Get comprehensive interpretive training from a fresh perspective. Gain tools to bridge innovative ideas with traditional best practices. Transform your staff through a spirit of collaboration and creative program development that lasts long into the season.
Sense of Place and the Art of Interpretation
Designed for interpreters, educators, museums, historic preservation and land conservation organizations, and others whose work involves connecting people and place. Effective for enriching all levels of experience, from expert to novice. Prior training has included seasonal on-boarding, returning and permanent staff, interns, volunteers, partners, and site-wide employees.
Gain a framework to:
• Create inclusive, engaging visitor experiences.
• Rethink interpretation and see the familiar through new eyes.
• Develop concise content and hone delivery skills.
• Explore techniques to appeal to diverse learning styles
• Team build, collaborate, increase overall capacity for resilience and adapting during times of change.
Training formats include 1, 2 or 3 full-day formats online or onsite. Multiple half-day sessions can be available depending on your training needs.
Erica Wheeler is a registered independent contractor for the Federal Government and in the SAM system. Sense of Place Consulting is a Woman-Owned Small Business.
View Case Studies:
Great Smokies National Park
National Memorials an Mounments
Adams National Historic Site
Create, design and deliver engaging visitor experiences.
“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.”
2023 Training Formats
1-Day Training Intensive
(7-hours)
Gain the core skills needed for outstanding interpretation from a fresh perspective. Work to develop, practice, and confidently deliver engaging visitor experiences. Recharge your own sense of place connections.
Participants leave with a solid overview and personalized program outline that includes new techniques to try.
See the Familiar Through New Eyes
Rethink interpretation, visitor motivations and engagement techniques.
Develop a well-balanced, inclusive and site-specific program
Practice and hone delivery skills.
Team-build in a supportive learning environment.
3-Day (21 hour)
Comprehensive Training
Include core curriculium plus the opportunity to craft and refine and deliver an inclusive, well-balanced site-specific program of any length with confidence.
Participants leave with a program they are ready to use in the field.
Includes 1:1 mentoring for participants with Erica during training time, as schedule allows.
2-Day Skills Bootcamp
(14-hours)
Apply and practice techniques and skills gained. Participants leave with a toolbox of techniques they can apply to different programs.
Includes day-one concepts and skills plus
More tools to craft inclusive narratives.
Opportunity to develop through a collaborative peer program design experience.
Invaluable peer and instructor feedback.
Creates a collaborative sense of teamwork that lasts
“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 and complimented prior training around audience-centered engagement techniques, peer coaching, and resource content.” ”
1. One-Day Format:Core Intensive Training
7-hours
Gain the core skills needed for outstanding interpretation from a fresh perspective. Work to develop, practice, and confidently deliver engaging visitor experiences. Recharge your own sense of place connections.
Participants leave with a solid overview and personalized program outline that includes new techniques to try.
See the Familiar Through New Eyes
Rethink interpretation, visitor motivations and engagement techniques.
Develop a well-balanced, inclusive and site-specific program
Practice and hone delivery skills.
Team-build in a supportive learning environment.
“I would definitely recommend this component to all career NPS interpreters.”
2. Two-Day Format: Comprehensive Training
14-hour Format
This training format includes and builds on the 7-hour Core Intensive. The 2nd day offers opportunities to apply and practice techniques and skills gained. Gain the confidence, skills, and experience needed to offer effective, well-balanced programs. This is truly a “learning through doing” experience.
Participants leave with a toolbox of techniques they can apply to different programs.
Includes day-one concepts and skills plus
More tools to craft inclusive narratives.
Opportunity to develop through a collaborative peer program design experience.
Invaluable peer and instructor feedback.
Creates a collaborative sense of teamwork that lasts throughout the season and beyond
“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. ”
3. Three-Day Format: Comprehensive Training
21-hour Format
This training helps to fully support individuals with crafting, refining, and delivering a program of any length with confidence.
Builds on tools and concepts gained during day one and skills developed during day two.
Participants leave with a program they are ready to use in the field.
Additional support: This training level includes 20-minute private 1:1 mentoring for participants with Erica during training time, as schedule allows.
“I’d recommend this training because it offers a holistic approach that fosters group cohesion and gives actionable tools for program structure. Erica’s ability to offer site-specific examples makes it even more impactful. Participants came away feeling confident they could develop and give a meaningful visitor experience. And the group collaboration aspect of the training was personally so beneficial — it was helpful for learning from others, gaining new insights, and generating ideas that I wouldn’t have come up with on my own.”
4. Follow-Up: Training and Mentoring
This 7-hour follow-up can be used as a mid-season boost or end-of-season reflection and planning follow-up for teams that have previously worked with Erica.
This will reinforce training concepts and help interpreters apply the skills they gained, as well as hone and refine programs or ideas developed during training.
Can include large group sessions with the instructor and peer mentoring, and/or individual mentoring with Erica. Can also be customized to best meet your post-training needs.
Can be used to:
Review program successes and challenges.
Brainstorm, problem-solve and troubleshoot.
Work on individual skills, ideas, and concepts
Receive peer group support and individual mentoring.
“Re-energizing for even the most seasoned staff.
”
5. Grounded in Place PRO Skill-Building Retreat
This is a skill-building retreat for the interpreter’s soul. For all levels of experience from the novice to the polished pro.
Experience these practices yourself, so you can then apply them at your site and use them with visitors.
Gain seven core practices for increasing sensory awareness, storytelling, and curiosity-driven learning about history, nature, and place. Includes group learning and in-the-field experiences.
Works for all kinds of sites, wherever you are.
“I had just been hired to work at new site when Covid hit. I don’t adapt well to change and was having trouble getting focused. Erica’s program gave me the grounding I needed. The practices challenged me to reflect on the ways in which I connect to the places around me and what draws me to the places I love. Through this reflection, I discovered how my past connects to my present, especially within my career path. There’s been so many new and challenging things this year and I find that drawing from my sense of place both where I live when I’m working and when I’m back home helps me take everything more in stride.” ”
About Erica:
Erica Wheeler is an interpretive trainer and creative mentor who has provided her Sense of Place and the Art of Interpretation training at more than 40 National Park Service sites since 2013. She has also offered her programs for state parks, conservation and preservation organizations across the country, working with hundreds of rangers, volunteers, partners, and others.
Erica brings her expertise in interpretive training with her experience facilitating both onsite and online training to deliver powerful, professional development programs.
“I see how I can apply this to tours that seem stale.
”