Museums & Productivity

Whether you work in a large or small museum, historic site, science center, aquarium, or any of the other myriad places we represent, we all face the exact same challenge - we have just 24 hours in our day.  And, just a portion of that time are the waking hours we spend as professionals on the job, trying to get everything done.

Thus, we need to make strong choices with the time we have.   As museum professionals we face some unique challenges in getting organized and being more productive:

1. We collect and thus we like to save things;
2. We often share spaces;
3. We may suffer from a lack of resources;
4. We always have a hard time saying 'no'

So what can we do to be more organized & productive?
Here are 3 ideas to get you started:

1. Establish routines.   Adding structure to your schedule provides clarity of purpose.
2. Prioritize.   You can't get to everything.  Choose the essentials.
3. Use a tried and true "To Do" list - You would be surprised how many of us try to keep a running list of what we need to do in our heads.   Don't clog your mind - write it down.

My toolbox is full of these tips and much more...And, after 14 years of working with you to educate the public through programs, curriculum materials, advisory boards, research & evaluation, I am now focusing on educating YOU - museum staff, volunteers, and board members on how to work smarter, better use your time and resources, and overall, how to be more efficient and effective at what you do each day....

Creative Simplicity Organizing & Productivity 
www.csimplicity.com ~ csimplicity@comcast.net

Here's to a productive day!

There's A Big World Out There

We don’t look beyond ourselves and our field enough.   

Recently, while on a conference call with a design firm and several museum professionals, we were reviewing sample layouts for a web based museum activity.    The conversation was strong and though the layout still needed user feedback and a bit more tweaking, our homework had been well done.   We had looked at other web sites for ideas and direction.   But not just museum sites – sites of all types, shapes and varieties – preschools, publishers, zoos, libraries, you name it.    It allowed us to explore a range of options and apply the best practices.   It opened our eyes to the larger world out there.   It helped us to do our jobs well and it made me think – we’ve come a long way.

Several years ago I presented at a workshop where I proposed that museum staff look to several for profit industries for ideas and latest trends in evaluation.   Some of the industries recommended included high tech, entertainment and retail.    Participants were enlightened, if not a bit surprised.     At the lunch break, several commented that they had never done this and it was a practice they needed to consider more often.    

Just a few days ago an event listing passed my desk.   The topic was customer/visitor service and the core message was that they would be ‘looking to other fields’ to inform the content of the event.      You’ve got to do it to stay fresh, stay relevant and apply big ideas.    Sometimes it gets you a bit off track, but as museum professionals, we know how to pull ourselves back, and the journey will have opened our eyes.  

Keeping It Simple

We've all heard of the K.I.S.S. method - keeping it simple is so basic and so straightforward that more often than not, people ignore it.    This is true of museums in many ways.   We are always looking to add more, do more, serve more, reach more and teach more, that sometimes we forget to say 'no!'   We overwhelm ourselves with projects, programs, initiatives, partnerships, collaborations, exhibits, special events and on and on...When was the last time you thought about what it means for your site to 'just keep it simple?'...to focus more on quality, not quantity; to focus on what you do really well, rather than doing it all; on serving a few core audiences rather than everyone?     On a recent project, a colleague remarked how the path we followed to completion was so effective, yet so simple, that she was amazed, yet delighted.  
Even AAM, in its Application Tips from Museums Connect staff, lists 'Keep it Simple' as one of their key suggestions.   "We often prefer projects that are simple, focused and achievable over those that promise more than seems realistic in a one year period.   We recommend that you focus your project on one primary community group (e.g. 25 high school students in each country) and allow others (e.g. teachers, public participants, museum educators) to play clearly defined supporting roles.   Having a smaller group of initial community partners who are involved consistently over the course of the project can also make long-term evaluation and sustainability more practical than trying to work with a cast of ever-changing characters.     That says it all.

A Small Museum with a Big Feel

Murnau is a small town in southern Germany, a town near the picturesque Bavarian Alps.  It wasn't a planned stop on a recent trip to Europe, but a spontaneous visit on a drive to Munich.   It is home to a small museum called the Schlossmuseum Murnau, which we also visited on a whim.   (Schlossmuseum translates to castle museum, named for the castle-like look of the building in which it is located.)  The museum contains internationally and historically significant works of art and literature connected with the urban life of Murnau.   The building itself was renovated in 2012 to allow the museum to display more than just their collection of paintings on glass.  Changing exhibit galleries, a space devoted to the paintings of the Blue Rider group, a small entry and shared museum shop also grace the space.   But what was most noticeable was the number of visitors on a quiet Friday summer afternoon, and, the excitement in the air.   You could just feel it.   Visitors were enthusiastically taking everything in, talking excitedly, and most noticeably, interacting with each other rather than with technology.   No one was taking photos with their cameras, iphones, iPads or other devices, they were just looking, taking it in and seemingly enjoying it.   Admissions and gallery staff were present, friendly and genuine.   There was a European flair to the space and the atmosphere.   It felt alive, comfortable and well suited to its town and surroundings.   You could just feel the sense of community.   It made me wonder when I felt such a 'buzz' in a space in the United States.    Clearly it is something we all strive for, that enthusiastic immersion of all of our visitors and a warm, familiar feeling.    Is that how your museum makes visitors feel?   It might just be time to find out.

Time Tested Evaluation

After attending both a workshop and a webinar on the topic of evaluation within the last two weeks, I am happy to say that evaluation is alive and kicking in the museum world.   It used to be that evaluation scared staff members, and many begrudged even including it in a grant proposal, let alone doing it.   To many it was an intimidating process which is now pretty commonplace, and continually helps to inform us and answer the ‘How Are We Doing?’ questions.    

The level of dialogue about evaluation is more sophisticated – but the core remains the same – the 3 basic questions that guide this work are:

1. What is the purpose of the evaluation?

2. What do I want to know?

3. What do I intend to do with the information?*

Certainly we can collect the information from a never ending variety of sources, but it is what we intend to do with that information that really matters.

With more ways to capture information than ever before, whether it be the age-old person-to-person interview or the latest social media methods, it is all good, and it shows that we are looking & seeing, listening & hearing, and engaged in this ongoing conversation. 

 

*Planning a Program Evaluation, University of Wisconsin

Teens, Tweens...Tours

I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive.   Numerous historic sites in Pennsylvania and Virginia in just a few days.   From Amish country to Mount Vernon; from Monticello to Gettysburg.  Tours and more tours.   Tour guides and more tour guides.   Lots of facts, quotes, and information.   Waiting and listening - looking and listening more.   With a teen and a tween in toe, how would we fare?   We had never done so many sites of such significance in such a compact time frame, and, certainly never before as a tween and a teen.  (a.k.a. raging hormones and wise cracking comments!)  You never know what you might get...But, have no fear, my kids were keen observers and patient listeners.   They didn't complain about lines or rain and they were annoyed at the twenty somethings who insisted on talking over the Interpreter.   They asked good questions and perhaps most importantly, had strong and insightful thoughts on the 'good' and the 'not so good' of our touring experiences.   In no particular order, here is what they would like you to know:
1. Don't ask visitors if they have questions and then act annoyed when they do.
2. Don't look at your watch over and over again.
3. Don't make us stand in the rain while you talk, and talk, and ...
4. Use humor, it's human.
5. Relate it to real life but don't force it.    Saying that the yellow paint that Jefferson chose for his dining room was an 'HGTV' choice really didn't work.
6. Don't over quote or you sound like a book not a person.
7. Don't be monotone.
8. Don't feel like you have to say and show everything.
9. If you can, let people explore a little on their own.

Connections Matter

Recently, a colleague was talking about her experiences related to college campus visits with her child, a prospective student.   She was firm in her belief that the tour guides you get make or break the campus visit experience.   How much you like the college or university is totally dependent on the tour guide you get.   Just think about this.    Your experience of that particular school is mediated by this stranger, much the same way museum guides or docents represent your site.    If they don't hit the mark with you, because of their training, their presentation, or their knowledge, or if it's just that their interests and passions are too different than yours, then the tour/experience is diminished.    This is a powerful reminder for any of us.    All of the touches and interactions we have with the public are our opportunities to shine - websites, voice mail greetings, mobile apps, collateral materials, retail stores, Facebook pages, you name it.    But, perhaps the person to person interaction with our guides and docents is the most personal and most direct.   Are these experiences all you want them to be?   Are they consistent with your mission and vision?    It's never too late to review & revise.    The how and when are challenging, but you'll never regret taking the steps in the right direction.

In with the 'New'

At a recent museum conference, a provocative keynote speaker brought up some interesting ideas about museums creating sparks and making 'liquid' connections with visitors.   Other sessions focused on innovation ("innovation is arguing, not brainstorming")...and there was a lot of buzz about igniting collective curiosity and how the word 'curate,' which used to be pretty museum exclusive, is now everywhere.   And, museums are embracing participation at every level, realizing some keys to success lie in not only listening well, but giving up some of the control we are all accustomed to.   It's healthy for our profession and it keeps us vibrant.   Keep that in mind when your staff tries to shape your programs and exhibits from start to scratch.   That is just not business as usual any longer, and it means you need to listen better, opening your doors to the endless possibilities that go along with ideas generated thru innovation, creating your own definition of what 'curate' means for you.

Getting Personal

Recently I observed a program at a wonderful historic site.   The program leader definitely knew her facts and had a nice way of sharing information.   Her depth of historical knowledge was immediately evident, as was her passion for the topic - both key elements in an effective presentation and ones that would gain her high marks.   But, one strategy she used constantly in the presentation was distracting.  It was information about herself.   "My family is from _____; My grandparents did this ________;
My grandmother thought ___________;  My community would ____________."  Don't get me wrong.  I strongly believe that personalizing is a great way to get a group or audience excited about a topic.   But it was too much personal information and it took away from the rich detail and strong content of the stories she was trying to convey.  
So, as you think about the programs you share with the public, be sure your presentations are balanced, your content is strong and your personal anecdotes relevant, yet carefully selected and edited.   After all, in most cases our visitors don't come to our sites to learn about us as individuals, they come to learn about our sites and our collections and the rich tapestry of stories that both contain.  A sprinkle of personal information is welcome, an overdose of it is not.

Defining Communication

Communication is different today than yesterday, different from last week, last month, last year, and drastically different from five or even ten years ago.   Social media clearly makes the concept clear in showing us that there is more than one way of knowing about something and clearly more than one way of communicating it.
As I work with museums large and small to strengthen educational programs and offerings or assist museums in being stronger and more relevant members of their communities, I stress the importance of communication.  But I've noticed that this can be confusing for staff and board alike, especially those places with various generations represented.   Everyone is working on getting the museum message out, but often there is little or no direct communication with one another.    By communication I mean 'talking' or 'meeting' face to face.   We have so many communication tools available to us we are drowning under their weight.  Office mates are learning about each other's comings and goings on Twitter & Facebook...we are all busy and we are all trying to keep up with the latest way to reach our audiences, but we can't forget the power of being 'on the same page' as our colleagues - having coffee, having lunch, sitting down for a few minutes of face to face conversation  - you will be reminded of the importance of body language, ideas and real human contact - try it!

Spring Means Field Trips

It's spring and that means field trips.  So here is a bit of feedback from a 6th grader from a recent field trip to a large Boston area museum:
"Why can't they do something different?  The tour guide started off telling us everything we couldn't do in the museum, so most of us wanted to leave after hearing 'no, no, no...' The lady talked the whole time, but didn't ask us any questions.  The galleries were SO crowded with other kids from other schools that we couldn't even hear or see that well.   The best part of the day was when our teacher told us about the largest ancient statue to arrive at the museum and how they had to remove the skylights in the roof to lower the statue into the gallery...now that was cool!"
What a missed opportunity.   Don't get me wrong, there are many, many cultural sites with innovative school tours and programs that get high marks for content, learning, and presentation.  Clearly this isn't one of them.   So, if this is what your site is offering to school groups - the standard docent led talking tour for students - think about inviting some 6th graders to give you feedback and ideas.  I know there are lots of kids out there who would be happy to do so - and, they would think it was cool!

New Year - New You

The start of the new year is a great time to take inventory of your program offerings and really think about what is working for your site and your visitors.   Before you just plow ahead with business as usual, set aside some time to review the feedback you received from evaluations conducted over the past year, and, to accompany this, make a simple 4-square grid and do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities) analysis of your programs and offerings.   What works?   What doesn't?  Why?  Perhaps it is time to put some programs to rest and try some new ideas, or, perhaps you can leverage an existing program and tweak it slightly for a different audience.   Use these tools and this data to inform your planning for the coming year.   You might just surprise yourself, as it is always wise to look back as you look ahead - we just don't always make the time to do so.

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.

Everyone Needs a Break!

Sending kids to overnight camp is a great experience for kids and parents alike.   Though hard to say the 'goodbyes,' the break is beneficial for everyone.   Kids gain independence, self-reliance, and freedom.  Parents gain perspective, peace of mind, and a little quiet.  Everyone experiences a little down time from the usual busy routine.   So, you ask, what does this have to do with the museum world?   The answer:  Everything.   As a consultant, I am constantly hearing how 'tired,' 'burnt out,' 'busy,' 'overwhelmed,' and 'overworked' museum staff are feeling.   "We can't do one more thing...there aren't enough hours in a day..."   Many haven't used allotted vacation or personal time because you say there is too much to do.   Really?   The more I encounter this the more I can tell you it's not true.   Everyone needs a break.  Not just a day here or there, but a real break.  From your work, your colleagues, your museum, and from your to do list.   Schedule your vacation time and take it.  Everyone will benefit.

Motivation is an Essential Part of Training

There is little benefit in training if your clients fail to successfully apply the ideas you present.   You must be a motivator as well an instructor or coach.

Recently, while training a group of visitor service staff members at a museum, we spent time focusing on their past experiences with evaluation.   Each of them was about to begin conducting intercept interviews of visitors and they needed to feel comfortable.   So, I gave each of them an opportunity to highlight their past, focusing on any experience they had with evaluation.   Though their examples were sometimes tangential at best:  working with a Social Psychology professor tallying survey results,; completing course evaluations; conducting pre school student assessments; completing retail and restaurant comment cards, they came to realize they could do this.   If they embraced the process it would be a notch in their professional development belt.    What were we doing?  Digging into their past to inform the present.   Involving them wholeheartedly to make them part of the process, inserting their energy & life experience...Motivating them by letting them realize that evaluation is not scary, but empowering.   Though it has to be based on goals and objectives, it doesn't have to be intimidating, theoretical, or forced.   It is practical, useful, common sense, and yes, sometimes even fun!

Remembering to LOOK!

On a recent visit to New York City, I was reminded of how much of a melting pot it is.   I was also reminded of what an incredibly diverse audience its museums attract.   In just a few days of museum visits, the variety of languages I overheard was astounding.   At MoMA, information about your visit was available into no fewer than 7 languages.   At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, you can plan your visit on their web site in 52, yes, 52 different languages, from Belarusian to Welsh, from Finnish to Polish...what an amazing array of people these museums serve.   In our constantly connected world, we all serve all of these audiences.   But, in Manhattan, the stream of international visitors is a constant physical presence.   Yet I got the distinct feeling that these visitors, though physically present, were not really there.   Most of them were so focused on taking pictures of themselves and their friends or family members with their digital cameras, electronic devices, or cell phones that they seemed removed from the experience.   I  honestly felt as if I were the only one LOOKING at the art work rather than trying to capture the perfect image of it to prove I was there.    If only we could have visitors leave all of their personal possessions and electronic devices aside for just a few minutes to use their eyes to soak it all in.    We let people plan their visits in 52 different languages, we offer them endless ways to approach and understand the objects, but sometimes all we really need to do is to remind them to look...with their own eyes.

I Hope They Were Listening!

Recently, I had the opportunity to be a guest speaker at a class for a graduate level Museum Studies program.    I presented on the topic of evaluation, a broad-based, though essential component of the work we do in museums.   It took awhile for the students to 'warm up' to participating in the dialogue and ask questions, which made me think a lot about what it takes to be a museum professional, and, what the future will demand.

The range of skills required is endless, with much more emphasis than ever before placed on the role of advocacy.   Advocacy as the ability to share our powerful messages with our communities, the greater public, our elected officials, and beyond.   We all need to be advocates for our sites.   It is, plain and simple, part of our job description, whether written or implied.   Along with advocacy, comes the importance of always asking questions and displaying a limitless curiosity for the world beyond museums, looking for ideas and inspiration.   This lesson I shared during the class, stressing the value that many for profit fields place on listening to the customer.

Speak out and speak up or our constantly changing world will pass us by.   Presenting to those graduate students, I emphasized the need to articulate the outcomes of everything you do - I hope they were listening!

Collaboration & Creating Value

Some of the most effective and interesting ideas I have worked with museums to implement have been strategies and ideas borrowed from outside the museum field, helping educators & others to widen their horizons and spark creative juices.   Building on last month's post on teamwork and collaboration within the museum, let's look outside the museum walls to a recent publication focused on how that internal collaborative spirit can actually work to create value.

In author Evan Rosen's book, "The Culture of Collaboration:  Maximizing Time, Talent & Tools to Create Value in the Global Economy,"  he explains how and why collaborative tools can motivate us.   What follows are what he considers the ten cultural elements present when collaboration is working.   In his words...

Trust - To exchange ideas and create something with others, we must develop trust.   This is a challenge, especially in competitive organizational cultures.   Nevertheless, we must get over our fears and develop trust if we are to collaborate freely.

Sharing - Hoarding information prevents the free flow of ideas and therefore sabotages collaboration.   Sharing what we know improves collective creation by an order of magnitude and therefore makes everybody more valuable.

Goals - Taking the time to agree on goals at the beginning of a collaborative project pays off exponentially by providing the impetus for shared creation.

Innovation - The desire to innovate fuels collaboration.   In turn, collaboration enhances innovation.   After all, why collaborate just to maintain the status quo?

Environment - The design of both physical space and virtual environments impacts innovation and collaboration.

Collaborative Chaos - While all people and organizations require some order, effective collaboration requires some degree of chaos.   This chaos allows the unexpected to happen and generates rich returns.

Communication - Collaboration is inextricably linked with communication, both interpersonal and organizational.

Community - Without a sense of community, we often lack comfort and trust.   Therefore, community must be present for effective collaboration to occur.

Value - The primary reason we collaborate is to create value -- reducing cycle or product time, creating a new market, solving problems faster, designing more a marketable product or service, or increasing sales.

For museums to meet competitive challenges, they must change the internal culture from competitive to collaborative....The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA even included this descriptive sentence in their job description for a Chief of Education & Interpretation during a recent search..."The Peabody Essex approach to its mission moves beyond silo thinking and instead favors crisp execution in partnership among its various leaders and departments..."

Welcome!

Welcome to the museumed.net blog...a forum for sharing ideas & information in the museum world.

Working with museums around the New England region and beyond, clients constantly ask me what the 'buzz' is in the museum world.   What is happening that they need to be aware of or know about to stay current?   Most of the requests for knowledge come in the form of what I call the 3 T's...Trends, Technology, and Transitions.    Transitions seem to be everyone's favorite topic - transitions involving colleagues, former colleagues, friends, and long-time museum professionals who are interesting to follow because let's face it, it masks itself as what it is - professional gossip!

Working with one museum recently, I stumbled on a transition of another kind, one that we should all be gossiping about.  The transition involved a change of title from Curator to 'Director of Collections & Learning.'   Wow - for a museum, that is a big shift.    This staff person has been with their museum over a decade.  Their title has changed before as they assumed additional responsibilities at various junctures in the museum's lifecycle.  This time the responsibilities have shifted significantly, including one key element - they work as part of a team in every museum initiative.  The museum is focused on blending the curatorial versus education 'department' theory, having them work synergistically to focus on teaching and learning in every initiative - programs and exhibits and the blending of the two.   Both the collections and the visitors are 'top of mind,' in a truly unique balance.

Clearly this is not a museum that is afraid to explore new paths.  So what does this transition really mean and why did it happen?  As our world widens and the pace of life quickens, museums of all disciplines and sizes are combining and reallocating resources to achieve their goals.  The messages we are communicating, the communities and audiences we wish to reach, and the resources we have to work with to achieve these goals are in a constant state of flux, and, as we all know, sometimes the current models just don't cut it any more.

A fresh perspective and a new lens to peer through allow us to stay current and to stay aware - of the present and of the future.  Sometimes a small modification or transition can represent much, much more.

What does this mean for your museum and the museum world as a whole?    We welcome your feedback and contributions to this blog.