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Date: | Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:48:22 -0400 |
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Personal Connections
I am going to stir up the pot a bit in this conversation. I am offering a
ponderable moment and an opportunity for further dialog on this really
important topic. I would love to hear more perspectives on this. I believe
that museums are losing relevance in our society to a large percentage of
generations that followed the baby boomers. I believe that many museums
are framed around an assumption that is beginning to fade from our
society...the assumption that people care about what we have to say.
The "most powerful" museums today (based on tourism studies) are powerful
because they provide a tool that empowers the visitor to be engaged.
Building connections has more to do with personal empowerment than
scholarship. Those of us who are drawn to the museum field are already
empowered to continue our quest, continue enhancing our knowledge and
quenching our thirst for more, more, more.
In today's world, we are competing with "adventure" and "bragging rights" and
other "I'm in it, I'm doing it" action oriented opportunities. Many baby boomers
and older generations seek "authenticity" and "real life" if only for a moment.
When the word museum is mentioned to my friends, neighbors and relatives,
their eyes cloud over and when challenged to define their mental image, they
rarely describe museums with excitement and interest.
Now we get back to "personal connection." Their personal connection to the
word "museum" is based on past experience and unmet expectations...not on
deep thought or personal research.
Museums can be known for personal empowerment, for "light bulb moments"
and for a "one of a kind" experiences. They can be known for bridging me into
a place and time where I am compelled to behave and think differently so
what I'm experiencing becomes relevant. Well, enough of that.
I believe that personal connections begin before our visitors get to our door
and continues as we meet (and hopefully exceed) their expectations. That,
to me is building the personal connection.
I suggest that we begin by looking at our image. There is the name of the
organization, the name of the place and the name of the experience. Rarely
do we set an expectation by putting our experience in front of the other two
names. We do name individual "temporary" experiences to bring visitors back
to our places but we rarely provide in our invitations and in our entryways the
name of the experience that is always found within our doors.
When I name some places (forgive me if any of these actually exist, I am
actually attempting to make up places/names to demonstrate my point),
picture what you expect to find within the doors:
1. Samule L Perkains Museum of Art
2. Ponderable Moments
3. Mud River Museum
4. Drywall Foundation Museum
5. Beachtown Museum
6. John Magic Museum
7. Mighty Mountain Civil War Museum
8. Taffy's Wax Museum
9. Stories of the South
10. Poetry In Motion
11. Stahl Horse Museum
12. Eagletown's Front Porch
Now that you have addressed the expectation you set in the mind of the
potential visitor, you can address meeting those expectations...thus building
that personal connection.
I believe that our two biggest goals are to get more people into our places
and produce more supporters and stakeholders because their expectations
were met ... and hopefully ... exceeded.
Let the dialog begin!!!!
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