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Interpretation is a communication process, designed to reveal meanings & relationships of our cultural & natural heritage, through involvement with objects, artefacts, landscapes & sites |
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What is Interpretive Communication?
Overview of the Philosophy & Principles of Interpretive Communication
Definition of Interpretive Communication
There are a number of popular definitions describing interpretive communication; however we feel that the best definition of interpretive communication is the one developed by Interpretation Canada.
"Heritage interpretation is a communication process, designed to reveal meanings & relationships of our cultural & natural heritage, through involvement with objects, artefacts, landscapes & sites."
It should be stressed that interpretive communication is not simply presenting information, but a specific communication strategy that is used to translate that information for people, from the technical language of the expert, to the everyday language of the visitor.
Where do the strategies, techniques & principles of interpretive communication come from?
It is important to remember that the interpretive communication process did not spontaneously appear one day and is not limited to visitor centres, museums and trails! In fact we are touched by interpretive communication principles & techniques every time we watch a documentary on TV, read a good novel, see a magazine, radio or TV advertisement or attend a stage play!
Interpretive communication is a wonderful mix of communication principles borrowed from a variety of other professions. Anyone wanting to work in interpretive communication should have a good working knowledge of the following disciplines:
Quite a list!
However it is this mix of skills that equips today’s interpretive communication professional with the tools to deliver objective based interpretation that achieves results.
Interpretive Communication - Understanding the Audience
A key area of knowledge that interpretive communication planners must have to be effective in their interpretive communication presentations is an understanding of how visitors learn and remember information in a recreational learning environment.
A recreational learning experience is one where the person has self-selected to attend or participate in a program for "fun". The "learning" that occurs is viewed as fun as well. Anyone that has a hobby, such as coin collecting, model making, studying aspects of history, bird watching, etc. is involved with recreational learning. In interpretive communication we learn because we want to, and the process of learning and discovery gives us pleasure.
What is the Interpretive Communication Process?
The interpretive communication process used to "interpret" information is based on Tilden's Interpretive Principles (Tilden, 1954). Tilden's basic interpretive communication principles are same ones you will find in every first year student marketing text book on audience communication.
First, the interpretive communication must “PROVOKE” curiosity, attention & interest in the audience. If you can't get the audiences attention, they won't even stop at an exhibit, want to attend a presentation, or pay attention during programs. In planning the strategy as to how to provoke attention, the interpreter has to consider the answer to the question: Why would a visitor want to know this information?
The answer to this question helps determine the graphic, photo, or statement that gets the audiences attention. The interpretation communication must find a way to “RELATE” the message to the every day life of the visitors. In advertising, it's the answer to the question "why do you need this product or service?". This part of the communication gives people reasons to continue with the exhibits, programs, or media - gives them a reason to pay attention and want to learn more.
The final part of the interpretive communication process is the “REVEAL”.
Tilden says that we should “REVEAL” the ending or answer of the interpretive communication through a unique or unusual perspective of viewpoint, saving the answer to last.
The “REVEAL” tells the visitor why the message was important for them, or how they can benefit from the information that was interpreted to them.
Strive for message unity
Striving for message unity is another principle of interpretive communication. Message unity means when we plan or design our program, service, or media, that we use the right colours, costumes, music, designs, etc. to support the presentation of the message. Think of message unity as the stage setting and props for a theatrical presentation.
Address the whole
This final principle of interpretive communication means that all interpretation should address some main point or theme - "the big picture" of what is important about the park, historic site, tourism site, etc. that the visitor is seeing. The main theme is best illustrated by your answer to the question "if a visitor spends time going to programs, looking at exhibits, etc. while they are visiting my site, by the time they are ready to go back home if they only remember or learned one thing about why our site is so special, that one thing better be....................!
The answer to this question is "the whole." An example of such a theme might be "We are using state of the art land restoration techniques to improve this site for people and for wildlife."
In short, we can summarize the basic principles of interpretive communication as:
In addition, interpretive communicators must ask two questions to help them plan and design their interpretive communication program, media or service.
- Why would the visitor want to know this?
- If you can't answer this question, you are going to have trouble "marketing" the interpretive communication program or service. We don't want to be in the business of giving answers to questions no one is asking.
How do you want the visitor to use the information you are interpreting to them? - If you don't want visitors to use the interpretive communication information you are presenting in some way, then why are giving it to them?
There are not any "right or wrong" answers to these interpretive communication questions, however it does help the interpreter focus on interpreting something that is relevant to the audience.
The Model of Interpretive Communication
The following diagram is the model of the interpretation communication process;
In this model of interpretive communications we can see several different components.
First, we must have some message that we want to convey – The “WHAT” is the story that we want to tell...
Secondly, we must establish specific objectives that we want the interpretive communication message, program or service is to accomplish.
Next is visitor analysis; When communicating a message to an audience, we need to know as much as possible about that audience. We will only know if our interpretive communication message as received and understood by the visitor if we evaluate the program or service to see if our original objectives were accomplished. If not, we need to go back to make adjustments.
The next stage in the interpretive communication process is "implementation"; This considers issues such as costs, staffing needs, materials, resources and so on, required to actually plan, design, build, install the interpretive communication programs or services.
The box that surrounds the model called "Interpreter" is each individual program presenter or planner. We each bring our own unique perspective to any interpretive communication project or program. We have our unique personality, background, and presentation style. So each interpretive communication program or service will have the individual fingerprint of the interpreter who planned or presented it.
The big box around everything is managerial realities. These are administrative issues that can/do influence interpretive communication programs or services. Some of these can include:
Summary
This brief paper has focused on the basics of interpretive communication.
Interpretive communication principles have evolved from a variety of other communication professions.
The basic interpretive communication principles of what makes a presentation interpretive rather than informational is not so much on what you say, but rather how you say it.
For interpretive communication to be interpretive, it must Provoke, Relate, Reveal, Have Message Unity, and Address the Whole.
The model of interpretive communication shows how the total communication process works, and becomes the basis for developing a philosophy and strategy for interpretive communication planning.
References Lewis, William
Interpreting For Park Visitors, 1980, Eastern Acorn Press
Tilden, Freeman. Interpreting Our Heritage, 1957, The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill
Veverka, John A. Interpretive Master Planning, 1994, Falcon Press, Helena
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