Upping Your Tour Guide Game: An Afternoon of Docent Training with the LHS

Laurel, Maryland… Ever found yourself bored or dissatisfied during a tour? Has your own guiding gone stale? Have you wished a tour guide was more interesting? Think you could do better?

The Laurel Museum invites its current and prospective docents, docents from area museums, and history lovers who have always wanted to give tours or wondered if they could give a better tour, to “up their game” through a free docent training on January 25, 2015 from 2-4:30 pm.

Participants will enjoy a fun and informative afternoon of imaginative skill-building by experts in presentation and the museum field. Using improvisational techniques, Free Range Improve founder Dann Alagna will focus on dealing with unpredictable situations. Historic London Town and Gardens Executive Director Rod Cofield will share tips and tricks on how to act more confidently with visitors. Museum education consultant Beth Maloney will offer insights into working with audiences outside the museum setting, such as school and  civic groups. 

“This training will be one in which participants really get to explore history and the process of sharing history in a way that isn’t stale or boring. We expect the training to be fun, thought provoking, and challenging—in a good way. Our hope is that our regular docents are joined by others in the Laurel community who might benefit from the training,.” stated Laurel Historical Society Director Lindsey Baker

Upping Your Tour Guide Game:  An Afternoon of Docent Training with the LHS takes places at the Laurel Museum on January 25, 2015 from 2:00-4:30 pm. Participation is free. The Laurel Museum is located at 817 Main Street, Laurel, Md.  For appointments or additional visitor information contact info@laurelhistoricalsociety.org or visit www.laurelhistoricalsociety.org  #

About the Speakers
Dann Alagna, Director of Free Range Improv and his wife Sam have been very involved in community theatre, and improv comedy. Annapolis-based Free Range Improve is the 7th improvisational comedy troupe Dann has performed in, and the 3rd he and Sam have established and directed. The goals of Free Range Improv remain simple, 5-star comedy at purposely affordable, local prices.

Rod Cofield is Executive Director at Historic London Town and Gardens. Rod has spent 15+ years in the museum world working directly with visitors in a variety of positions and museums. He is the winner of an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant titled, “The Visitor Centered Museum

Beth Maloney is a museum education consultant working with museums, historic sites and cultural organizations. In addition to consulting, Beth teaches a course with the Johns Hopkins University Program in Museums and Society and serves as President of the Museum Education Roundtable, which publishes the Journal of Museum Education.