Be the Visitor

At Back to School night for middle school, each of the teachers took time to introduce themselves and share some stories about their families, including their children.  They personalized their presentations, allowing the parents in attendance to see that as teachers they were not ony professionals, but well-rounded educators.   They are good at what they do for a variety of reasons, but largely because they have empathy.   As parents themselves, they relate to the moms and dads, and, as parents who deal with their own kids on a daily basis, they get it.   Which made me think of museum staff and their empathy for visitors.  How often do we really put ourselves out there in the shoes of our visitors?  Certainly this isn't a new or cutting edge topic, but it's one we need to be consistently reminded of.  In fact, recently a client mentioned that she hadn't been to another museum in over a year because she was just too busy at her own museum.   Unfortunately, I hear that alot.   And it makes me pause.   We need to make the time.  It's refreshing, it's enlightening and it's important  So, get out there and visit other venues, and don't forget to visit your own site, taking time in your own public spaces, testing your amenities, your programs, your directional signage.   I promise, you will always learn something new.