Making Questions Easier to Answer
Creating audience centered experiences can be rewarding but it requires some work. As the interpreter, you must consider the many factors that can encourage audience full participation. How do visitors feel about interacting with people they just met, through social media on NPS websites, or expressing their viewpoints at a park meeting or workshop that you invited them to? Additionally, how do we invite visitors? And create experiential learning opportunities that foster dialogue that is inclusive but non-judgmental?
The techniques you integrate in audience centered experiences can have a profound impact on the visitor, our parks, and society. Techniques should make our audience feel safe; it should be a ‘space’ that values multiple ways of knowing, and generates conversation that seeks to understand, respect others and nurtures curiosity.
Most importantly, techniques should help make an invitation to contribute easier for the participants. As a result, the choice of a technique always follows the creation of the invitation / question – the question helps the interpreter decide which technique to use. The first technique you choose might not be the “correct” or most effective one. But through experimentation and observing interactions, you can find which technique works well with which questions.
Try It Out
Download the Facilitated Dialogue Techniques – chart and begin forging connections through audience centered experiences.
Additional Readings
- Foundations of 21st Century Interpretation Competency Descriptions
- The Participatory Museum by Nina Simon
- Brainstorming Techniques
Looking For More on Audience Centered Experiences?
You can find much more self-guided learning and all of the materials for making yourself an ACE in the Audience Centered Experience Interpretation workbook.
You can find links to seasonal lesson plans which support this emerging skill set in the Audience Centered Experience Trainers’ Guide.