Right now I’m thinking about connecting people to the sights and sounds and facts and stories of the Olympic Peninsula in the Pacific Northwest. It’s a cool assignment, and a weighty one. This is surely one of the most beautiful places on Earth—and one of the more vulnerable, with thousands of ships chugging through every year on the way to Vancouver and Seattle.
There’s so much to know. So much to teach, from the point of view of the organization I’m working with. So many facts. So many stories.
What interpretive planning is all about
It occurs to me that what I do for a living is turn must-know facts into must-do experiences. I’m an interpretive planner. That’s pretty much what I do.
The privilege of interpretation
Interpretive planners like me work for organizations that aspire to foster meaningful, unforgettable connections between people and those places. Unlike formal education, interpretation exists in a free-choice environment: no one has to learn. There’s no certification or diploma waiting at the end of a visit. As George Bernard Shaw famously said, one must entertain in order to teach. Our challenge, then, is to engage visitors in ways that teach, connect, inspire, and empower.
More than just knowledge
Our stock in trade is knowledge—facts, information, and insights about heritage places, people, and stories. But it’s also feelings. We appeal to the senses, the heart, and the mind to create experiences that leave visitors inspired, empowered, and armed with understanding. If we’ve done our job well, visitors walk away not just with facts but with a commitment to act—to learn more, explore more, to protect or advocate for what they’ve learned about.
Translating facts into experiences
This process requires us to translate raw information into experiences. We have the privilege of taking biological or historical fact and bringing it to life through story. We craft those stories into experiences that fit our visitors’ needs, interests, and contexts. A family with young children, for example, requires a vastly different approach than a group of software engineers attending a team-building retreat.
Designing experiences that resonate
What kinds of experiences do we create? That depends on three things: the audience, the facts we want to convey, and the logistics of the site. Let’s take the Olympic Peninsula as an example. Our task is to create a discovery centre that will inspire visitors to explore those shores with a new perspective. So, what are our options?
We might build aquaria showcasing the incredible invertebrates and fish living just off the coast. Sculptures, art installations, and interactive digital exhibits could immerse visitors in the region’s beauty. Sweeping videos could capture the peninsula’s grandeur, while stories from the Indigenous peoples who have lived there for millennia could bring cultural depth, using media and storytelling techniques that resonate with their priorities.
As visitors move through these experiences, they encounter our must-know facts. For instance, they might learn that there is not a collection of oceans on Earth but a single, interconnected ocean—a fact they should probably encounter in multiple ways, in multiple contexts—sometimes not even expressed in words. A fun interactive exhibit might engage children, while studious adults might find a version that speaks to their intellectual curiosity.
Beyond the exhibit: Extending the experience
Interpretive planning doesn’t stop at exhibits. Programming—whether led by staff or volunteers—adds depth and personal connection. Visitors might also have opportunities to follow up on their experience, through online resources, guided activities, or future events. These extensions acknowledge that for many, the visit begins long before they arrive on-site and continues long after they leave.
Fostering lasting connections
Done well, interpretive planning fosters lasting connections between people and place. It’s not just about sharing knowledge but inspiring thought, feeling, learning, and action. Whether that action is a commitment to sustainability or simply a deeper appreciation for the natural world, the experiences we create have the potential to change lives.
Interpretive planning is the process of turning must-know facts into must-do experiences—and lifelong transformations.
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