This document outlines a workshop on listening to museum visitors conducted by Nina Simon. The workshop discusses how cultural institutions can improve by better understanding visitor needs and perspectives, and provides lessons on asking questions of visitors in a genuine, personal, and thought-provoking manner to facilitate discussion and learning. Specific museums that engage visitors through questioning are highlighted as examples.

1. LISTENING TO VISITORS
A WORKSHOP WITH NINA SIMON
MUSEUM 2.0
NINA@MUSEUMTWO.COM @NINAKSIMON ON TWITTER SLIDES - HTTP://BIT.LY/LISTENVISITORS

2. web 2.0 is software
that gets better the more
people use it
-Tim O’Reilly, technologist and publisher

3. how can a cultural
institution get better the
more people use it?

5. Lowell National Historical Park

6. Staff of Life grocery store

7. Auckland Museum Minnesota History Museum

8. ?
HOW DO YOU DESIGN THIS?

9. WHERE WERE YOU LAST NIGHT?

10. PHOTO BY NATHANINSANDIEGO, FLICKR (HTTP://WWW.FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/NATHANINSANDIEGO/3455796359/)

11. WHAT IS NANOTECHNOLOGY?

12. LESSON 1:
MAKE SURE YOU CARE ABOUT
THE ANSWER. TO YOUR QUESTION.

14. Write down a question for which you
have a genuine interest in knowing other
peoples’ answers.

15. LESSON 2:
MAKE THE QUESTION PERSONAL.

16. NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER

17. DAISY: How do I know I'm talking to a human
and not just another machine?
DAISY: Are you sure that I'm not a real person
talking to you by e-mail? What would it take
to convince you?
EXPLORATORIUM

18. LESSON 3:
ASK SPECULATIVE QUESTIONS.

19. WORLDWITHOUTOIL.ORG

21. FRAMES EXPERIENCE
SPECULATIVE
WOULD YOU GO TO MARS?
PERSONAL

22. LESSON 4:
SITUATE YOUR QUESTION WISELY.

23. STORYCORPS BOOTH BY LOCAL PROJECTS
CANADA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MUSEUM

24. CHIC CHICAGO, CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM ADVICE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON STUDENT CENTER

25. http://www.ushmm.org/genocide/take_action/

26. PLAY.SIGNTIFIC.ORG

27. lab.signtific.org

28. Pick a good question. How would you
situate it to make it most effective--both
online and in-gallery?

29. LISTENING TO VISITORS
A WORKSHOP WITH NINA SIMON
MUSEUM 2.0
NINA@MUSEUMTWO.COM @NINAKSIMON ON TWITTER SLIDES - HTTP://BIT.LY/LISTENVISITORS