Sense of Place & the Art of Interpretation

A Six-Week Online Training to
Strengthen Your Voice, Deepen Your Impact, and Reignite Why You Do This Work

The National Association for Interpretation is hosting a 6-week online training with Erica this fall!

This course will help you rethink your interpretive approach and hone your skills through a dynamic blend of practical and creative tools for crafting engaging programs.

Engage in creative strategies for designing well-balanced experiences and deepen your ability to connect people to place. Through discussions, implementation activities, and small group work, you'll build a personalized toolkit and leave with a ready-to-use interpretive program that reflects your renewed perspective.

Sense of Place and the Art of Interpretation 6-Week Online Training
Registration is open until September 1st. (Limited to 20)
Cohort begins September 9, 2025. Meets Tuesdays 2:00 to 5:00 ET.
18 CE Credits and Certification of Completion.

Register now

What if interpretive training didn’t just build skills?

What if it gave you more than all the tools and templates you needed, but also restored your sense of purpose, presence, and creativity?

“ This training did more than, it…”

This training is designed for interpreters, educators, guides, and leaders at all levels—whether you’re just starting out or decades into your career.

It helps you elevate your craft, bring more of yourself into your work, and deliver meaningful, well-designed programs that connect people to place, story, and each other.

Why This Training Is Different

This is not a generic, formulaic training where you’ll come away with the same take on themes, goals, and learning outcomes. Instead, it’s a highly practical and refreshingly creative approach to interpretation.

You'll gain clear tools and techniques to engage visitors meaningfully,  a deeper understanding of story and engaging sequencing , and greater confidence in your voice, presence, and flexibility in your delivery style.

✓ Revitalize and enhance existing programs.
✓ Reframe foundational skills with a fresh lens.
✓ Apply inclusive strategies to deepen visitor engagement.
✓ Practice storytelling with increased clarity and presence.
✓ Connect personally to purpose, mission, and place.
✓ Enrich creativity, confidence, and well-being.
✓ Work with peers to cross-pollinate ideas, knowledge, and techniques.

Going beyond standard interpretive frameworks and formulas, this training transforms how your team thinks about engaging visitors by using a sense of place-making perspective. For all levels of experience and all kinds of sites.

The core training consists of six modules, which are included in a comprehensive three-day and an online six-week training. In addition to the full-training format, individual module training or one, two and multi-day formats are available.

Core Modules include:
Introduction to Sense of Place Interpretation
Rethinking Interpretive Foundations
The Art of Sense of Place Storytelling
Inclusive Engagement Technique Toolkit
Narratives and Sequencing
The Well-Balanced Visitor Experience
Mastering the Art of Program Arcs

Inquire to join a scheduled cohort or to engage Erica to work with your team.

What We’ll Cover

Each week builds a new layer in your interpretive skillset and personal growth as a storyteller, guide, and place-based leader.

Week 1: Sense of Place Interpretation and Rethinking Interpretive Foundations

Seeing the Layers

Interpretation begins with relationship. Learn how to read and reveal the stories layered into the landscape, and guide others into that connection.

🔹 Week 2: Rethinking Interpretive Foundations

Revisit core principles with a fresh lens. Clarify what still serves—and what needs to evolve to meet today’s audiences with relevance and respect.

🔹 Week 3: The Art of Sense of Place Storytelling

Craft and deliver stories that land with heart, meaning, and clarity. Learn how to shape narrative structure for resonance and impact.

🔹 Week 4: Inclusive Engagement Technique Toolkit

Build your toolkit of creative, inclusive techniques that invite deeper participation, reflection, and belonging—for every visitor.

🔹 Week 5: Narratives, Techniques & Power of Place Sequencing

Learn how to shape interpretive experiences using sequence and structure that reveal the deeper meaning of place over time.

🔹 Week 6: Design and Deliver Well-Balanced Visitor Experiences

Bring it all together in cohesive, flexible program design that balances insight, story, sensory connection, and flow.

Write for sample agenda.

I used to DREAD the outline process. I would be stuck in the muck for days. Erica has given me the boots I need for this terrain! I will definitely use the tools/techniques and am inspired to create great visitor experiences. Thank you for the gift of this outstanding training.

Sitka NHP, AK

Multi-Day Training
Onsite or Online

Ideal for teams to elevate quality and cohesion.

Contact Erica for a detailed outline of what is included in the 1-day, 2-day and 3-day formats.

Six-Week Training
Online

Ideal for individuals, cohorts, or dispersed teams needing a flexible training schedule.

20 hours, 3-hour weekly format, plus open office hours

Module Training
***Onsite* *or Online***

Ideal for sites with limited time or budget who want to train staff, elevate skills, and recharge.

Three-hour intensives to 6-hour classes

Write for sample agendas.

With everyone, from our permanent to seasonal rangers, I noticed changes right away. After the training, they had adjusted the structure of their program and had a clearer theme. They seemed to have found their focus and grew from there.

Women’s Rights NHP, NY

Acadia NP
Adams NHP
Assateague Island NS
Bandelier NM
Big Thicket NP
Cape Cod NP
Denali National Park and Preserve
Everglades NP
Fredrick Law Olmsted NHS
Ft. Stanwix NHS
Gateway NRA
Governors Island NM

Prior NPS trainings

Grant-Khors NHS
Great Sands NP
Great Smokies NP
Hawai’i Volcanoes NP
John Fitzgerald Kennedy NHS
Hopewell Furnace NHSHot Springs NP
Independence NHP
Marsh Billings Rockefeller NH
Mesa Verde NP
National Mall and Memorial Parks

More Clients & Testimonials

Re-energizing for even the most seasoned staff.

Fort Stanwix NHS, N

This training goes beyond standard interpretive techniques—it transforms how your team thinks about engaging visitors by using a sense of place-making perspective. Participants gain a new way of thinking about program design, meaningful narratives, and working as a cohesive team.
I bring a blend of in-the-field expertise from working with 45+ NPS sites, plus my background in performing arts and creative process to provide a framework of proven tools and opportunities to rethink interpretation and storytelling.
EACH TRAINING IS:
- Customized for Your Site – Tailored to fit your unique needs, ensuring immediate, practical application. Erica’s fee includes site research to ensure training concepts link to site themes and stories.
- Inclusive & Innovative – Helps to craft programs that engage visitors with different learning styles through a fresh, creative lens.
- Skill-Based & Practical – Provides tangible tools and techniques for delivering compelling, balanced visitor experiences.
- Grounded in the Power of Place— Each training emphasizes using stories and techniques to connect people with the unique power of your place.
INTERPRETERS OF ALL LEVELS WILL EXPERIENCE THE BENEFITS:
- Skill-Building for All Levels – Developing authentic, well-crafted, inclusive programs requires practice. This training provides in-depth support for interpreters at all experience levels, ensuring they can confidently share complex stories in a concise, engaging way.
- Adaptable for Different Learning Styles – A creative, supportive approach helps interpreters identify and refine their most effective techniques while developing new skills to meet performance standards.
- Fosters a Cohesive Team – Through participatory learning, brainstorming, and collaboration, this training strengthens team dynamics and fosters long-term professional growth.
I’m an experienced interpretive trainer, keynote speaker and creative mentor. With a background in the performing arts, and conservation advocacy, I’ve worked directly for over a decade with parks, museums, historic sites, land trusts, community organizations, and more. I’m also an award-winning songwriter and a keynote speaker who has delivered keynotes at Governor’s Conferences on Tourism and many national events.
My approach to interpretation bridges creative thinking with practical tools, and a sense of place lens to inspire fresh program ideas that elevate interpreters and interpretation, and resonate with visitors, fostering meaningful connections between people and place.
OPTION ONE: Individual Module Training Available onsite or live online. Flexible participant number. Call to discuss.
Please write for rates and program outlines.
90-minute Introductory Session
3-Hour Module
4-Hour Module
6-Hour Masterclass (Can be run in 2 3-hour sessions)
OPTION TWO: Full-Day to Multi-Day Training. Available onsite or live online. Includes up to 20 participants online or 25+ onsite.
1-Day (7 hours)
2-Day (14 hours)
(Includes 1:1 coaching) 
3-Day (21 hours)
(Includes 1:1 coaching)
OPTIONS THREE: Six-Week Online Training 20-hour course delivered live online over six weeks. Includes up to 20 participants.
For Groups: Flat fee.
Add-on: 1:1 Coaching Package Available
ABOUT COHORTS
For Individuals (Join a Cohort): $550 per person
 Minimum of 5 participants required to run a cohort 
Add-on: 1:1 Coaching Session Available
Interested in joining a cohort? 
Set up a call with Erica to learn more
Payment:
I’m a registered independent contractor with the Federal Government and in the SAM system. I accept checks, direct deposits, and credit cards (with a 3% processing fee.)
Travel Expenses:
The standard government rates apply for travel, meals and lodging, and can provide a detailed estimate upon request. I fly out of Hartford, CT. Rates can be reduced if I am already in your region.
Formats:
Training can be offered for consecutive days onsite. Formats can be adapted to meet your staff and training needs. A minimum of 6 participants is required. Some parks opt to hire me for multiple consecutive days, so everyone can attend. Parks with a large staff can do a presentation style training with more group work and limited 1:1 time with the instructor. Other sites might include all their interpreters, interns, volunteers, partners, and other divisions such as resources, curatorial, and fees.
Sense of Place Consulting is a Woman Owned Small Business.
I am committed to helping individuals show up fully as who they are, and meeting people wherever they are on their learning journey. I am known for my down-to-earth, welcoming and inclusive facilitation skills.

Sense of Place & the Art of Interpretation