Interpretation Part One: Connecting with Your Audience

Early in the California Naturalist Program at the Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum, Tracy Drake, Manager and Naturalist at the Madrona Marsh Preserve & Nature Center, spoke on the role of naturalists as interpreters. According to Tracy, interpretation is more than just spouting facts. Interpreters use facts to create meaning. They form connections between different parts of the environment, and between the environment and people. Often, they accomplish this by showing people aspects of the natural world that they might not have noticed otherwise. The most successful interpreters develop each lesson for a particular location and audience and organize their facts around a unifying theme. Referencing Sam H. Ham's book, Environmental Interpretation: A Practical Guide for People with Big Ideas and Small Budgets, Tracy suggested that interpretation should:

1. Be organized
2. Be relevant
3. Engage the audience on an emotional level
4. Be pleasurable

Interpreters utilize a variety of tools to accomplish these goals. Among the various tools are descriptive language, hand gestures, games, clever memory aids, and humor. Programs might also include storytelling, or use props to engage the senses of smell, sight, taste, touch, and hearing. Even with the use of these tools, a lesson might still fall flat if the interpreter does not include a secret ingredient -- enthusiasm. When an interpreter demonstrates enthusiasm for a subject, people notice and begin to care about the subject themselves. So go ahead, let your light shine!

Good interpreters also care about others. Making eye contact, pointing out safety hazards, and assuring that a group is comfortable and well hydrated are all ways to demonstrate caring and compassion towards an audience. An interpreter can further demonstrate these traits by situating themselves in a position where they will be visible to everyone, and by walking only as fast as the slowest member of the group. On the day that Tracy spoke about interpretation, she also led the class on a bird walk around the Rancho's grounds (Bird Walk with Tracy Drake). During that walk, someone spotted a gull flying overhead. I was walking next to Tracy and told her that I had given up identifying gulls. It was just too difficult. She put her hand on my shoulder and said, "That's ok," and then proceeded to simplify gull identification for me. (The trick is to look at first-year and adult gulls, ignoring the second-year individuals who often have quite different physical attributes. Additionally, by looking at the feet, a person can often identify a gull correctly.) Because of the way that Tracy responded to my comment, I felt valued. I didn't feel that I was an incompetent birder, or that I had said something stupid. Instead, my concern was acknowledged, and I was given an opportunity to improve my birding skills.

Naturalists might often feel as if they are expected to be experts in all areas of nature lore. While we certainly should strive to understand our subject matter, we should not be afraid to answer a question with, “I don’t know.” In fact, a naturalist may use that opportunity to engage his or her audience by turning the question around and asking the group to share their thoughts. Not knowing the answer to a question can also spur naturalists to look deeper into a subject and extend their own learning. Finally, in this world of constant connectivity an answer is never very far away. It is perfectly acceptable to pull out a phone and say, "Well, let's find out." The main point to remember is that, "I don't know," should be a starting point, rather than the end of the story.

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Part two of this series on interpretation will highlight examples from the California Naturalist classroom.


References:

Drake, Tracy (lecture on interpretation, at the Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum, California Naturalist Program, Rancho Dominguez, CA, February 14, 2015).