How to Grab Your Audience’s Attention

Tuesday, January 29, 2013 10:37 PM by Betty Brennan in Professional and Industry Tips


Would you notice the Mona Lisa if it wasn’t in the Louvre? Would you notice Lincoln’s hat if it weren’t in a museum? How about the Rosetta stone?  Many objects look trivial until you know the story around them and they are placed in a setting of reverence. Just recently a 17th century masterpiece painting was discovered in a hotel. It had hung there for 50 years. No one noticed its significance until the hotel decided to renovate.

Would you know superb music no matter where you heard it?  Or does it take a venue like an opera or stadium where you paid cash for you to notice?  Recently, Joshua Bell, a world famous violinist, played incognito at a Washington DC subway station.  Hardly anyone noticed.

In designing and creating experiences that inspire people, we utilize many tools, yet interpretation and the story we tell is the cornerstone of success.  We must design exhibits that are provocative.  To grab your audience’s attention content must be:

  • Pleasurable

  • Relevant

  • Organized

  • Thematic

It’s not enough to just have a great musician, a great work of art or a famous object.

If you want to learn more about how to make connections with your resource go to  NAI Region 3’s blog.  Thank you NAI for sharing your wisdom.

To learn more about interpretation and how to implement it for your audience here is a description of Tilden’s Principles of Interpretation.

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