February Brown Bag Session

February Brown Bag Session De-briefing

Introductions, Transitions and Conclusions – pt. 1

On Thursday, February 25, 2010, Tara, Jim B. and I met for part one of our two part discussion on Introductions, Transitions and Conclusions. We agreed that often times the most difficult part of an interpretive program is the conclusion so much of our conversation focused on conclusions. We reviewed the standard conclusion as taught in the NPS Interpretation 101 training course, that is, restate the theme and thank the audience for coming. Aside from that the NPS IDP doesn’t really address conclusions in any more depth. The Basic Interpretation Handbook for California State Parks does elaborate a little more in their instruction on conclusions so we read and discussed that as well. In addition to repeating the theme, thanking the audience for attending and providing a clear ending the CA State Parks suggest techniques such as asking for questions from the audience, giving a philosophical ending, leaving the audience with a question to think about, providing opportunities for action or further learning, and advertising future programs. This list generated a lot of ideas and brainstorming when we discussed our individual programs.

A few examples of great conclusion techniques are listed below.

Asking a question to the audience:
Program: Tara’s “John Paul Scott Escape”
Subtheme: Luck is an important thing to have on your side in an escape.
Question to audience: Do you think John Paul Scott was lucky?

Program: Wendy’s “Sharks, Shipwrecks and Skeletons”
Subject matter: The dangers of the bay and the 1962 escape
Question to audience: Do you think they made it?
Physical involvement: Based on what they’ve heard about the dangers of the bay she had visitors ‘vote’ by standing to one side or the other
Final question to audience: Why?

Leaving the visitors with a question to think about:
Program: Jim’s UTH / USPAZ
Theme: There were different ways an inmate could do his time.
Subject matter: talks about inmates who remained incorrigible, who escaped, died or turned their lives around.
Conclusion: Think about what kind of time would you do?

Opportunity for action / self-fulfillment:
Program: Sharlene’s “Moon Over Alcatraz”
Conclusion: When you go home find a place to watch a moon rise sometime and email me about it at moonoveralcatraz@gmail.com.

Props:
Program: Tim Brazil’s “Battle of ‘46”
Theme: The key to the escape as literally a key.
Conclusion: Tim uses the key again as a visual prop in answering his own question. He asks what really foiled the plot? (pause) Then he holds up to the audience in answer to his question.

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The rest of our meeting time was spent going through new programs and programs in which we wanted to improve our conclusions. The result was another great example of a conclusion from Jim B listed below and an improved conclusion for my 1939 Escape program. Unfortunately, Tara did not have time to work on her program as she had to leave to do the boat narration.

Program: Jim B’s “Future of Alcatraz”
Opening statement / question: What would you do if you were given the keys to Alcatraz?
Concluding statement / question: What do the keys of Alcatraz really open?
Prop: Holds up keys during both questions. The answer to the concluding question is the theme. It opens to a mirror that reflects the society of which Alcatraz is a part. It opens a key to our imagination, our values, our hopes and anxieties.

Program: Eric’s “1939 Escape”
Theme: The simple actions of five escapees would have repercussions on Alcatraz felt until the present day.
Introduction: Because of this escape one man lost his life, one was murdered for his role, the murder led to a trial which made sensational headlines and influenced public opinion. Later, the trial would inspire a Hollywood movie that would perpetuate myths about the island.
Original Conclusion: A rambling list of the above info that resulting in people walking away during the last minute of the program.
New Conclusion: This escape affected inmates, it affected the way the Bureau of Prisons ran Alcatraz and it affected the way we think of Alcatraz today.

Conclusions about conclusions:
We concluded that the most important thing in a conclusion is not to simply re-state the theme. That technique can have the effect of losing visitors’ attention because you are signaling to them that you are now simply going to repeat what they’ve already heard. Instead, we “discovered” it can be much more effective to advance your theme rather than simply re-state it. We propose writing out the last sentence you will say to visitors before thank you. This concluding statement can and perhaps should be written into your formal outline and should reflect how you’ve advanced your idea from introduction to conclusion. For examples, look again at the programs mentioned above, especially Jim B’s opening and concluding statement.

Next month I was thinking we could start with the examples above and ask these two questions.
What makes them good conclusions?
What would the concluding statement be for each?
Time permitting, we could then move on to a discussion / workshop about Introductions and Transitions.

Stay tuned for info re: a date for the March brown bag. Let me know which Thursdays will definitely not work. Thanks!