Interpretive Toolbox: Verbal Techniques part 3

The third in the series of verbal techniques for use in Interpretative Programming, here are another twenty or so more ideas in alphabetical order that help give the interpreter more techniques and methods to work with for a better program. Since much of the material presented here contains more definitions and suggested uses and less exposition and analysis, and there are so many of them, these verbal techniques blog posts will come much more frequently than the usual one-a-month that is done from this blog. Without further ado -

General to Specific- A process of taking a general characteristic or concept and explaining it in relation to a particular individual, circumstance, or other situation. It is like focusing the attention from a wide angle to a narrow view. Slavery is a general topic and one example of a slave is specific, say Olaudah Equiano. New England is a general topic, but Lowell, Massachusetts is specific. This technique is essentially an example, but does not necessarily need to be one. It allows the interpreter to paint a background before moving into the foreground of what they really want to talk about, but without that context, the subject does not have the most effective impact upon the visitor.

Guided Imagery- "A mental journey that is facilitated, led, or described by the interpreter to help visitors experience a situation or scenario that they probably would not be able to experience in person." It is more than story telling or narrative, because Guided Imagery focuses on the 'imagery' portion and accentuates the experience by vivid description. The verbal descriptive skill of the interpreter is essential for making this technique effective as it requires the inclusion of details that can take the visitors 'there' if they use their imagination and the descriptions provided to understand what the interpreter is describing.

Historical Reference- The mentioning of something significant in the past. This point of reference of the past explains the present. It is simply a subtle form of a few techniques such as Before and After, Example, and Flashback mentioned earlier. It can be used as simply as "You used to be able to..." but can be more subtly used than that.

If you have to use an actual crook to
grab a visitor, we need to talk.

Hook- A device for catching, holding, or pulling in a visitor. This verbal (or written) technique grabs the attention of the visitor and draws them in. It can be a provocative question, a dynamic introduction, a loud noise, and all sorts of surprises. Visitors will make decisions about the interpreter and the program very quickly, and hooking them with some curve ball right away is one way to get them excited and intrigued.

Humor- One does not have to be a stand-up comedian, but there are a lot of correlations with it. Using humor can lighten up a heavy topic if necessary or make an average program more enjoyable. Humor, like most things, can be tricky. Being flippant about a serious topic might rub some visitors the wrong way, as in a "Talk-With-the-Supervisor" or "Bad-Review-on-Facebook" sorts of ways. Using jokes directed at individuals, genders, ethnic groups or other hot button categories should be avoided. Parody and satire may be used if carefully executed, but be aware their intent is ridicule and could end up offending someone. Run your material by some people with different perspectives before trying it on live visitors. Avoid sarcasm; kids do not understand it and the intent of sarcasm is to viciously ridicule. Knowing how much to include is also of concern. The best types of humor to use are word play, witticisms, puns, and quick innocent jokes. It all depends on the circumstance, so make sure to read the crowd before launching into a joke.

Hyperbole- Exaggeration or overstatement. It exaggerates so greatly that no one could miss that it was said for effect. "I was so hungry I could eat a horse" is an example of hyperbole.

Ice breaking

Icebreaker- An activity that serves to build rapport with the people involved, especially between the interpreter and the visitors. Asking an inviting and provocative question is one way to break the ice. As a way of introducing my guided tour on the lives and homes of the people living at Fort Scott, I casually ask the interested visitors gathered where they call 'home' and what does that home look like. Or it can be overt, such as telling everyone in the group to introduce yourself to someone with a hello and a handshake. Doing a quick little game helps break down some walls. I have found that including yourself into these activities breaks down the ice with them as well since you have a part in the activities. Since this is usually at the beginning of the program, it should not take up too much time and detract from the program.

Imagination-Using the words to guide the illustration and understanding of something that is not present or yet perceived. Guided Imagery mentioned above uses the imagination to perceive the vivid details in the mind's eye. Essentially, the imagery is the sender while the imagination is the receiver. The images will be vivid, but each person will create the details to how they understand, perceive, and interpret the information.

Inclusion- Including people in as members. Among the most powerful interpretive techniques is doing something. While some are primarily audio visual learners, most people will learn by doing it. This is why the active zone of interpretation, beyond the verbal zone, is so hard and yet so rewarding. Making the program audience centered and bringing the whole program in together as a team or as VIPs on the "inside" gives a sense of community but also of ownership. This topic of inclusion is going to go into greater detail once the verbal techniques are all unpacked and the active and higher forms of interpretation get discussed.

Information- "Knowledge obtained from investigation, study, or instruction; intelligence, news, facts, data, etc." Information facts are the building blocks of interpretation, but as such are not interpretation. The information from the interpretive experience uses information to reveal, discover, and explore, but to also provoke because the visitor is searching for meaning in their brief time with the interpreter.

Insight- hidden understanding or meaning. A deeper subtle technique that reveals a different perspective that has a truth to it. The simple and profound statements are usually found in observation and oftentimes illustrate a deeper pattern or relationship that is not always obvious.

Interjection- "An exclamatory or interrupting word or phrase that expresses an emotion". This technique is hard to use since it really should not be used very often. It is often a shout. Think of the kind of words or phrases used for actual anger or surprise. Finding appropriate times to use interjection can really be a challenge but could add emotional impact.

Not my picture but a great illustration of irony.

Irony- A state or affairs, event, comment, or condition that seems deliberately contrary to what one would expect and is often amusing as a result. Since this technique is essentially sarcasm, it needs to be used with caution, perhaps even overtly mentioning it as ironic. But in situations where things can be contrary or have unintended results, placing the  the situation in a humorous light may lessen the heaviness of the topic or point out the futility of a wrong way of thinking.

Juxtaposition- The switching of places of two or more contrasting things. This technique is another advanced level kind of interpretation because it requires some careful planning to be done well. It is a bit of compare and contrast with dialogue and examining the patterns in situations.

Labeling- Not just putting a label on something but classifying people, or kinds of people, in a positive, negative, or even a neutral manner. The purpose of this is to get visitors to associate with one group or to disassociate with another, which will require the terms to be defined. It is important to be distinct as possible to make clear where the lines of classification are. The trouble with this technique is that it can be subjective; the interpreter makes the definition and has made a judgement of what is and is not in the classifications. It also has the problem of stereotyping people or kinds of people, and as a result labels can offend, even if a group is labeled as a positive or neutral label. Be careful with this one.

Lecturing- A formal discourse given for instruction. Once upon a time, this was the backbone of teaching. One person telling a group of students information in a formal setting. This has changed as now many people simply do not have the patience to sit and listen to one person talk for very long. Slides, overhead projectors, and power slide technology have made this primarily audio form of learning into a visual one. If the lecturer gets interactive, it will reach kinesthetic learners as well. But occasionally, a brief lecture (now usually called a 'talk') will pop up in a formal setting, like a dinner, a meeting, or a convention. One advantage to the lecture is that it is pure verbal skill if that is a strong attribute of the interpreter; since this part of the Interpreter's Toolbox focuses on the verbal zone, all of these techniques on this blog post, the two previous, and the few more that will come will be of tremendous value. Also, a lecture is the quickest way to give information in the shortest amount of time to the largest amount of people. Lectures are also easy to prepare and use a lot of techniques to keep an audience interested. There is also a degree of control to a lecture as no other person will contribute or interrupt, so staying on topic is up to one person. One other comment would be to be interactive with the lecture so that more people will retain information, since the visitor audience will be mostly passive during the presentation. But in an of itself, a lecture is a stand alone program.

List- A series of words arranged in some way. A list helps distill information into chunks or more memorable information. Their arrangement, including no arrangement, can be done in many ways, such as alphabetically, chronologically, categorically, priority, general to specific, or small to large.

Listening- To hear with thoughtful intention. From my time as a teamwork and challenge course leader, I would teach that communication is both the giving and receiving of information. If there is no listening, there is no communication. Listening is a form of interaction with the interpreter since the interpreter will be doing most of the talking. So when a visitor is speaking and an interpreter is listening, this exchange gives value to the visitor as information from the visitor is gathered. Examine for yourself: how do you feel when your input is listened to and reacted to? What if you were never given the opportunity to give input? An exchange of speaking and listening can greatly improve a visitor's experience because their thoughts were given consideration.

Made-up Words- "Fancifully devised terms". An interesting technique that relies on some imagination and the sound of words to create feeling. They could also be 'portmanteau' words; combinations of two or more words that convey some information and feeling, like 'frenemy'- both a friend and an enemy, or 'ginormous' two words that come from 'gigantic' and 'enormous'. This technique will probably work better with children but phrase it as a word-play and adults might even like it too.

I relied on Handles: A Compendium of Interpretive Techniques to Help Visitors Grasp Resource Meanings by Peggy Ann Scherbaum for ideas and material to share and is a great resource for ideas and examples and I could not have done this series without it. The next twenty techniques and methods will be later on next month.

Interpretive Toolbox: Verbal techniques, Part 2

The second in the series of verbal techniques for use in Interpretative programming, here are another twenty or so more ideas that help give the interpreter more techniques and methods to work with for a better program. Since much of the material presented here contains more definitions and suggested uses and less exposition and analysis, and there are so many of them, these verbal techniques blog posts will come much more frequently than the usual one-a-month that is done from this blog.

Cultural Reference- "An allusion to the customary beliefs, social forms, or material traits of a racial, religious, or social group". This can be of the interpreter's own cultural background, but can also make reference to other's culture. A couple examples could be explaining the name of a place as a Native American saying or word that described the area. Another example could be bringing in a joke which Jimmy Kimmel used last night that is relevant to the material used in the program.

Cumulative Effect- The adding to and building of events, situations, and conditions that help make a effect that clearly explains why something happened and the way in which it happened. "Piling on" information can give a sense of richness but also of awe or respect.

The best part about "Mythbusters" was blowing stuff up and
being jealous they got to do it instead of us.

Deconstruct a Myth- Taking a piece of knowledge then examining it to show that it is more false than true. The television show "Mythbusters" is a great example of the deconstruction of myths of culturally accepted "truths" that actually do not hold up to scrutiny. Unless there is a budget to do this on a grand scale the way they do on the television show, this can be done verbally based on the knowledge of the resource (KR in the interpretive equation) and maybe with the materials and know-how at hand. It is not the job of the interpreter to dispel a myth, but sometimes to acknowledge it and make the facts and truth known to the visitors by turning it into a learning opportunity.

Definition- Defining a term. This is a very simple technique, but if the program has terms that would be unfamiliar to the visitor, defining words for them would be helpful. For example, at Fort Scott, I mention the U.S. Dragoons and when the topic comes around, I describe what a Dragoon was and how they are different than "cavalry".

Description- Another basic technique that goes into sensory detail about a term, word, phrase, or more concrete things like nouns, or verbs. It helps give a mental picture of the thing being described to be more understood fully, so that if it is encountered, then it could be identified by the visitor.

Dialogue- A conversation between two people, but could be more than two and does not necessarily need to be "people". This device can be used to illustrate two points of view that may or may not be in conflict with each other. One example would be a dialogue between a Patriot and a Loyalist in Colonial America. It could be between things that do not normally speak for themselves but through anthropomorphic objects, like predator and prey. "Good dialogue resembles real conversation without copying it." Also, it is a audience centered technique that gets the visitors more engaged with the program by having some input.

Diction- Choice of words and clarity of pronunciation. Choose words carefully and speak them clearly. This includes in giving voice to characters as well as the voice of the interpreter. Word choice will need to be modified for visitors; compare the words used for smaller children to those used for senior citizens.

Discussion- The consideration of a question in an open and informal debate. This is an audience centered technique where everyone has a voice to communicate their opinions and experiences. It should be recommended that a discussion take place near the end of the program since discussion will tend to use more time.

Euphony- The use of soothing sounding words. This can also be emphasized with inflection and rounding tone as well as other speaking techniques. Used with some light rhyming and description this technique can create a favorable mental image. This technique also works well for the written word.

Using a relative scale like the one above to
explain the size of the sun to the planets
exaggerates their sizes to be understood.

Exaggerated size or time scale- Using an exaggerated measure to see things for oneself. This means speeding up or slowing down time so that barely perceptible motion can be observed. The same applies to size scales. Making a mental image of being gigantic or tiny can help visitor "see" patterns or relationships that are not observable by being the size that they are now.

Example- Representations of groups or types of information. Showing samples of what an interpreter means makes the concept explored stand out, especially if the situation is a familiar one.They give further evidence to assertions made by the interpreter so that they are more persuasive.

Excerpt- A written passage that serves as an example or a supporting piece of evidence. It is the written form of quotation. Written pieces from primary sources (sources written by people in their time and place) or secondary (people writing about the time, place, people, or thing, but were not actually there) are most often used.

An excerpt from Handles by Peggy Ann Scherbaum. So it is an excerpt
on excerpts with an example of an excerpt in it. Does that make it
an Excerpt-ception or an Excerption?

Exclamation- A vehement expression of sudden or strong emotion. Sometimes being loud and forceful shakes up a crowd that might be drifting. It can also be used to effect when coupled by being quiet and whispering for effect and then being loud for a shocking or jarring effect or a emotional moment.

Explanation- To share the reason or cause of something. This is simplistic tool that is slippery to talk about because it happens so naturally in an interpretive setting. Most of what is done for interpretive purposes is already an explanation. The trick is to do the right amount of explanation for all kinds of visitors. If an interpreter does not explain very well, the visitors will not all understand. If an interpreter overexplains something, it gets boring and insults the visitors' intelligence. Make sure you get a feel for how much is enough explanation.

Fable- A short allegorical story that makes a point, often using anthropomorphic creatures in place of people as the main actors. Aesop's Fables are the most notable. This technique is difficult to use because such storytelling devices have largely been disused and, unless you know the story and the moral, it is hard to work into a program.

A 1841 'Mississippi' Rifle with a
1847 Musketoon photobomb
(foreground)

Flashback- A literary device where an earlier event is inserted into the narrative to illustrate the importance of the here-and-now. Sharing a memory is  the simple way to do this, either your own, or someone else's. This technique works with a chronological sequence in order for it to be effective. In some cases, a "flash-forward" to beyond the scope of the narrative to show how this develops after. In my interpretive talk of the 1841 Mississippi Rifle during the Mexican-American War, I explained the use of round ball ammunition and patches made it difficult to load quickly. The invention of the Minie ball solved the problem and sped up the loading process that was to effect the outcome of the American Civil War. But the Civil War was not a part of my program, so it was an example of a flash-forward. A flashback would be to discuss the use of flintlocks and the cantankerous and laborious process of loading before the invention of the percussion cap, which was used on the Mississippi Rifle.

Forecasting- Previewing the program can also be used to give the visitor an understanding of what the program will be about so they can choose to participate or go elsewhere. Let us face it: our hard work put into a program may not interest visitors, so giving a brief forecasting of the program gives them the choice to stay or go and we should not take offense if they go on without us. Better that than being disappointed or upset that the program was not something they wanted to do.

Foreshadowing- A technique that suggests that the beforehand information will be important as the narrative continues on. It prepares the visitor for what might happen next and gives them something to think about. It is a great transition technique between stops.

Framing (pausing to take a moment)- This technique intentionally takes the time and opportunity for the visitor to experience visual, auditory, and other sensory awareness of the resource. Build some time into the program to just enjoy something. If there is a scenic vista, take time to enjoy it. If it is the roar of the falls, take time to enjoy it. The power of place can work wonders into a program if you take the time to use it and let it speak for itself once and a while.

Gathering Info- Getting the whole of opinion, experience, and information from the group and acknowledging the diverse ideas generated by the group. This can be done in so many ways that it may take a long time to list every single one of them. The simplest is verbally asking the group what they think and taking hands raised, since this is a verbal technique. Another couple of examples can be done by writing it down, or standing in or placing objects on a continuum line ("agree" on one side, "disagree" on the other and "somewhat" or "I don't know" in the middle). Gathering information stems from an open ended question designed to give meaningful responses, then using the information for some purpose.

I relied on Handles: A Compendium of Interpretive Techniques to Help Visitors Grasp Resource Meanings by Peggy Ann Scherbaum for ideas and material to share. The next twenty techniques and methods will be later on this month.