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[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="Photo by Alan Wilson"][/caption]   Seen any polar bears lately? You may have them running all through your facility and not even be aware of them. A long time ago, I worked on a project at a West Texas nature center. I thought it was curious when the first thing I saw in the nature center was an 11-foot stuffed polar bear on its hind legs in the lobby. Somehow it just seemed out of place, walking into the building from a scorching Texas summer, and seeing this enormous white bear with its teeth bared in a perpetual snarl. After that experience,  I started looking for polar bears. And I found them. By the truckloads. They were everywhere . . . things that were out of place or didn't make sense at a particular interpretive site. The polar bear became, for me, an icon of things inappropriate. Now don't get me wrong - I love polar bears. generally speaking. Although I've never had the thrill of seeing one in the wild, I respect their beauty, their lifestyle, their ecological niche, all things that are wild and wonderful about polar bears. In their place, where they were meant to be. So when I go someplace and start looking around, I can't help but notice when polar bears are creeping in where they don't belong. If you manage a zoo and your zoo has polar bears, then it probably makes sense for you to sell stuffed or recycled plastic polar bears in your gift shop. But if you're a dinosaur museum in Wyoming, maybe not so much. Think about your site - do you have things that don't belong? Donated items perhaps, that don't fit your mission or message, but that you somehow got stuck with at some point and now can't figure out how to get rid of? Or the odd exhibit that doesn't seem to have any thing to do with the others, but seemed like a good idea at the time . . . maybe it's the graphic images that are pretty but actually show birds from another country instead of the locals. All of these things and more tend to confuse people. They step on your message by bringing in elements that create what is known as "cognitive dissonance." They don't make sense. Gift shops are notorious for polar bear predation. Those pesky creatures seem to slip right in - maybe a buyer thought something would sell well, but didn't realize that the packaging or content of the item just doesn't ring true to the theme or mission of the site. Try going on a polar bear hunt at your site. Maybe engage the entire staff and then meet together to see what you've identified and brainstorm ways to either make them make more sense ('why wouldn't these ducks be found here?") or creative ideas for otherwise repurposing or removing them. I'd love to see photos of your polar bears or hear how you've handled them.

When I was a preschooler, my mom would buy me a coloring book and colors and let me have fun creating blue polar bears or purple suns. When I started school, the teacher would hand me coloring sheets and provide clear instructions on what color to put where, making sure that everyone stayed within the lines. Art time in first through third grade was not much fun, although I met the challenge of coloring when and where told to with the appropriate shades. Once we hit fourth grade, we had a full class period devoted to art two days a week (the other three were library days). The teacher would suggest a project and then stand back to watch us fill large sheets of manila paper with creative expressions using all sorts of media (crayons, paints, etc.). It seemed a veritable cornucopia of options. And yet, the artwork seemed stilted. By sixth grade, we had much more latitude in the types of projects and media we chose to work on. Some people excelled, while others never seemed to be able to go outside the lines that had been imposed early on in the school experience. What does this all have to do with interpretive planning? In watching people who take my interpretive planning class, I generally see three types of people. The first group comprises the linear thinkers, the ones who want planning to be simple and straightforward, with little boxes and forms to fill in so that they don't have to be creative. They never quite got past the "color in the lines" way of thinking. The second group never fully understood why they should color in the lines in the first place and probably gave their first grade teachers nightmares. They are the visionary, big picture thinkers who can't settle down and figure out the details. The third group is what I call the "goldilocks" group. They're the ones who have the ability to think outside the box but temper their thought process with real information about real opportunities and real constraints. I'm not sure all this tracks back to the days of coloring pages, but I do think it's interesting to watch how different people approach the same problem. You may have worked with someone who only wants to color inside the lines ("let's do signs at every significant feature - they're easy and cheap and all we have to do is identify significant features on this form"), or the visionary whose explosive creativity is completely unrealistic ("sure, we can build a multi-million dollar high tech visitor center on a deserted island - if we build it, they will come"). Obviously, neither extreme is going to yield the best product. Think about your approach - where do you color? If you're not one of the goldilocks group with just the right balance of inside and outside the lines, find someone who complements your planning style and you may be surprised at the power of your crayons.

When we talk about interpretation, we talk about the ability to create what Sam Ham calls "velcro spots" on people's brains - a place for the spark to land and begin attracting new information about a particular subject. Interpretive planning, at its best, will work at not only creating the opportunities for velcro spots to take hold, but also to connect the spots, so to speak. On a recent trip to France, I had the opportunity to visit the famous Tapestry of Bayeaux, an enormously long piece of embroidery that tells the story of Harold of England and William of Normandy and the Battle of Hastings that occurred in 1066. I was interested for only one reason - my training partner/husband often uses that date as an example of something that didn't stick. The date is still there stored in his brain, but he has no real knowledge or understanding of what the event was about. So off we went to Bayeaux, having been invited by colleagues to accompany them to the Tapisserie Museum. I admit I didn't have a strong interest, but I was a little curious, because I too, had the date stuck in my head without any real knowledge or understanding of the event. The tapestry (actually an embroidered cloth about two feet high and over 230 feet long) tells the story visually. It is displayed in its full length in a glass case, carefully lit to show off the colors and details of the scenes. An audio device has a cleverly written, well-paced script that explains verbally what is depicted on the tapestry, scene by scene. Normally, I'm not fond of audio tours, but this one really worked well and piqued my interest. We actually went on to view the larger exhibition about the tapestry and discovered a little more about the story. My velcro spot was enlarging and I left with more questions than I had when I arrived, the sign of good interpretation at work. Don't get me wrong - the museum wasn't perfect (the translations of French panels left a lot to be desired), but it was pretty darn good and that's a hard compliment to get from me. Later that evening, I spent a few hours online looking more deeply into the story of Harold and William to see if I could find the answers to questions I still had. I made progress but was still puzzling over some of the story's details and contradictions. A few days later, we found ourselves in the town of Falaise, where the castle of William the Conqueror can be found. My velcro spot kicked into high gear and my curiosity about the unanswered questions in this story got the better of me. After an excellent lunch at a local café, we took a self-guided tour of the castle. At the front desk, we were handed audio devices that were supposed to guide us through the many rooms and provide the audio portion of several ektagraphic multi-projector dissolve slide shows positioned throughout the castle. It took less than a minute for me to discard the audio. Although the castle itself was fascinating and some of the interior signs were written clearly enough for me to get another layer of the story, the audiovisual program with its clunky technology and confusing script was, in a word (or several), an unwelcome distraction that added nothing to the experience or the story. My point is this - as you think about the velcro spots that you are trying to create or enhance, resist the temptation to add gimmicks and gadgets just for the sake of having technology or buttons to push or something to manipulate. Although it's great to try to build in a variety of learning styles to your media, ultimately, the goal is to get people to think. Bombardment with gadgetry isn't always the only or best way to do that. The simplicity of the display at Bayeaux worked. The more expensive and technologically dated approach at the castle did not. Same subject matter, different media. Together, they helped me form a more complete picture, but oddly enough, neither site cross-promoted the other's experience, even though they are a short distance from each other. All good considerations . . . and if you ever want to know more about 1066, give me a call.

Every now and then, you find a place that you can go back to again and again with no fear of feeling like you’ve been there and done that. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of those places for me. I was recently there for the umpteenth time and had the pleasure of seeing some new features since my last visit several years ago. One of the new exhibits features an astonishing array of seahorses and their relatives. Because seahorses are so seldom in the wild and have that sort of mystical, magical feel of unicorns and dragons, the approach was based on a thematic thread of “The Secret Lives of Seahorses.” This approach played out in a variety of ways: text revealed some of the “secrets;” design elements created the look and feel of a “secret garden;” interactive elements encouraged a sense of exploration and discovery rather than the traditional flappers and crankers seen in so many museum, nature center, and aquarium settings.   The net result is a fully engaged public, fascinated by the amazing  variety and unusual lifestyle of these creatures that look like they swam straight out of a fairy tale. The conservation message that reflects the aquarium’s mission (inspiring conservation of the world’s oceans) is evident throughout. And it's clear from observation and eavesdropping that people are thinking about and discussing amongst themselves what they can do to help these fragile animals and their habitats.

I walked into the Lunar and Planetary Institute on the outskirts of Houston the other day and immediately looked up. The design and scale of the entry lobby of the building encouraged that and I was immediately rewarded. Someone had thought to arrange the recessed light fixtures in the ceiling into a constellation rather than placing them on a grid or a single cluster as would so often be the case. Since it's been a few (cough) years since I've had an astronomy class, and I can only routinely recognize a handful of constellations, I couldn't discern the significance of what I was seeing right away. However, I was prompted to ask one of the many astrobiologists wandering the lobby about which constellation and stars were being shown and my question initiated a fascinating discussion on the probability and possibility of life on other planets and the origin of life on this one. Wow. All that from a light fixture. I bring this up because I thought it was an excellent example of how making thoughtful decisions about your facility during the planning and design stages can help reinforce or lead people to your main messages. Although there was no "interpretation" (no sign, no brochure that I could find) of the cleverly placed lighting, it was an obvious statement about what was going on in this facility that helped me take the next steps to self-discover how it applied to me and my visit there. In short, it was provocative - one of the hallmarks of good interpretation. The tricky part is to make such architectural decisions in such a way that the message or connection to the message is fairly clear. If it's clear only to the architect, it misses the mark and many facilities are far too subtle in weaving in thematic elements. So next time you have the opportunity to create a space in which you hope people will be getting a message, think about and plan for all the opportunities - look up, down, all around - because those messages could be coming from anywhere.  

Very often, in a resource-based approach to planning, the attempt is to get people to the resource. I've watched planners attempt to take this approach with an actual resource (such as a particular mountain or stream or historic building) and with built facilities (such as a zoo, a nature center, a museum). The only problem with this approach is that it forces the audience to make a commitment to come to where the message is or the message is not delivered. In some cases, it may not be desirable or possible to have everyone that you would like to have that message come to the resource. There is the danger of the resource being "loved to death" or the physical constraints of the site (building size and condition, parking facilities, etc.) don't allow large or consistent crowds or maybe the potential for drawing people to a visitor center or museum that is not immediately adjacent to the resource itself is problematic. Or it may be that the only people who go to the resource are the ones who already know the message. So in some cases, it may be necessary or even preferable to take your message to where the audience is. I was recently reminded of the value of this approach while on vacation in Hawaii. Sitting on the beach at Kahaluu Beach Park on the Big Island, I witnessed the Reef Teach program of the Kohala Center making full use of being at the beach instead of expecting people to go to the actual facilities of the Kohala Center  which are nowhere near the beach. With their van as a focal point, they offered impromptu programs and reference tools so that beachgoers could learn more about protecting the coral reef environment of Kahaluu Bay while enjoying their snorkeling activities. To help create a draw, the program offers rental of snorkel gear and boogie boards with built-in masks. The only caveat is that before you rent, you get to hear from the volunteer staff about the most responsible ways to enjoy the beach and keep the marine life healthy. Some volunteers wade into the shallow water to talk to those who have rented gear from other sources, using a laminated photo book and the approach "would you like to know what you're going to see?" as an opening for delivery of a quick thematic message related to appropriate snorkeling behavior. For those who obviously have their own snorkel gear, they give a simple greeting and thanks for protecting the reef and don't focus on trying to deliver a more in-depth message. I've watched this program evolve over the course of several years and it fascinates me every time to see the positive reaction of the people who most need to hear the message. Those people would not likely seek out a visitor center positioned away from the beach (say, in a nearby or distant town elsewhere on the island). The people who would do so have most likely already made a personal commitment to protecting the reef environments they enjoy. It's often easier to preach to the choir, but I'm not sure that's the most effective use of operational resources if you have a conservation message to share. I love to see innovative approaches that take messages to the people who have an interest, but who are unlikely to seek them out if they are difficult to get to in any way. If you've used an innovative technique to reach your audience, please feel free to share it with others on this blog by leaving a comment.

I'm attending a conference at the moment with about 250 museum professionals. One of the session speakers, Lisa Baxter from The Experience Business (Yorkshire, England), took the individuals in her session through a small group exercise in creative thinking and problem-solving. Interestingly, when asked to articulate the things that aren't working in their museum settings, each group came up with many of the same items. Most of the things that weren't working centered around the common themes of visitor services (our ancillary services aren't really serving visitor needs); management (my director doesn't understand me or the visitors or what we're doing); staff (morale is low, we're in a rut, floor staff aren't fully trained); stovepipe syndrome (different departments don't talk to each other); and the quality of the interpretive experience overall (there's too much text on the wall and not enough to engage people). The facilitator gave the small groups at each of five tables the opportunity to not only identify the problems, but to brainstorm creative ways to address the issues that had been raised. Not surprisingly, the groups came up with suggestions that involved training, ways to make the staff and visitors happier with their experiences, and refocusing the mission of the organization to make sure everyone is working towards the same ends. I was struck by two things in this session: one, that we all seemed to know what the problems were and they were all similar; and two, that in spite of the energy the surrounded the activity nobody seemed to feel empowered to actually create change at their organization. When the facilitator asked if the activity could be used at their site to start the discussion about needed changes, one participant said it was a great activity, but "we can't." That answer is perhaps the easiest one, but it makes me incredibly sad to see someone take the easy way out on this. I have to wonder if it's not that we can't, but that we really don't always want to. Change isn't always easy. It takes energy to identify the need for change, and energy to effect change. It seems to be easier to sit back and let things be mediocre or even nonfunctional than to expend the energy to make things work better. Worse yet, I often see people expending more energy on complaining than attempting productive change. Perhaps the only thing worse than that is attempting change for the sake of change, instead of using the energy of change to solve a real, not imagined, problem. So in discussing this session with another participant, his comment was "if everyone knows the problem with the way museums work, why do we still have one (problem, not museum)?" I thought that was an insightful comment, but I had no answer. Clearly, someone has to start a ripple to create a wave a change, and empowerment is key. I thought Lisa Baxter did an excellent job of starting the ripple for the workshop participants - I hope their employers will encourage the wave.  

The life span of an American newt is roughly three years. An American box turtle has a reported life span of 123 years. According to the CDC, the average life span of an American person in 2009 was calculated to be 78. Life spans of living creatures are based on averages and must take all sorts of variables into consideration - lifestyle (whether imposed or free choice), genetics, gender, etc. But nonliving things have life spans also. Appliances and vehicles have warranties (and I guarantee the life span is one day past warranty expiration in almost all cases). Plan documents have a life span also. The good news is you, as the planner, get to determine what that life span is, based on the variables involved in your process. Generally speaking, plans fall into one of two categories: terminal (short-term project) or long-range (strategic direction over time). In either case, the plan's life span should be whatever is required for successful implementation. In the case of a project-based or terminal plan, the document will most likely contain very specific action items for a finite period of time that carries the project through an identified implementation date. For example, an exhibit plan for a new nature center might have a life span that runs through the planning, design, fabrication, installation, and evaluation phases. Based on evaluation, a new planning effort might be advised and that plan would have its own timeline. There is no "right" life span - some projects might be very short-term so the plan is effective for less than a year while others may be major efforts that will span several years. Still, the project has specific items that need to be accomplished for success. A long-range plan, such as a strategic plan, usually provides more general direction over a period of time and so may be less specific in its action items. Many organizations use strategic planning to guide their efforts over a five to seven year period. Within that time frame, a number of individual project-based plans may be created and implemented according to the general direction provided in the long-range plan. A comprehensive master plan would also fall into the category of a long-range plan and may provide direction for a decade or more. Again, within that time frame, shorter-term project plans would become part of the picture as needed to implement specific aspects of the long-range plan document. Regardless of whether your planning effort is short or long term, the life span of your plan should be made clear within the document or it may simply linger on the shelf and eventually die from neglect, negating the intended life span altogether. The way to ensure successful implementation is to be clear about deadlines and responsibility for action items, even if that action item is to prepare a project-based plan during the life of the long-range plan. A summary of action items, along with the date by which they must be completed and who is responsible for seeing that they are completed, can be added to the front or back of your plan document (preferably as a pull-out so it can be posted somewhere visible as a reminder of what needs to happen) to help keep the implementation of your plan on track. If you find that the plan is so fuzzy that it becomes difficult to define specific action items in such a summary, you may need to refine your planning process so that you are clear about what you want to achieve by when. Good plans deserve a fulfilling life - getting you and your organization further down the road to success. Keeping your plans alive means defining a life span right from the start, so everyone knows what to expect and how to work towards implementation.

One of the very cool things about using WordPress for a blog is that it allows you to track the search terms that people use to get to your site. Sometimes I use those to guide what I write about and such is the case today. The search term was "what means interpretive media." That's a great question and can be answered in a variety of ways. As a planner, I view media as anything that helps support or convey a thematic message. That means "media" can be programs, tours, informal roving interpretation, exhibits, signs, playscapes, food services, sales items, promotional pieces, architectural elements - just about anything at all could fall into this category as long as it helps support or convey a thematic message. For example, let's say your food service at a location that is focused on the story of Great Plains bison uses only sustainably-harvested bison meat for its burgers and snacks and interprets that practice in support of its central theme. That food service would now be considered "media." If the same site offers food service, but there is no relationship to the central theme (for example, providing only prepackaged cookies, popcorn and bottled water), then that qualifies as a service, but would not be considered "media" because it does nothing to advance or support the story. The first example would be included in an interpretive plan's media descriptions as an important way to convey a story, but the second example might not be included in the interpretive plan or it might be in an addendum that refers to "other services to enhance the visitor experience" or something similar. Because media provides the means by which we convey the story, it is always tempting to start thinking about it first when faced with the opportunity of a new planning project. It is arguably more fun to talk about, dream about, and play with than crunching numbers on visitor statistics or crafting a logic model for objectives. However, I would suggest that if you understand what you're trying to achieve and who you're trying to communicate with, as well as what you're trying to communicate, you are more likely to come up with media ideas that will show some measure of success. So the time spent on the front end of the planning process to help determine those factors is time well spent and may end up saving hundreds, thousands, or even millions of dollars as it may keep you from making choices that won't ultimately serve management needs or audience interests. Recently, I learned about a facility that plans to install video as the only medium throughout the visitor experience. Why? Because the boss likes video. Not because it makes sense for the audience or the budget or any written objectives. Not because it allows a specific way to convey the message that seems most valuable. Because the boss likes video. And if the boss likes it, then it must work for everyone, right? This approach to interpretive planning rarely results in success unless you measure success by whether the boss is happy. Even then, I doubt the boss will be happy for long when audiences begin to lose interest, attendance declines, and gate fees and donations fall to levels that fail to support the organization. Media is not magic. And neither is the planning process. Taking a thoughtful approach may not always be easy or fast, but it should yield better results. What means interpretive media? If you've been thorough in your planning, it means that your message gets across.  

First, to all my regular readers, I apologize for the long hiatus from blog updates. I should be back to more regular weekly updates now that a long two months of almost constant travel status is coming to a close. Since many planners find themselves also in the predicament of being overscheduled and overtraveled, I thought I might offer my top five tips on how to keep yourself healthy during road warrior stints, as that is uppermost in my mind right now. Tip #1 - Keep a reasonable schedule. Of course, if you do this, you probably won't be traveling too much so may not need to read further. Most of my travel these days is spent in speaking engagements to promote NAI and interpretation as a profession or conducting training workshops on behalf of NAI. Very often, I have no choice of when these gigs are done - someone else is controlling the schedule. But if you do control your own schedule, try to avoid being on the road for more than ten days in any one stretch (unless, of course, you are on a real vacation). Working nonstop for weeks on end will drain you to the extent that you can no longer be productive. Tip #2 - Sleep full nights whenever you can. Try never to schedule flights that leave before dawn and try to avoid staying out late even if it curtails some of your social life. You'll be glad to get the rest, especially if you are unable to sleep on airplanes. Tip #3 - This relates somewhat to Tip #2. Take your own pillow wherever you go. You will find yourself in good beds, terrible beds, and sometimes no bed at all. If you can find a way to squeeze a good pillow in your luggage, do it. I use Brookstone's travel size tempurpedic pillow and it helps me get a good night's sleep regardless of the condition of the bed. Tip #4 - Watch what you eat and drink. Light on alcohol, heavy on water. Staying hydrated will keep you feeling like yourself. Whenever you can, take the opportunity to eat light salads and vegetable protein (nuts, soy, avocado, etc.) rather than heavy meals of meat, cheese, and starches. Your body will thank you (and so will your scale when you get home). Tip #5 - Keep your cool. Attitude is everything when you're standing in lines at the airport, when the rental car agent can't find your reservation, when the hotel isn't exactly where or what you thought it would be, when your client or trainees give you grief. Practice at least 30 minutes of meditation or meditative exercise each day. If you can stay calm while all else is going crazy around you, you will at least live long enough to share the stories you'll collect along the way. And that's what makes it all worth it, isn't it?