[Bcma-l] Re: Guided Tours with Headsets]

[bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca]

-----Original Message-----
From: bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca
[mailto:bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca] 
Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2008 4:53 PM

 Is there anywhere that docent volunteers can get trained on
how to do that job?
That small museums can send them too without breaking their
budget doing it?
(Kind of like 'winter camp for museum volunteer docents')
Not talking here about the actual information but more about
the ability to engage the visitors and deliver the
information in a fun and useful fashion ... be the best
small audience performer one can be.

- Les Johnson

-----Original Message-----
From: bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca
[mailto:bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca] 
Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2008 4:53 PM

Thanks Les, for asking this question! 
There are several places they can get this training either
on their own or hosted by an organization such as a museum.
First off, These skills as a whole are called
Interpretation.

Interpretation Canada Hosts Module 1 & 2 that do just
that-teach people how to plan and deliver fun interactive
rpograms and tours based on interpretive principles. These
are hosted both by organizations such as museums and nature
centers as well as by individual interpretive trainers.
Their annual conference is a great way for people to learn
intrepretive skills (This year held at Cowichan Lake Outdoor
Centre on Vancouver Island. www.interpcan.ca

Interpretive Trainers across BC (and Canada) offer one hour
to several day training sessions for your staff inhouse or
otherwise. They can be speciality topics such as how to lead
a guided tour, how to design a self-guided tour and many
other topics! Type in Interpretation Trainer in google and
see what comes up.

A national program that results in volunteers/staff being
Certified Heritage Interpreters www.cthrc.ca teaches the
basics. The workbook is great and more fun if several people
work through it together. In BC, the standards are
admininistered by www.go2hr.ca

Some of the larger centers open their training if they have
space or need to fund raise. Try to partner with them to do
so.

Donna Hill B.Sc. B.Ed. CHI
Nanaimo, BC
www.naturepark.com/idat
dhill@uniserve.com
250-753-5246