Creating an Interpretive Program - Part 2: Knowing the Audience

In this second installment of the Creating an Interpretive Program using the Interpretive Process Model as the guide, the focus is on the importance of considering the audience. After all, no program is created with the intention of not being used; it is made to deliver to real people. The audience is listening and it wants to hear from you.

Your audience is going to be different every time, so be
flexible with your material and take into account 
different interests without over-planning.

When creating an interpretive program, an easy mistake to make is to assume the audience is just like you and is interested in everything that you are. Believe it or not, the people in the audience are different than you and have different perspectives, opinions, and interests. One thing in your favor is that they are all here, right in front of you, and so that means that some of them must be interested in hearing what you have to say or seeing what you have to do. On one hand, give them what they want. If you are at a historical house, give them the tour. If it is a big fossil bed, talk to them about the fossils. On the other hand, they may be a captive audience or do not know exactly why they are there, so your interest and excitement in what you are doing or saying can be infectious. The method that works for both types of audience is to be both informative and a little persuasive.

The elusive

"Average Visitor"?

Another easy mistake is to write a program aimed at a mythical creature called "The Average Visitor". This creature does not exist. It happens when the program is written to anyone, and by doing so, is directed at no one. Anywhere you go, whether to an interpretive site, the grocery store, or the bank, everyone there is going to be a little bit different. Over time, some noticeable characters and features of the visitors begin to stand out. Does your location get a lot of international tourists? From what countries? Children on field trips? Snowbirds? Families on vacations? Mostly men, women, boys, or girls? These are only some of the characteristics that should be taken into consideration. Giving an interpretive program to a group of international tourists is greatly different than families on vacation, but sometimes they are in the same group! Flexibility is key, but knowing your audience gives range to that flexibility.

As a result, it can also be taken in the extreme opposite end. Creating the same program with so many variations for every single demographic represented at the site is too much. Your time is too precious to write out all these specific programs. It is more akin to making appropriate emphasis where most effective while sticking to the script and some variations on a theme. For example, if an international tourist group has a translator, the same program can be given in simplified terms and broken into manageable chunks so the translator has time to quickly understand and then translate the material. Another example would be using simpler language for children and less complicated concepts.

"C'mon man, not even Sasquatch believes in the 'Average

Visitor' "

If you are new to a site, ask around and get a feel for what kinds of people visit the site. Talk to the visitors and get to know them before you create a program and see what interests them. Some general questions to ask visitors during this phase of program creation are aimed at gathering information and include, "What brought you here today?" and "What does this resource mean to you?". These questions are seeking something of value for themselves and a personal sense of what the place means.

December's edition of this blog will be the next step in the Interpretive Process model, the theme statement.