Who are the recipients of your site’s messages? How do you characterize those recipients? Does your present descriptive method assist you, so your interpretation is targeted and lands effectively on fertile ground?
The previous post “Ensuring Visits are meaningful” pointed out that who, what , and where are necessary dimensions to consider. We discussed the importance of deliberating on “where” one’s site message is best delivered to be meaningful. This post will touch on getting a better grasp on the “who,” in order to come closer to hitting the proverbial bulls eye of visitor meaningfulness. I have heard the “who” determination bandied about in many ways, but it often never gets beyond demographics, as in young adult couple, or family with 2 children under 10. Yet it is more important to grasp the various mindsets that visitors arrive with and understand the “language” they respond to.
courtesy Bill Reynolds Family Happiness
There are proven methods of capturing the interest of people and touching their minds and hearts, that have been researched and perfected over many decades. Many studies have defined the learning modalities, learning styles and learning types that people exhibit. They cut across gender, age, family dynamic, culture- all the traditional ways we are presented with to divide up our market or visitor. Consider the following as more helpful in order to communicate with (not market to) visitors:
Learning modalities are the ways in which our brain-mind systems are best stimulated. Learning styles are the way we best perceive experience or information, and our way of acting upon that. Styles are influenced by modalities. Learning types are separated based on what kind of information they perceive as reality. Here is a quick breakdown.
Labels vary, but there are 4 major modalities:
visual,
auditory,
kinesthetic, and
symbolic.
Understanding these shortcuts to stimulation helps you to categorize “the whos” based on how they receive information, learn and express themselves. Exciting the different mind- brain systems is key to ensuring visits will be meaningful.
Visuals need spatial perspectives, drawing, graphics, sculptures, mapping, etc.
Auditories need rhythmic patterns, speech, music, & song.
Kinesthetics need patterned movement, posturing, gesturing, dance, and physical action.
Symbolics need abstract connections like reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Visitors are usually a mix but also have a dominant style. Bottom line: we need to employ a range of communication approaches to capture all the “whos” out there.
Courtesy Anacostia Museum web site
People also show a brain hemisphere dominance -either left brain or right brain. Logical, linear, sequential thought is the left brain area whereas the right brain focuses on visual/spatial and emotional thoughts. Effective interpretation employs techniques aiming at stimulating both hemispheres. There is still too much emphasis on left brain stimulation especially in non-personal interpretation.
This is especially critical when you consider learning types. There are 4 basic types (again labels vary) :
analytical
innovative
practical
dynamic
Analytical types comprehend reality as based on facts and data, books and experts.
Innovative types perceive reality through personal life experiences and how “stuff” relates to them.
Practical types perceive reality as whatever works in real situations.
Dynamic types grasp reality based on what is experienced in the here and now, often employing creative intuition.
As interpreters we need to design for and speak these “languages” or we will never appeal to wide groups of visitors. The latter three types really emphasize the rationale for designing more interpretation that incorporates “doing” as part of the communication process. Frankly, that’s a strong reason why we, at EID, enjoy the book Interpretive Design the Dance of Experience by Steve Van Matre so much.
Courtesy Bill Reynolds Boardwalk buddies
The point of visitor engagement by stimulating action by the visitor is hammered home over and over and speaks to diverse learning styles. So, how can you be meaningful - by connecting with a range of modalities, styles and types.
Reaching a large percentage of your visitors means you need to use a diversity of techniques. In my experience, one of the best examples of incorporating a wide range of approaches like this is an experience designed by the Institute for Earth Education named an Earthwalk. For a great overview of this participatory way of sharing nature using sensory and visceral explorations, check out our April 2020 blog titled Earthwalks where the book is reviewed.
We know that visitors display a mix of brain-mind systems and EarthWalks an alternative nature experience book provides extensive guidelines on how to design and structure participation aimed at the wholistic ”who.”
Here are just a few hints to spark your creativity when trying to involve those non left brain visitors who traditionally avoid interpretive offerings :
visual mode- get your visitor to look at familiar things in new ways (hands & knees, looking up, introduce a third eye)
auditory mode - close eyes and focus listening
kinesthetic mode - empathic movement, tactile comparisons
symbolic mode - make up a story or song as a group
right brain - fantasy and metaphor are gateways in
left brain - do what we have always done
innovative - sharing and social interaction
analytic - seek out experts
practical - try out and do things
dynamic - express themselves and apply learnings
Courtesy Institute for Earth Education
Earthwalks employ structured fun and visitor interactions are designed for various reasons keeping in mind diverse brain-body needs. To design for different visitors’ perceptual preferences, the provision of props like “scent catchers” to enhance a visitor’s sense of smell or miniature artists’ palettes to aid them with discovering and sharing hidden colours, can help immensely. The use of blindfolds and bare feet for example, are not flippantly employed, but both are chosen explicitly for a purposeful sensory awareness focus. On a more mental engagement level, Earthwalks also aim to develop feelings of reverence, where time for contemplation and a chance to express thoughts with other visitors is designed in.
Many more points could be shared around this concept but I will leave you with the technique of role-playing as an example of addressing a mix of modes and styles. Animate objects are a natural however don’t ignore inanimate objects. While a visitor is actively looking and touching a glacial erratic boulder, an interpretive catalyst could pose, “I wonder how it would feel to be a rock at the bottom of a glacier?” If needed, one may have to have some follow up guiding comments or graphic actions to spur participants.
People think and sense from a comprehension, a meaning, a solutions or a possibilities standpoint. We need to design our communication to reflect the above 10 visitor brain dimensions and aim for more than only comprehension !
Courtesy Bill Reynolds how many modalities and styles ?
Inspect your trail signage, walk around your visitor centre or read your exhibit texts, then review what you are saying & showing ! Are you consciously reaching a range of visitor modalities, styles, and types? WHO are you talking to?
Engage us here at EID to do the above review. Start off by contacting us on an experimental basis - send us a video or a series of images and we’ll provide you with feedback on ways to connect with a wider range of visitors. It may just be the start of a beautiful relationship.
What have you got to lose?