Interpretive Toolbox: Subtle Environmental Skills

The second layer to the skills and tools used in interpreting are subtle skills that have much to do with the physical presentation of the program. To the visitors they are not necessarily noticeable, something that is innate to the situation in which the visitors finds themselves but is in fact a planned and calculated part of the interpretive experience. They are the nuanced conditions the interpreter uses that draws in visitors and makes for a more sensory presentation. This environment is not necessarily "nature", but also being at the place, or it could even be imaginary.

The Power of Place at Appomattox Court House at the

150th anniversary.

One of the more powerful subtle skills that should already be on your side is the

Power of Place. If you work at a historic site that, for example, was where something of personal, national, or even international happened, being in that place is enough to be an interpretive technique. It is already built into your program. Being there at the place can be very significant to some people. Being at the epicenter even more so. For example, being in the exact place where someone stood, sat, lay, or died can amplify this technique. Combine it with exact time (fall, or October, of a date in October, or 2:35 pm on a date in October) can also amplify this technique as being significant. Anniversaries of the event in rules of 5 also help get people closer to what it actually felt like as well. The point of this technique is to put oneself into the scene as the people experienced it. Visitors want to know what it was like, being where it happened gets them closer, and every little step mentioned helps make that connection closer or deeper. To some, this might be a intellectual connection, but those that feel the emotional connection, it could be what makes their experience meaningful for a lifetime. For example, I mentioned my own experience of being at Appomattox Court House for the 150th anniversary of the surrendering of General Lee. I was at the place, I was there at the time, and I was on an anniversary of the event. To me, such an experience was both intellectual as well as emotional, as I had literally placed myself in the shoes of a soldier experiencing this event. The Power of Place can be a incredible tool to use.

Walnut Hill is a fictitious community that Living History
 Farms uses to create a setting for visitors to experience life

in the 19th century. You can read about my experiences at this

place in my earlier blog posts. 

Some places, like museums, disconnected from an exacting place, may struggle creating that place, but can recreate an experience in other ways. One of these ways involves portraying a setting. This setting can be a physical mock-up or an imaginary one. Making a setting can help the visitor understand what it was like if they were there, but cannot actually be there. Talking about the setting at the foot of San Juan Hill in Cuba in the Spanish-American War or what the wilderness was like when the pioneers crossed the plains will help fill in the obvious gaps.

Spatial arrangement and proximity in action: How do you react

to how a things are arranged in this picture? From this blog post

Spatial Arrangement can be used as a technique to help reinforce ideas in a display or in an active activity. This can be added to the planning layer but the subtle placement can have its own meanings. Arranging exhibits or sensory objects, especially into themes, can help the interpreter reinforce their point. This concept interrelates with proximity. Does the closeness of things mean connectivity or make someone uncomfortable? Are their distance apart taken for aloofness or disconnection, or a example of great distance? Have you taken the time to arrange things or is it always set up this way? Have you taken the time or arranged the setting in which the program takes place? Having a layout gives a sense that time has been taken to consider how a program takes place. It gives the visitor a sense that there is a program and that it is set up in a certain way and not chaotically thrown together (unless a chaotic arrangement was what you were looking for). Your own proximity to the visitors also says something. Could it be misinterpreted? Maybe calling attention to it may make your meaning more clear. Some people are very uncomfortable being close to someone they do not know, or being at a distance may be taken as aloofness by your visitors. Maybe give yourself more space to address a larger group of people without feeling the need to shout at the people visiting closest to you. Such arrangements need to be examined and the intentions made clear.

A staged area allows people to stop and interact with the

environment that is there naturally to selected to be there.

It also allows you to make your point while resting. This

area is staged for a discussion on the beaver and its

impact on the fur trade as well as provide visitors a place

to sit, but is open to the elements.

During the program or presentation, it is best to have the places to stop and discuss the topic at hand. For a tour, this is simply part of the tour. Examples would be a scenic vista where one could see the whole area and using it to describe wide movements or an overall plan. Sometimes it is to get out of the sun and into the shade but being close enough in the area to still make the talking points relevant. This idea is called staging. Each stop is a stage where a point is discussed. This idea also works with pacing. Pacing is the speed or timing in which the program takes place. Going slowly helps make programs last longer, and gives the interpreter the time to be thorough. It will also be appreciated by folks like the elderly or people with special considerations. Brief but frequent stops might be difficult on the people

just mentioned. It is probably best to warn them ahead of time if you think some people might have difficulties. A mix of brief stops and long stops could also be effective if practiced.

Logistical considerations like seating, enough room, shade, temperature, weather, climbing stairs, descending stairs, length of time, and length of travel are all things that an interpreter must consider for the ease of the visitors. But they can also be used to help illustrate interpretive points. For example, telling the visitors that the hike will be 7 miles might cause some to drop out, but the view may be worth the trip, or that the same 7 miles was the exact trail that the people we are discussing actually traveled (using power of place as a technique as well). Perhaps stating it was bright on the day, or its always bright here may help visitors understand certain actions by individuals who may have been fighting glare. Of course, if the glare is too much, it may impede the satisfaction of your visitors on your program.

These subtle techniques are only some of the techniques that fit into this category. For next month's edition, personal subtle nuances such as body language, personal appearance, and language will be the main focus.