Giving visitors something to do helps them interact with the interpreter and the resource. Do not make it like homework, they are there to have fun on a visit, not "do stuff because"; the more a program is meaningful and provocative and less like school, the better.

Brainstorming or using focus groups is a great way to get a
lot of people involved in a relevant task

Brainstorming- Coming up with ideas in a group or by themselves. This usually involves a writing tool and surface to write on. This activity can be done for a short amount of time and can lead into other higher activities involving group participation.

Focus groups- A group of individuals given a task to work on a certain topic and give ideas and opinions. Much like brainstorming, the point is not necessarily to come up with ideas but to share already held ideas or thoughts and come to some sort of group opinion.

Call and response- Most common in song, this technique involves the interpreter (or visitor leader) to give the call to which the majority will respond. This will usually have a prepared text to call from and a understanding of what the response will be.

Dressing the part of a soldier for the flag lowering ceremony
can be an experience that stays with a visitor for a long time.

Costumed interpretation - "Dressing the part" can help make more of an understanding of the resource if the visitors or the interpreter dress in a manner typical or specifically for the time period. The use of period costuming gives an appreciation of the manner in which people lived. For example, the lightness of the clothing may be surprising to the visitors if they dress because of a perception that the clothing was heavy and hot. Or conversely, how restrictive the clothing was. If located at a historical location having people in period clothing helps make the connection to the past stronger since "being there" is combined with "like it was", even if it is not actually how it was, how the visitor may perceive the situation may have a profound impact.

Scything isn't easy and adding an offset 3 foot blade may be a
hazard to those around the demonstrator. Make sure you think
through the safety implications and standards before
demonstrating something that could be dangerous.

Demonstration - One of the best activities is demonstration. The different between demonstration and role play or reenactment or participation is how involved the visitors are. A demonstration can be used as a teaching aid before the visitor participates but in some circumstances, the visitor may not be able to participate for safety reasons. For example, a demonstration of a corn seeder out in a field would lead to having a visitor plant seed using the tool, but using a scythe might not be the best tool to have a visitor use since they have the possibility to hurt themselves or others if used incorrectly.

Example- Demonstrations are essentially examples, as are descriptions, use of evidence, reenactments, role-plays, and other moments used to illustrate a point. They help to explain something by doing it or talking about it. This does not have to be the realm of the interpreter. For example, have the visitors find examples of what the interpreter is talking about as they go through the location or point out items that could be used if at a single location; let them find examples.

My old Boy Scouts of America handbook was my first Field Guide Book.
As you can see, it is quite used.

Field guide (book)- Using a field guide to help aid in the interpreter's use of knowledge on a topic could be beneficial and to distract from the fact that the interpreter may be new and still learning. But having field books for every person on a program may help visitors learn to identify and learn about certain things found in the field guide. This can also be made into a different activity entirely by bringing some paper, pencils, and crayons and creating a field guide book based on what the visitors are able to find after some direction and instruction from the interpreter.

Gathering- This activity involves getting information or ideas from visitors. This can be done verbally or it can be written down and turned in. Both methods have advantages. For example, if the interpreter wants ideas, suggestions, or opinions to be given in an open discussion, doing a verbal gathering of information may be preferred. If the topic needs to be discreet because of a controversial nature, writing them down and turning them in may be better than blurting out an answer that may upset other visitors with different thoughts. This technique is great for seeing differences of opinion or collecting data on certain things to craft a better interpretive program for that particular group of visitors.

Graphics- Using the artistic creativity of the visitors, creating images that have to do with the program. They can be informational (this is a deer), allegorical (the deer represents the wildness of the land), biological (these are the parts of the deer), environmental (deer is an example of parts of a food web system), and so on. It can be done on poster board, spare sheets of paper, paper plates, Powerpoint slide; any available medium should work. The creative process stimulates others, while the artistic side of the creating a graphic stimulates others.

Gotta break the ice somehow.

Icebreaker- This was covered in the verbal zone of interpretive techniques but rather than doing an introduction or word icebreaker, an icebreaker can involve some more levels of interaction and participation. Some icebreakers can be downright active once the ice is broken doing simpler activities in a progression, once familiarity and trust is built. Things like passing things to one another in a sharing game, moving from person to person doing silly things, and trust activities are all sorts of limitless examples of things that can be done without breaking a sweat or would be considered a 'game'.