Sense of Place and the Art of Interpretation
Interpretive Training for Parks, Museums, and Heritage Organizations
Elevate Your Interpretive Practice
Designed for interpreters, educators, planners, media specialists, volunteers, and partners — from new and seasonal staff to career professionals.
Sense of Place and the Art of Interpretation offers a fresh approach to interpretation that expands how programs and connections are shaped through exploring relationships to place, meaning, and story.
Erica’s approach to training is both rigorous and renewing. It has been honed through decades of in-the-field experience and refined through feedback from parks, museums, and heritage sites across the country.
Trainings are available:
For site-based teams
For regional or cross-site cohorts
For individual participants in open enrollment sessions
A variety of formats are offered to work within today’s constraints of time, funding, and capacity.
A Practical Way to Strengthen Interpretive Skills
Sense of Place and the Art of Interpretation offers a reliable way to strengthen or refresh core foundations while moving beyond the basics to hone the art of interpretation. Participants craft compelling programs and gain greater confidence in their delivery.
Erica’s sense-of-place approach simplifies often complex theory so interpreters quickly grasp foundational concepts while uncovering innovative approaches to program design.
It supports the development of well-balanced programs and content while navigating complex histories and real-world constraints.
Participants learn to:
Work with layered stories and multiple perspectives
Reveal meaning through place-centered narrative and engagement
Stay centered in the deeper purpose of their work
"We brought Erica in to help us master the art of storytelling and to learn how to share the meaning of these places even more effectively. When we worked with Erica before, it was one of the most meaningful experiences of my career. I was thrilled by seeing the growth in rangers and the inspiration they gleaned."
— National Mall and Memorial Parks, Washington, DC
How This Works in Practice
Content · Delivery · Craft
Erica’s training focuses on three areas of growth: content, delivery, and craft. Participants work with a sequenced set of tools and practices that support clear, intentional decisions throughout the interpretive process.
Rather than relying on a single technique, the emphasis is on building a toolkit of appropriate approaches as interpreters work with structure, sequencing, and engagement.
As a result particpants leave with:
Clearer themes and stronger narratives
More engaging program structure
Greater confidence in delivery
Practical tools for complex or layered stories
A shared language for collaboration across roles and experience levels
"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."
— Sitka National Historical Park, AK
Training Formats
Sense of Place and the Art of Interpretation is Erica’s comprehensive signature training program. Originally offered as a multi-day onsite training, formats now also include shorter deep dives and online formats to work within different goals, schedules, and budgets.
Whether strengthening seasonal fundamentals, deepening interpretive design, or developing program-ready experiences, each format meets a targeted need.
All formats are available onsite or online.
Suitable for: Seasonal onboarding · Program redevelopment or training refresher · Staff advancement · Regional or cohort partnerships · Interpretive media design · Interpretive planning
FOR TEAMS
Organizations, sites, or partnerships can schedule a group training directly.
Request training dates and availability →
FOR INDIVIDUALS
Individuals may participate in a cohort when offered through Sense of Place Consulting or in partnership with organizations such as the National Association for Interpretation (NAI).
Get notified when the next cohort opens →
Micro-Trainings (2 hours)
For Focused Skill Development
Ideal to supplement seasonal onboarding or provide a targeted refresher. Gain fresh insights and a specific tool to implement right away.
1) Craft a Sense of Place Story
Learn Erica’s Touchstone Story Method to craft a personal and site-based story grounded in authentic connection. Participants leave with a completed sense-of-place story and a repeatable story-development process they can apply across programs.
2) From Facts to Meaning: Getting to the Heart of Story
Work with a tangible resource or factual content to uncover the deeper meaning it holds and craft a resonant narrative. Participants leave with practical tools for moving from information to meaning and a story shaped for impact.
3) The Inclusive Technique Toolkit
Develop a personalized set of participatory, sensory, and reflective techniques that support diverse learning styles and feel authentic to your delivery. Participants leave with a usable toolkit adaptable across audiences and program types.
Investment: $1,500 (up to 15 participants)
Masterclasses (4 hours)
For content development and implementation
Develop content and practice delivery skills with time for structured practice, feedback, and refinement.
1) Craft and Deliver Sense of Place Stories
Develop, hone, and practice delivering a full story with structure, confidence, and impact. Participants leave with stories ready for immediate application.
2) Sense of Place Narrative Sequencing
Design tours and programs as narrative journeys where layers of meaning are revealed with clarity—even when stories are not linear or fully visible. Includes working with natural and cultural heritage sites as well as with objects, events, and layered histories. Participants leave with a narrative arc ready for implementation.
Investment: $2,500 ( up to 15 participants)
Sense of Place Foundations
Immersion Training
14 hours (Includes application labs and coaching)
Designed for those shaping content, guiding interpretive planning, developing media, or strengthening interpretive strategy across a site.
This format provides extended immersion into its conceptual grounding and practical implications and helps to create a shared language for innovative program design. Learn to see the familiar through new eyes, craft sense of place tours and narrative sequences, and apply content to your site and project.
Investment: $3,500 (up to 10 participants)
Comprehensive Training
Program Development and Delivery
Three formats: Intensive, Implementation, and Signature Comprehensive
Comprehensive applied development for teams ready to move from framework to fully realized interpretive experiences. Includes structured development, collaborative refinement, and coaching. Ideal for comprehensive skill development, applied outcomes, and program-ready experiences.
Each level can stand alone or move sequentially. Sessions are designed for up to 20 participants, with flexibility for larger sites and seasonal onboarding.
1. Intensive (7 hours)
Develop or refresh interpretive foundations. Design a program concept grounded in meaning and narrative structure. Outline a ready-to-deliver program.
2. Implementation (14 hours)
Apply tools gained during the Intensive training. Benefit from extended practice, structured feedback, and refinement. Includes collaborative group work and 1:1 coaching
3. Comprehensive: From Development to Delivery (21 hours)
Develop and hone a polished interpretive experience ready for confident delivery. Includes collaborative group work and 1:1 coaching
Investment
7 hour $3,500
14 hour $4,500
21 hour $5,500
Interested in a Training?
See pricing below. For a detailed breakdown of formats, options, and pricing, request the training buyer’s guide, or reach out so we can explore the best fit during an exploratory no-pressure conversation.
Request the Training Buyer’s Guide →
Start the Conversation →
How Is This Training Different?
The Sense-of-Place Shift
This training reframes how interpretive programs are crafted. It centers meaning — how relationship to place is formed and why it matters — as the organizing force for design.
From that foundation, structure, sequencing, and engagement become clearer and more intentional. As meaning and story come into focus, themes sharpen. Structure strengthens. Delivery carries greater purpose and impact.
The Hinge Moment
This training environment encourages creative thinking and reflection, helping interpreters access insights that might otherwise remain buried beneath routine structure.
To move content from information to revelation, and from facts to meaning, participants uncover “the hinge moment,” the point at which a place, object, or story becomes more than it first appears and its deeper significance comes into view. From that turning point, themes sharpen, narrative flow strengthens, and the work shifts from competent to impactful.
Presence and Purpose
Interpretation is not only what is presented, but how it is carried. Throughout the training, interpreters deepen awareness of their strengths, voice, and intention — strengthening authenticity and confidence alongside skill.
We’ve all seen technically accurate programs that still land flat. This process integrates learning and implementation, helping interpreters bring clarity, alignment, and purpose to both content and delivery.
"I observed my staff applying Erica's approach and feel that the level of programs this year was just outstanding. Even our more 'science-based' interpreters brought in more of the emotional, reflective techniques. Her ideas were especially effective for creating that baseline of connection that leads to meaningful dialogue."
— Cape Cod National Seashore, MA
Meet Your Trainer
Erica Wheeler is the founder of Sense of Place Consulting and creator of the Sense of Place and Story Method. For over two decades, she has worked nationwide with parks, museums, and heritage sites—including training at over 45 National Park Service sites.
She helps interpreters and teams uncover the deeper meaning places hold and craft impactful sense of place programs.
Her interdisciplinary background in conservation, writing, and the performing arts informs training that is both rigorous and renewing, strengthening skills while deepening clarity and confidence.
Interpreters and teams leave with stronger skills, clearer intent, and greater confidence in their ability to create meaningful visitor experiences.
Prior Training Sites Include
National Park Service (45+ sites): Yosemite NP · Independence NHP · Hawaiʻi Volcanoes NP · National Mall and Memorial Parks · Acadia NP · Cape Cod NS · Everglades NP · Great Smoky Mountains NP · Mesa Verde NP · Denali NP & Preserve · Hot Springs NP · White Sands NP · Women’s Rights NHP · Gateway NRA · Fort Stanwix NM · Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP · Saint-Gaudens NHP · and many more
Professional Organizations and Museums: National Association for Interpretation (NAI) · American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) · New England Museum Association (NEMA)
State Parks, Historic Sites and Conservation Organizations: State Parks · Historical Societies · Regional Land Trusts and Conservation Groups
What Team Leaders Say
“Erica provided our interpretive staff with a fresh angle on interpretation, new techniques, and the opportunity to stretch and experiment. Our interpreters strengthened and re-imagined their approach to sharing our resources with visitors. This training served as a solid foundation for our seasonal training."
— Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP & Saint-Gaudens National Historic Si
“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
What Participants Say
“I've attended numerous sessions throughout my career, and I honestly feel that this was the best, most energetic, true feeling workshop about what we do and love." — Howard County Parks and Recreation, MD
“Re-energizing for even the most seasoned staff." — Fort Stanwix National Monument
“This is a paradigm shift for interpretation and creates a gift to offer visitors.” — Bandelier National Monument
Bring this training to your team
If you’re ready to strengthen foundational skills while expanding creative capacity, this training offers a practical and proven framework.
Formats are flexible and scalable for different teams, goals, and schedules. Pricing reflects scope, delivery format, and customization. Package pricing available. Travel costs are additional.
Request the Training Buyer’s Guide →
Start the Conversation →
For teams:
Request training dates and availability →
For individuals:
Get notified when the next cohort opens →
