You often hear “bad things happen to good people.” It’s sometimes true and unfortunate, but sometimes great things happen to good people. Ange Imanishimwe was selected to participate in the Mandela Washington Fellowships (MWF) this summer. We first met Ange when training Certified Interpretive Guides in Rwanda. Ange organized Biocoop Rwanda to defeat povertyContinue reading “Great Things Happen to Good People”
Category Archives: Training
The Markets Game – A Mixer, Icebreaker and More
If you are training, putting on a conference or bringing people together who do not know each other for a meeting, the markets game can be a good start. It brings people together to chat about who they are (demographics), where they are from (geographics), and what they enjoy and care about (psychographics). I firstContinue reading “The Markets Game – A Mixer, Icebreaker and More”
Talking Story
I was walking back down the hill to our home in Hawaii after running, when a new neighbor smiled and said hello from her lanai just behind her house. She held a bunch of bananas and a shrink-wrapped package of macadamia nuts, gifts to a new neighbor. Flora and her husband have a family-run coffeeContinue reading “Talking Story”
The Bad Guide, A Parody with a Purpose
Those of you who have been to guide or trainer training with us may remember Ace Adventura, my alter-ego, the bad guide. I like portraying this rogue interpreter because he provides a chance for guides and trainers to critique guide performance with no concern for hurt feelings. Ace intends to be bad and is. AndContinue reading “The Bad Guide, A Parody with a Purpose”
Biocoop Rwanda: Entrepreneur at Work
Lisa and I took our first hike at Nyungwe National Park in 2012 with Ange Imanishiwmwe. He proved to be a talented park guide and naturalist, engaging us in a discussion of the importance of forest elephants and helping us identify the birds calling in the distance. What we also learned about Ange rightContinue reading “Biocoop Rwanda: Entrepreneur at Work”
Six Approaches to Being Present
Those of us who work or have worked in service roles know the erosive effects of seeing lots of people in a day, often asking or being asked the same questions over and over. Soon our eyes glaze over and we listen minimally just for the most basic cues needed to do business, but weContinue reading “Six Approaches to Being Present”
Capacity Building with Computers
We have made several trips to Rwanda to provide training and interpretive planning in two national parks. The dedication of the guides we have met in Rwanda is inspirational. They are deeply committed to the conservation and care of the spectacular park resources of their nation. Last January we asked the guides weContinue reading “Capacity Building with Computers”
Compensation Matters
We get paid in sunsets! That’s always been the insider joke for people who work in parks, forests, nature centers, marine sanctuaries and other outdoor settings. It’s another way of saying, Don’t expect to get rich here. You will start low and slowly move up, some day making a good living wage or salary ifContinue reading “Compensation Matters”
FameLab Revisited
We just took part in another FameLab competition in Troy, New York, at Rensselaer Polytechnic (RPI) Institute sponsored by NASA’s Astrobiology program in collaboration with the British Council. Lisa Brochu is one of three judges along with Cheryl Zook of National Geographic and Planet Science researcher, Dr. Alex Lockwood from Caltech. After the morning roundContinue reading “FameLab Revisited”
Six ways to Put Interpretation On Your Manager’s Agenda
I was at the National Park Service training facilities in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, when Mike Watson (then superintendent) said to me, “Interpretation is management.” I had heard our profession described as a management tool for decades, but if it’s only a tool, it’s one of those used too infrequently. I tend to agree withContinue reading “Six ways to Put Interpretation On Your Manager’s Agenda”
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