Viper Marketing & Communications Group

Passion for Countryside Interpretation

Author: Jim Hardcastle

Jim has helped organisations and groups communicate more effectively for nearly 20 years. His background in the countryside and rural sectors provide him with a wealth of experience. Fueled by coffee with Post-Its at the ready, he’s here to help .

Information delivered without passion is rarely memorable. I’ve delivered hundreds of talks about the countryside and other subjects over the years. The one thing that gets me through is passion. I must admit this can be a substitute for not knowing particular subjects very well! Deliver the talk with passion and you’ll sweep everyone along with you. I had to deliver a talk on social media to a business audience the other day. I was presented with the lectern and a fixed mic. I explained that I’m rubbish at standing still when delivering talks. I must cover a couple of kilometres during a talk. Luckily a radio mic was on hand!

Countryside interpretation is part art, part science. The accepted definition is an activity that aims to reveal meanings and relationships through the use of objects, media and experience, rather than simply communicating facts. An American called Freeman Tilden wrote the first book about countryside interpretation back in the late 50’s. Interpreting Our Heritage captured the art and science of the subject. Tilden worked for the National Park Service in America. Whatever your concerns about America they do ‘service’ extraordinarily well. Enhancing and enriching visitor’s experiences of national parks was taken on with a passion that left us standing. I was lucky enough to find an early copy of his book on a ‘For Sale’ shelf propped up outside a cottage on Dartmoor.

Tilden picks out 6 principles of interpretation. They’ve been tweaked over the years but they still ring true.

1) Interpretation must relate to the person’s life and experience. I still can’t visualise an acre let alone a hectare. Tell me it’s as big as a football pitch.

2) Information is not interpretation. There are many information panels in the countryside but very few interpretation panels. Telling me the name of some LBJ (little brown job) bird has no meaning. Tell me the heathland is rare because it is the only place in the south west where the LBJ lives and I’ll remember it.

3) Interpretation should be broad. To prepare it the interpreter needs a knowledge base a kilometre wide but only a centimetre deep.

4) Interpretation is provocation not instruction. When I’m out in the countryside I’m in leisure mood. You’ve only got a few seconds to get my attention.

5) Interpretation should show the big picture. I can only understand the detail if I can put it in context.

6) Interpretation for children should not be a dilution of the adult version. Using cartoons and placing the panel lower down is not good enough either.

If you can’t remember all that, try this: Provoke, Relate and Reveal. Provoke curiosity. Relate the subject to everyday life. Reveal the meaning at the end. Good storytellers do this naturally but you can learn the skills to deliver it. If you'd like to know more why not have a look at the Practical Countryside Interpretation Course we're running at the end of May, details here

- Posted on Thursday 15 Apr 2010 at 15:29 by Jim Hardcastle

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