The vast majority of audiences that I have toured are adults. When specifically pertaining to adult audiences at museums, The Good Guide advised that "adults do a great deal of learning on their own, they often enjoy partly self-directed tours, in which they establish their own pathways to learning." (Grinder 106). This means that I should slightly enforce less control over the tour, and let the adults come to me. If the tour is too formal, then the adults would feel like they are students and be uncomfortable with the tour (Grinder 106). I usually direct all parts of the tour, but now if the audience age is older, I would let them wander in specific areas while I follow, or wait until they have any remarks.
This new method is especially attainable in the children's room, because most of the adults have recognized something that they have played with as a kid. In my most recent tour with three middle aged women, I walked with them while they told me which toys they recognized, and have played with as children. They all said that they used to play with a similar sewing kit (pictured on top of the white shelf) as the one in the museum, and they were rekindling old memories as they told me their experiences from the past.
Question: What are your favorite toys from childhood?
Grinder, Alison L., and E. Sue. McCoy. The Good Guide: A Sourcebook for Interpreters, Docents, and Tour Guides. Scottsdale, AZ: Ironwood, 1985. Print.
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