Suffer in silence?  Don't do it!

I'd certainly discuss the issue with the site manager.  Even if she doesn't change, at least you're able to tell yourself (and the other employees) that you made an effort to improve the situation.

There are several ways to confront this issue without embarrassing or offending anyone.  I'm assuming that the site manager is good-hearted, rather than cruel, and is really trying to help you and the visitor when she interrupts, but doesn't realize that she is instead embarrassing
or interrupting you.  I'd find a time or moment when you can speak to her privately, when no one's in a hurry, and tell her that you "feel" embarrassed (or whatever you are experiencing) when she interrupts you when you are talking with a visitor (you may want to start the
conversation with "You probably don't notice this but...).  Emphasize the "feeling" part to ensure it isn't taken personally and she becomes instantly defensive.  Then offer her a suggestion on what you want:  "If I'm incorrect, I'd appreciate it if you could tell me privately so I
won't feel embarrassed in front of our visitors".

I'm not familiar with your organization's "culture", however.  Do you feel comfortable interrupting your site manager's conversations with visitors?  How does your site manager use interruptions in other areas of her job (e.g., lunch conversations, event planning, etc.) that may
suggest why she interrupts (is it to assert authority? an effort to participate?).  If you can determine why she's interrupting, you may be better able to come up with a solution--but don't suffer in silence.

Good luck.

Max A. van Balgooy



Louisa Gilbert wrote:

> I work in a beautiful historic home. There are five paid stafff overall,
> including the site manager and the tour guides (not volunteer.)  As tour
> guides, our responsibilities range from knowledge of all of the artifacts in
> the home to how to give directions (which is how it should be in a site as
> small as ours.)
>
> Here's my delima, and why I am actually writing to the list.  Our "site
> manager" rarely is in for full days, and thus we are quite accustomed to
> answering any questions we are presented with.  However, on the few
> occasions that she is in, she frequently interrupts us or adds additonal
> information.  Not that any of it is imperative information, either.
>
> Our perceived problem is not that her interruptions are annoying and
> disrespectful.  Rather, it is entirely unprofessional and gives the
> appearance that perhaps we don't know how to do our jobs.  After all, if I
> can't be trusted to know a simple birth/death date of the man that lived in
> the home, why should the customers trust me to know anything about the home?
>   It is very important to stress that the site manager never interrupts us
> because we are giving factually incorrect information.
>
> Here's my question:  is there a tactful way to explain the frustration we
> feel, or do we need to suffer in silence?
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--
M. A. van Balgooy
mailto:[log in to unmask]

Chaffey Communities Cultural Center & Cooper Regional History Museum
  PO Box 772 • Upland, CA 91785-0772
  Telephone (909) 982-8010
  Web site:  http://www.culturalcenter.org

Homestead Museum
  15415 East Don Julian Road • Industry, CA  91745-1029
  Telephone (626) 968-8492
  Fax  (626) 968-2048
  Web site:  http://www.homesteadmuseum.org

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Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).