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Clarifying Interpretive Planning Themes
Using heritage interpretive themes will make your program planning easier and more effective.
One of the commonest misconceptions HDC comes across in planning for interpretive programs or services is that of developing heritage interpretation themes.
Here are a few ideas and examples that may help making this part of the interpretive planning process easier and more effective.
What exactly is an Interpretive Theme?
The interpretive theme is the central concept or key idea of any visitor experience presentation. Not only does the development of an interpretive theme provide organizational structure and clarity of purpose of the program, it also has a dramatic effect on the whole business planning process.
Interpretive themes help you plan exhibits and manage visitors; it affects how you train your staff, who your market is and what you sell in the gift shop. It is all encompassing and the single most important element in interpretive planning. Once the interpretive theme has been decided, everything you do in effectively presenting that theme to the audience falls into place.
Themes should:
Contain one main idea if possible (you can have up to 3 but one is better)
Be stated as a short, simple, complete sentence
Reveal the overall purpose of the experience, program or activity
Be interestingly and motivationally worded when possible
It is important not to confuse themes with topics. Examples of topics that might be mistaken for themes might be:
Birds of the Park
Seasonal Wildflowers
Bird migration
Cooking with native plants
Be sure your themes are "complete sentences" and that they meet the other criteria noted above. Here are some examples of themes:
“We manage our habitats to benefit both people and wildlife”
“Backyard wildlife needs your help to thrive”
“Tropical forests around the world have plants that heal people”
“Living below stairs at Wilton House was full of daily challenges”
“We need to preserve wetlands for five reasons”
“Steam engines changed our lives in three ways”
In simple terms visitors exiting your museum / heritage centre / historic site / and so on, should be able to summarize the interpretive theme of the visitor experience in one succinct sentence.
As a simple experiment ask 20 visitors leaving your site, exhibit, etc., what they thought the experience was all about and to sum it up in one short sentence. The answers you get back, if you have done your job properly, should reflect your interpretive theme. If it doesn’t, you might have a problem!
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what are interpretive planning themes & objectives?
who was Freeman Tilden?
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Heritage Destination Consulting Ltd.
heritage interpretation & tourism consultants
www.heritagedestination.com
www.heritagedestination.co.uk
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