*/ ?>
fallback image

I am a nerd. Not a techie nerd, or a social media nerd, or even a gadget nerd.  I am a panel nerd. I can’t resist them.  I am constantly looking to find, and create, really good ones. Panels are rather like gadgets, actually.  There are loads out there. Some are just plain useless and […]

*/ ?>
fallback image

Recently I was asked for some advice on how assess interpretation panels.  That made me think again about what makes a successful panel. Panels are very very popular, one of the most popular media in the interpreter’s toolkit.  They are also the most criticised. They are hard to get right and there are quite a […]

*/ ?>
fallback image

Obviously film makers know about storytelling.  Their job is to make stories that grip us, absorb us and stay with us. Just like heritage interpreters. So interpreters, especially interpretellers like me who are fascinated by story  as a medium, should sit up and pay attention in the presence of film makers. A great place to do […]

*/ ?>
fallback image

It is always a problem to know what to do in these variable climates when it rains on your parade. At some time it will.  You have to have a Plan B. ‘Do not do to others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same.’ George Bernard […]

Talking and listening to find your story.

Interpretation - tips and reflections */ ?>
fallback image

One of the joys of my work in heritage interpretation is that I often meet people with a compulsion to tell stories. They have a passion for their place that shows in the way they talk. Often they display that mastery of their content that is so vital. Listening to them can be inspiring and […]

Symbols and messages, old and new: Remembrance Sunday at the National Memorial Arboretum

Interpretation, conflict, memorials */ ?>
fallback image

A few weeks ago I was honoured to be a guest at the Remembrance Service at the National Memorial Arboretum. Over the last few years I have come to know the Memorial Arboretum well as a visitor attraction (see here and here). On this occasion I had the opportunity to see it afresh: as a […]

Three storytelling secrets to improve your heritage interpretation

Interpretation - tips and reflections */ ?>
fallback image

Interpretelling draws on the ancient art of storytelling to make contemporary heritage communication more effective. Storytelling contains several important lessons for interpreters. Here are three of them. 1. You must have mastery of your content Good storytellers know you must have to mastery of your content if you want to be clear, confident and creative about […]

Use stories to get people talking and spread your messages

Wider thoughts */ ?>
fallback image

 Stories are vital to communicators because they are viral. They are contagious: they want to be passed on. That is how we recognize a story. People retell it. Stories get people talking. Putting our content onto stories codes it and helps people understand and repeat it. For people who communicate about heritage at museums and […]

How to use story to improve your heritage interpretation

Interpretation - tips and reflections */ ?>
fallback image

Look around, listen, and you will find that story is everywhere – in conversation, in advertising, in business, religion, therapy, arts. Story is all around. It’s dazzling. It is powerful. Story is not simply an enduring tradition, it is at the heart of contemporary communication. Interpretation obviously needs a firm grasp of something this potent […]

Inheritance and legacy, stories in heritage interpretation

Interpretation - tips and reflections */ ?>

When I consider using story in interpretation, I am mining a vein of thought that has run deep through my 30 years in the interpretation business, constantly welling up into new ideas and questions. For me it has been and continues to be a rich seam. Look at/ listen to this. It is a voice from […]