Guiding Gadgets of a Professional Interpreter

Part I

Can you imagine a conductor without a baton, a baseball player without a glove, or a surgeon without a scalpel? Nearly every professional wields its indispensable tools. Yet so many interpretive guides walk their trails without those instruments that befit their profession. While a guide could interpret naked with success, the profession has its devices.

Bold items in the following list represent indispensable tools, while those in normal type are optional. While no guide should leave the office without a backpack, she also cannot port suitcases full of guiding gadgets. Choose wisely.

I developed this list for an interpretive guide training sponsored by Fermata, Inc. and the World Birding Center in South Texas where guides roam relatively small protected areas. The list now suits for most guiding situations; specialized equipment for a particular vehicle (airboat) or specialty (cave diving) is not listed. Specialty guides and their equipment already know who and what they are.

Interpretation

The best guides require few tools beyond their own bodies and minds to interpret heritage. Certain tools, nevertheless, increase the power of a well-honed interpretive machine.

Optics. While full-color 3D vision helps guides spot big and small, the human eye meets difficulty with the far and the very small. Thus, an interpretive guide should always carry binoculars. On occasion, they also require spotting scopes (birds), telescopes (heavenly bodies), magnifying lens (plant parts, insects, etc.), and even microscopes (insect parts, microbes).

Field guides. No naturalist guide should leave home without his most cherished guides. Besides the mandatory bird guide, other popular choices include tree identification, mammals, herps, butterflies, gemstones, or whatever suits the audience.

Pointer. Unless a guide of microbes, the guide will want to call visitors’ attention to distant and often moving objects, like birds or even trees. While our arms can locate objects for untrained visitor eyes especially at short distances, the use of a pointer greatly extends the guide’s power to pinpoint distant objects. Pointers can be walking sticks (see below), monopods, mirrors (for reflecting light beams), or even laser pointers (but don’t blind the birds, please).

Natural-cultural history objects. It is hard to imagine any interpretive program that cannot benefit from authentic natural or cultural history objects. Whether feathers, bones, flowers, leaves, stuffed animals, rocks, arrowheads, handicrafts, bits of meteorites, or entire live animals, a professional interpretive guide would be careless to pass up the chance to sharpen a visitor’s mental imagery with authentic objects.

Other objects and props to aid interpretation. An interpretive guide can use quotes in books, photographs, sound recordings (birds, cultural music, etc.), puppets, food samples, touch boxes, colored paper for demonstrating camouflage, costumes, magnets, newspaper articles, PowerPoint slides, etc. Anything.

Glass jars. Guides often capture living beings for momentary interpretation such as insects, fish, salamanders, or snakes. Sometimes they collect specimens for park collections or research projects. Whether planned or unplanned purpose, a useful tool is the glass jar (closely related to the re-sealable bag, see below).

Measure. The universe is filled with distances, from nanometers to light years — a certain range of which a guide can measure in the field with a ruler or measuring tape. Combined with a little forestry knowledge, the guide can even use the measure to determine tree heights.

High-tech gadgets. A guide can bring to the field any number of whistles, squirrel calls, bat detectors, infra-red sensors, etc. For this category, a professional guide must keep in mind Beck and Cable’s three criteria for high-tech gadgetry: the gadget must be engaging, dependable, and reveal something. Otherwise, leave it home.

Lens cleaner.Guides can offer assistance for all scopes, binoculars, and eyeglasses, both the guide’s and visitors’.

Safety & Comfort

As with expectant mothers, a guide really carries for two. Professional guides should always assume their visitors are ill-equipped, ill-prepared, misinformed, and didn’t read the pre-trip materials. So all the obvious safety and comfort equipment the guide would carry for himself, he needs to carry for his visitors as well. If visitors are uncomfortable, grumpy, and resentful, the quality of the interpretation could be as important as a barnacle on a whale’s hind fin.

Sunscreen. The guide doesn’t want fried tourists for lunch.

Bug repellant. Don’t allow insects to bug your tourists.

First aid kit (includes Benadryl or Epinephrine). It’s hard to imagine any interpretive experience where visitors cannot hurt themselves.

Raingear. Where it rains, visitors get wet. Many think their umbrellas will keep them dry in the forest. Wind and branches beg to differ.

Hats. Hats are good for both sun and rain. Some visitors don’t leave home with them.

Sweatshirt. Have an extra for those really cool interpretive presentations. Believe it that when a guide shares a sweatshirt with a visitor, the quality of service meter shoots way up.

Flashlight. While guides don’t need extra flashlights for visitors (though not a bad idea), illumination is useful even on bright days to cast light into holes and tree crevices. If the guide does night walks, some visitors will forget their lights.

Rag. The guide never knows when visitors or equipment need cleaning, whether by mud, rain, or orange juice.

Extra batteries. It’s frustrating when visitors must ask everyone in the group if they have extra batteries during the interpretation. Have a set of the basics, and make them rechargeable. But don’t forget to ask for them back.

Whistle. Find missing visitors or rescue for the group.

Specialized equipment. For trips that require specialized equipment (camping, boating, rock climbing, skiing, scientific expeditions), the guide already better know what this is.

Antiseptic wipes or hand sanitizing gel. Few visitors think about their hands’ needs too when in the field. Avoid anti-biotic cleaners.

Two-way radio, walkie-talkie, cell phones. Communication devices promote safety for extended trips. Sometimes guides need them to report infractions or urgent field sightings. For short journeys, however, see below for items to avoid.

Snacks. If a guide wants to win brownie points above the quality service call of duty, pop out some tasty surprises when the visitors least expect (and most want) them.

The guide’s gadgets do not stop with simply interpretation and safety and comfort, although those are priority areas. In the next issue of The Interpreter, we will continue with guiding gadgets in the categories of “official,” “multipurpose,” “navigation,” and “what to avoid.” Until then, get your backpack ready.

Guiding Gadgets of a Professional Interpreter, Part II

In the last issue of The Interpreter we covered interpretive and safety and comfort gadgets that every guide should bring along. We now continue with the rest of the list. Bold items represent indispensable tools, while those in normal type are optional. The list suits most guiding situations; specialized equipment for a particular vehicle (airboat) or specialty (cave diving) is not listed. Specialty guides and their equipment already know who and what they are.

Official

As employee and ambassador of an institution and a place, the guide always promotes other goals besides just interpretation. Here are a few tools guides should not leave at her cubicle.

Official uniform and hat. The appearance of a guide is tantamount both for institution as well as to earn respectability, credibility, and visitor trust. See below for clothing to avoid. The uniform should also include respectable — and clean — footwear like boots or rugged shoes. An especially useful shirt for a guide is a cruising vest (like a fishing vest with many pockets). This way guides can easily reach equipment during a program. Also having the guide’s name on the uniform breaks down subtle barriers between visitors and guides and makes the guide more accountable in the case of poor behavior.

Official identification. Every guide should have an official identification badge or at least business cards. Not only does this reinforce accountability to an organization, but business cards can promote park products, allow visitors to feedback to the park (though perhaps to the guide’s distress), and facilitate communication between guide and visitors, later very important for involving visitors in park operations.

Park brochures. Similarly, a guide should always have park brochures and official materials to distribute. It is proper duty of a guide to do PR and sales.

Extra pens and pencils. So often visitors find themselves without writing utensils. A quality guide gives them away. This is especially important when guides use sign up sheets. The reverse: when a guide asks a visitor for a pen, he reeks of carelessness.

Backpack. Every guide’s best friend is a good backpack to store all the equipment needed for action. A cruising vest may substitute a backpack for short trips and programs.

Vehicle registration and insurance. Any guide who drives must have these (as well as the ignition key — some things are so easy to forget).

Visitor evaluation forms. All park managers should absolutely provide visitors with the opportunity to evaluate programs. A guide can easily pass out evaluation forms and either collect them or indicate where visitors can deposit them.

Permission to enter private property or facilities. In some cases, wisdom requires such documentation to avoid confrontation or embarrassment with local landholders.

Permission to collect specimens. Be legal.

Program registration sheets. A guide benefits from knowing who is on the trip. Guides who know where visitors are from, for example, more easily tailor the program to fit their background. Registration sheets are mandatory for some guides, such as dive masters. Avoid repeating the movie Open Water.

Sign up sheets for other park programs. A guide should always mention other park programs, and a sign up sheet can mean the difference between winning and losing new visitors and revenue.

Navigation

A lost guide is no guide at all.

Maps of park. While a guide may not need a park map, visitors do. Always carry maps that can be given away (see park brochures above). More than one kind of park map can show resources, altitudes, vegetation cover, trails, etc.

Compass. Where there is any doubt as to direction, a compass (and one the guide knows how to read) comes in handy. Compasses are cool simply for giving the impression the guide is in her element (in this case, wear the compass outside clothing).

Watch. Guides should never begin early or late, never end late, and always share the time with visitors. Ideally the watch is waterproof and impact-resistant.

Altimeter. When visitors tire, they like to know how many feet in altitude they have conquered.

GPS. If the guide needs it, bring it. Otherwise it is a poor substitute for the proper orienteering skills of a professional guide.

Multi-Purpose

A MacGyver guide who can use one item for multiple ends always appears ready for anything.

(Digital) camera. Guides can use digital cameras, especially ones with large screens, to show visitors missed teachable moments. They can show visitors sightings that the guide hopes to have in a particular location but doesn’t. Visitors often want their pictures taken and the guide should be able to offer this simple, quality service (make sure the guide knows basic photographic composition and gets visitors’ email addresses). Guides often use cameras to report trail damage or unusual sightings. Park promoters and educators always clamor for new images of programming and visitors. An ever-ready guide stands to capture the moment. Cameras can also be used to show digital images for small groups in the field. The guide shouldn’t forget to bring extra camera batteries and memory cards. A mini-tripod or monopod is often useful.

Walking stick. They are for safety, helping people cross streams, pushing aside snakes, snagging trash, doubling as a camera monopod (if it has a screw in the top), and pointing out distant objects.

Re-sealable bags. Plastic’s most intelligent form is the re-sealable bag. Guides can bring samples from the field, carry trash, store food, gather up broken pieces of a visitor’s eyeglasses, and protect papers like field guides and electronics from rain.

Notebook/field journal. The definition of an interpretive guide should demand learning and curiosity. After all, naturalist interpretation is about the interminable quest to understand a place. Guides, then, should always have a notebook or field journal. Ideally the book should be hard cover (to protect it in the backpack), small (to fit in large pockets), and waterproof paper (duh, the rain). Aside from natural history notes, guides should write down visitor requests they intend to honor (such as information to look up), unusual sightings, problems discovered along trails, and names of visitors to aid memory. (Pencils work best in rain.)

Small knife (Swiss Army, Leatherman, Case). There’s just something about knives that make a guide feel complete. Some might prefer large commando knives, but those should be reserved only for war zone guides and minimalist rainforest guides. Knives are great for freeing clothes from branches, preparing food (but always clean the blade before stowing), interpretive demonstrations (such as opening nuts), opening soda bottles, etc.

Blank sheets of paper. The guide shouldn’t rip sheets out of expensive notebooks so that visitors can take notes or to reflect light on objects, or use as a backdrop for small dark objects like insects and seeds. Bring extra sheets.

Duct tape. While duct tape doesn’t fix all a guide’s problems (try quieting a girl just stung by a bee), it is superb for holding together torn backpacks and camping equipment. It can also secure splints.

Gloves. Great for doing trail work, handling wildlife, dealing with messy situations, and keeping hands warm and dry.

Equipment to Avoid

No list of equipment for interpretive action would be complete without gadgets to avoid. There are caveats and extenuating circumstances in most cases. For example, clothing norms are lower for water-borne activities than terrestrial ones. This section involves values more than the others above.

Sunglasses. Guides should always avoid wearing sunglasses when interacting with visitors. Eye contact is a very important part of communication and building rapport. Sunglasses are cool and great for a guide’s ego, but that ego should be left in the shade.

AM/FM radio/CD player/short-wave radio/video games. If a guide needs a CD player to share sounds or music with visitors, that is wonderful; if a guide wants these gadgets to kill time that should be spent with visitors, that’s unprofessional. To the extent possible, entertainment should come from interaction with visitors and the guide should never appear aloof, uninterested, or inattentive to visitors.

Weapons (excluding utility knives). Again, war zone situations and safari trips (which this author does not advocate) may require weapons, but for most interpretation, weapons are not only unnecessary but can cause great distress for visitors who become aware of them. If truly the trip enters dangerous territory, it is better that a trained security agent wield the weapons, a professional who can earn visitors’ respect and build a sense of security.

T-shirts, shorts, sandals, flip flops, sneakers. None of this clothing contributes to the professional appearance of guides. They do not help the guide to exude authority and respectability. Some argue that shorts can be professional. I say long pants look more so.

Two-way radios, walkie-talkies, and cell phones. While these devices offer increased security, they come with costs. First any outdoor experience that has aspirations of wildness may be shattered the moment one of these devices — especially a cell phone — sounds. Aside from the experience, a singing phone can indicate disrespect and lack of professionalism during a program in progress. For another article on building experiences, see www.jonkohl.com/publications/legacy-pubs/komodo.htm.

Offensive items. This touchy topic always provokes passion. While a guide has some right to express him or herself, that right diminishes in the workplace. That right often meets its limit with tattoos, religious items, symbols of political expression, etc. These symbols can have nasty repercussions which is why most parks have policies against them. Some parks also prohibit facial hair, male earrings, and piercings other than female earlobes. Often supervisors determine on a case-by-case basis what goes with the guide and what stays home (which is especially messy with tattoos).

Junk food. It is no big interpretive leap from healthy ecosystems to healthy living. Teaching about nature independent of humanity is outmoded, so it follows that guides who eat or distribute junk food send a message contrary to health and holism. Guides are models, even those who photograph poorly. So avoid junk food on the job.

Friends and family members. Guides should think twice before planting friends and family in their audience. These people can easily draw away guide attention better directed toward visitors. If the urge to include them overpowers raw sense, then at least the guide should give equal treatment to all participants.

That’s what professionals would do.

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