Sense of Place and the Art of Interpretation
Training & Consulting for Parks, Museums, Heritage Sites, and Mission-Based Organizations
A Fresh Approach to 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 brings a different lens to interpretation, expanding how programs and connections are shaped through 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
regional or cross-site cohorts
individual participants in open-enrollment sessions
A variety of formats are offered to work within today’s constraints of time, funding, and capacity.
How Organizations Use This Training
Organizations use this training to support onboarding, staff development, program design, and shared interpretive practice.
Seasonal Readiness
Prepare new or seasonal staff with practical tools they can use immediately in the field.
Program Development for Career Staff
Strengthen existing programs and deepen interpretive practice.
Whole-Team Alignment
Teams build a shared language for stronger program design, delivery, and collaboration, which can include volunteers, partners, and others.
Cohorts and Cross-Site Learning
Bring professionals together across sites, regions, or disciplines to strengthen skills and exchange ideas.
Strengthen Interpretive Skills
Interpretation is about helping people connect more deeply with the meanings held in places, stories, histories, and culture—and understand why they matter.
What often proves challenging in practice is how to shape programs that allow that meaning to emerge clearly and naturally.
This training is designed to help interpreters do exactly that.
It begins with a different question: not just “What information do we want to share?” but “How can we help visitors find their connection here?”
From that foundation, participants build practical skills in storytelling, program structure, sequencing, delivery, and engagement. They learn how to work with layered stories and multiple perspectives, and make stronger interpretive choices with greater clarity and ease.
When meaning and story come into focus, themes sharpen. Structure strengthens. Visitor experiences then become more coherent, more meaningful, and more memorable.
"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
What Participants Learn
Participants build practical skills they can apply immediately, while strengthening the way they approach interpretive work overall.
They learn how to:
shape clear, focused themes and stronger narratives
structure programs so ideas unfold with clarity and purpose
work with layered stories and multiple perspectives
guide visitors from information toward meaning and connection
use sequencing, participation, and reflection to deepen engagement
deliver with greater confidence, authenticity, and presence
"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
Suitable for:
Seasonal onboarding · Program redevelopment or refresher training · Site-specific training · Regional or cohort partnerships · Interpretive media, waysides, and panels · Interpretive planning
Sense of Place and the Art of Interpretation is offered in a range of formats—from focused sessions to comprehensive multi-day trainings—depending on your goals, schedule, and level of depth. All formats are available onsite or online.
The comprehensive training provides time to bring the work together through practice, feedback, collaboration, and real program development, while shorter sessions focus on building specific skills with immediate application. The 2-hour masterclasses offer a focused session that strengthens a specific skill, while a 4-hour masterclass provides a skill and time for implementation. The formats below reflect these different entry points and levels of depth.
For the full descriptions, formats, and pricing:
Request the Training Buyer’s Guide →
Or schedule a call to find the best fit
Schedule a Training Needs Discovery Call →
Sense of Place Introduction and Foundations
Learn how this approach shifts interpretation through meaning, connection, and relationship.
Introduction to Sense of Place Interpretation 75 min.
The Sense of Place Lens: An Introduction 2 hrs.
Sense of Place Foundations Framework 10 hrs.
Masterclasses:
Story and Content Development
Build skills in finding, shaping, and delivering stories grounded in place, memory, meaning, site content, objects, histories, and lived experience.
Craft a Sense of Place Story
2 hrs.Develop and Deliver a Site Story
4 hrs.
Restorative Skill Building Trainings
Practical and restorative, these capacity-building trainings combine experience, reflection, and listening so staff can return to the work more grounded and with increased energy and clarity.
Seeing With a Sense of Place Lens: Experiential — 2 hrs.
Grounded in Place Pro — full day or multi-session.
Rooted Leadership — half or full day.
In-Depth:
Signature Trainings
These trainings are for all levels and cover content development, techniques, and craft. Additional lengths provide time for skill implementation and feedback.
Intensive Training 7 hrs.
Implementation Training
14 hrs.Comprehensive Training
21 hrs.
Masterclasses:
Program Design and Delivery
Develop stronger programs by working with facts, meaning, engagement techniques, sequencing, and program arcs.
From Facts to Meaning 4 hrs.
Build an Inclusive Technique Toolkit 3 hrs.
Sequencing Site Narratives
4 hrs.
Not sure which format will fit your needs? Start here:
For the full descriptions, formats, and pricing:
Request the Training Buyer’s Guide →
Schedule a call to talk through the right fit
Schedule a Training Needs Discovery Call →
For Teams
Organizations, sites, and 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 →
Meet Your Trainer
Erica Wheeler is an interpretive trainer and the founder of Sense of Place Consulting. She is the creator of the Sense of Place and Story Framework.
For over 20 years, she has worked with parks, museums, heritage sites, and communities. Her experience includes training staff at more than 45 National Park Service sites nationwide, helping them design and deliver engaging visitor experiences.
She's also keynoted at events from the National Association for Interpretation to the National State Parks Directors Conference, as well as several Governor's Conferences on Tourism.
Her work helps interpreters create the conditions in which connection, meaning, and care can take root.
"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
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 Site
“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 Historic Site
“This is a paradigm shift for interpretation and creates a gift to offer visitors.”
— Bandelier National Monument
What if interpretive training did more than build skills?
What if it also strengthened purpose, presence, and creativity in the work itself?
This training supports that kind of growth.
It helps interpreters build stronger skills and a stronger foundation for using them well—so the work becomes clearer, more grounded, and more alive for both practitioners and visitors.
Bring this training to your team
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 →
