Mary MitchellInterpretation1 Developing and Managing Visitor Attractions Use of Interpretation in Visitor Attractions – Putting together your plan Lesson 2 of 2 Stairheid Cludgie New Lanark Scran No C © SCRAN / New Lanark Conservation Trust

Mary MitchellInterpretation2 Putting together your Plan? According to the Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche ( ) " There are no facts, only interpretations" (source: The Journal for Scotland's Interpreters: Interpret Scotland, issue 3, Spring 2001, p6) *Annie MacLeod’s Experience, New Lanark Scran No C © SCRAN / New Lanark Conservation Trust

Mary MitchellInterpretation3 Putting together your Plan?  Focus of the Interpretation  Design important  Design to protect the resources  Vital to recognise the uniqueness of site  Make site stand out from competition Interpretation Panel at lower Funicular Station Cairngorms © SCRAN / Mary Mitchell

Mary MitchellInterpretation4 Before planning your Interpretation  Number of questions need to be asked 1. WHO are your visitors and audience? 2. WHO are the main characters involved in the story/event? 3. WHAT should be interpreted? 4. WHAT happened? 5. WHERE should the story be interpreted Internal view of Groam House Museum Scran No C © SCRAN / Jon Bailey / Susan Seright

Mary MitchellInterpretation5 Before planning your Interpretation 6. WHERE did the event happen? 7. WHICH items should be used to illustrate the story / event? 8. WHICH items were involved in the story / event? 9. WHEN should the event be interpreted? 10. WHEN did the event occur? An example of an Interpretation Panel depicting Australia’s past in the Outback making the use of an old goods wagon on an old track © SCRAN / Mary Mitchell

Mary MitchellInterpretation6 Activity 1 - Who and what were used?  For this activity I would like you to think about the types of interpretation you have seen when visiting different visitor attractions. a. Think of the main characters involved in the story and b. Which items were used to tell the story

Mary MitchellInterpretation7 Activity 1 - Who and what were used? ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Mary MitchellInterpretation8 WHO are our visitors and audience?  Should be appropriate to the audience  Engage with your visitors through your interpretation  Different market segments need different interpretation designs and methods  To special interest groups Humour adds interest to exhibitions "Stairheid Cludgie" in Mill Workers House Exhibition New Lanark, 1994 Scran No C © SCRAN / New Lanark Conservation Trust

Mary MitchellInterpretation9 Who or what should be interpreted  Evidence should be gathered  Landscape, wildlife, famous people, historic events etc.  Look for clues for uniqueness  find the 'story'  find the 'sense of place' Callanish Standing Stones Scran No C © SCRAN / Diego Meozzi & Paola Arosio

Mary MitchellInterpretation10 Activity 2 - Using the evidence  Working in pairs, for this activity I would like you to discuss the evidence you have for your own visitor attraction. Think of what should be interpreted and what you will use to do this interpretation. Compare notes with each other.

Mary MitchellInterpretation11 Activity 2 - Using the evidence ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Mary MitchellInterpretation12 WHERE should we interpret the story  Where the 'story' or 'event' occurred ?  i.e. for instance for a 'battle'  Next best place  Consider the fragility of the site  Consider health and safety issues  Inside or Outside or both? Bonawe Iron Furnace Scran No –116-C © SCRAN / Historic Scotland

Mary MitchellInterpretation13 What type of media will be use d  Number of different methods available a. Leaflets and Publications b. Graphic Panels c. Audio Tours d. Audio listening posts e. Message Repeaters f. Conducted Tours / Guided Walks Artic Hare’s lifestyle in the Cairngorm Mountain Exhibition © SCRAN / Mary Mitchell

Mary MitchellInterpretation14 What type of media will be use d  Number of different methods available g. Audio Visual Films h. Artefacts and Exhibits i. Interactive Media - technology led g. Re-enactments - brings history to life Re-enactments can bring history to life in the place it happened Historic Re-enactment © SCRAN / Historic Scotland

Mary MitchellInterpretation15 Written & Illustrative Style  consider your audience  write in short sentences and paragraphs  90% of story can be illustrations  remember a picture can speak a volume of words  avoid jargon, clichés and technical terms Powhatan Indian Village, Virginia © SCRAN / Mary Mitchell

Mary MitchellInterpretation16 Written & Illustrative Style A public toilet wall in Australia’s Outback © SCRAN / Mary Mitchell  use only one idea for each sentence  vary the length of your sentences  check your punctuation  avoid bias  use the first person use active rather than passive verbs  simple clear terms

Mary MitchellInterpretation17 Written & Illustrative Style Perth College Tourism Students interacting with an exhibition at Edinburgh Dungeon. This can help bring interpretation to life © SCRAN / Mary Mitchell  try and use some humour  ensure sign is large enough for the illustration  read and rewrite, reducing your words if possible  Latest report states the average attention space of the reading public is now down to 200 words

Mary MitchellInterpretation18 Activity 3 - Creating a Panel For this activity I would like you to consider what you would have on one of your interpretation panels in your attraction, in the form of text and graphics

Mary MitchellInterpretation19 Activity 3 - Creating the Panel _______________________________________

Mary MitchellInterpretation20 Managing and Maintaining 1820s Shop Exhibition, New Lanark, February 1997 Scran No C © SCRAN / New Lanark Conservation Trust  Below are a few examples of maintenance jobs:  clearing weeds and vegetation from around panels and outdoor exhibits  touching up the paintwork  replacing lights and fittings  ensuring all computer exhibits are functioning correctly  replacing when necessary

Mary MitchellInterpretation21 Finally - Evaluation  Front-end evaluation  Formative evaluation  Remedial evaluation  Summative evaluation Skara Barae in Orkney Scran No C © SCRAN / Historic Scotland

Mary MitchellInterpretation22 Summary What have we learned today  How to put your plan together  Plan before interpreting  Consider your audience  Who or what should be interpreted  What media and writing style to use  Manage, Maintain and evaluate