Docent Associate Manual

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5/17/2014
MANUAL DOCENT ASSOCIATE

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Museum of the African Diaspora - www.moadsf.org
Docent Associate Manual
Table of Contents
Letter to the Docent Associate ................................................................................................................... 02
Entering the building................................................................................................................................... 03
Responsibilities ........................................................................................................................................... 03
Docent Program.......................................................................................................................................... 04
Appointment Quest (AQ)............................................................................................................... 05
Cancelling Tours................................................................................................................ 07
Rescheduling Tours........................................................................................................... 09
Creating A Contact List in Appointment Quest................................................................. 10
Confirming Before A Tour................................................................................................. 11
Preparing For A Tour......................................................................................................... 11
Preparing A Word Document Using Appointment Quest.............................................................. 12
Weekend Open Tours ....................................................................................................... 13
WeJoinIn (WJI) ............................................................................................................................... 14
Creating A Docent Sign-up Sheet ..................................................................................... 14
Building the Sheet Schedule ............................................................................................. 15
Creating A Shadow Sign-up Sheet..................................................................................... 18
Sharing Link For Completed WJI Sheets ........................................................................... 19
Survey Monkey (SM)................................................................................................................................... 20
Docent Blog (DB)......................................................................................................................................... 23
LiveBinders (LB)........................................................................................................................................... 24
Appendix ..................................................................................................................................................... 28

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May 10, 2014
To the New Docent Associate:
Firstly, welcome to MoAD. You have embarked on a great journey becoming part of this
fabulous team of people that, together, comprise a power house of intelligence and creative
collaboration. These people will grow on you and faithfully stain your heart and mind with
fantastic memories that will last a lifetime, for just the tours alone that you have the potential to
lead will bring you stories and accounts of people from all over the world.
As an American of mixed descent, the magic has not just come from connecting the
community to the museum but to connecting to the origins of our ancestors, bridging the gap of
how we’re all connected. Undoubtedly, this job has been a gift, and I hope this manual facilitates
not only your growth as an associate and a docent for the education program but also serves as a
useful roadmap for your job roles and responsibilities.
May your transition onto the team be smooth and readily accessible. Wish you well.
Best regards,
Gio, Former Docent Associate
Museum of the African Diaspora [MoAD]

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ENTERING THE BUILDING
Make sure your name badge is visible.
Make sure all drinks/food are concealed in bags before entering the third floor gallery.
Slide your magnet on the office attendance board by your name under in.
o Every time you plan to leave the office for an extended period of time, slide the
magnet under out (i.e. breaks/meetings/extended bathroom visits).
Your username for the computer is your first name initial and last name. This will also be
the prefix to your email address. Turn on computer, log in, and begin checking emails.
o EMAIL:
Computer Login Example: GCoelho
Email addresses: [YourName]@moadsf.org
Website: http://mail.moadsf.org
o PHONE:
Phone number: (415) 318 – 7142
Voicemail Password: diaspora (3 4 2 7 7 6 7 2)
Check all phone calls and voicemails
RESPONSIBILITIES
Research and know your current exhibition/gallery/store.
Introduce yourself to all docents, know them, keep contact, respond promptly.
o Make sure you have all contacts up to date.
o Send out a weekly group email to everyone with updates.
Create monthly calendar of tours and book docents for them; update weekly.
Send out emails to all tour groups with a link to a survey.
Create and/or prepare interpretive materials for tours whenever necessary.
Prepare weekly email to blogger with updated list of tours/events/trainings/etc.

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DOCENT PROGRAM
MoAD’s Docent Program provides an opportunity for members of the public to support the
museum’s mission to connect all people through the art, culture, and history of the African
Diaspora. The Docent Program features interactive and broad training on the African Diaspora,
related history, and contemporary art. MoAD docents promote the museum’s mission and enrich
the public’s experience by providing guided tours and a friendly, welcoming face to all visitors.
Through training sessions, and events, docents will learn how to best serve the needs and
interests of our diverse visitors.
HOW TO BECOME A DOCENT:
Initial Contact:
Whenever a member of the community wishes to become involved with the Docent Program,
have them contact the Education Director via email. Once a successful onboarding occurs, the
new prospective docent will be invited to attend a mandatory “Docent Training”, which goes for
approximately six weeks and hosted several times throughout the year.
Trainings:
For every exhibition at MoAD, there will be a mandatory training for the material that will be
presented. The purpose is to educate the docents on all content that relates to the exhibition, so
they may pass this information onto the group tours they will lead.
COMMUNICATING WITH THE DOCENT:
Sending Emails & Docent Blog:
MoAD is only open to the public from Wednesday through Sunday. Every Wednesday is the best
day to send out a group email to all the docents with a “gentle reminder” of up-coming tours that
need signing up. Writing short and concise emails work best. See Appendix A for an example
email of the Wednesday Weekly. Always make sure to leave a link at the end of your emails
leading to the online sign-up sheet WeJoinIn explained in-depth on page 14. All information in
the emails is a repeat of what is found on the blog: http://moadsfguides.wordpress.com. See
Docent Blog on page 23 for more info.
Caution: Whenever a docent does not respond or appear for a tour, trying approaching the
MoAD staff to help on tours. Always prepare a backup in cases of uncertainty.

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ORGANIZING TOURS
All tours are scheduled, confirmed, cancelled and/or rescheduled using Appointment Quest
(AQ). Using AQ, the Docent Associate will prepare educational interpretives for certain groups.
Check with the Education Dept. Director for requirements and use Appendix C as an example.
APPOINTMENT QUEST (AQ)
Signing on to MoAD’s account:
o AQ Website: http://www.appointmentquest.com
Username: moadtours
Password: trans4mation
1. Use the Home button at the top-left of the screen (See Figure A below) whenever you
need to navigate back to the start page. Types of scheduled tours will be listed at the
right-hand side of the website. See Figure B below.
2. Notice above in Figure B, there is “No Appointments Pending Confirmation”.
i. If there are tour groups awaiting
confirmation, a message will appear as
“appointments pending confirmation” in
red. See Figure C in picture. Click the red
words to be brought to confirmation page.

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NOTE: Before confirming a tour, make sure MoAD has exhibitions on during the date
requested by verifying with the education director; then, contact the tour group to inform
them of any changes.
3. Once at the confirmation page,
known as the “Inspector” tab, under
“Appointment” are the details of the
tour contact and date with “Pending
Confirmation” listed in red. Click
Confirm (See Figure D in picture).
An email is then sent to the group
telling them their tour has been
confirmed.
4. The page will refresh with the “Status” stating “Confirmed” in green. Click “Home” next.
At the Homepage, you can check to make sure no other tours need to be confirmed.
5. Once all tours are confirmed, leave the window open and open a new window in your
browser as well as a word doc. It’s time to type up a separate word doc for front desk and
the website WeJoinIn.
Congratulations! You have successfully confirmed your first tour! Hooray!

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CANCELLING TOURS:
When a Tour Group asks MoAD to cancel a tour:
1. Using the date for the tour, log onto AQ and click the date on the calendar at the
Homepage (See Figure A above for calendar reference). This will bring you to the
“Summary” tab.
2. If more than one tour on the same day, click “Inspect” next to the name you wish to
view. See Figure E below.
3. Once clicked, the Inspector tab will open up with the details of the tour.
Click “Cancel”.
See Figure F in picture.

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4. On the cancellation page, click “Yes, Cancel Appointment”
(See Figure G below).
i. ASIDE: If you would like to send your own cancellation email, uncheck the box
“Send notification email to [Contact]”. Often times, automated messages are
robust with computer dialogue and format jargon. If there is a preference of the
Docent Associate to write their own emails to the group contact, this is where you
would exercise your options by unchecking the box.
When a Group Tour cancels on AQ:
1. When you log onto AQ, a
notification on the right-hand side
of the screen will indicate that “1
appointment pending cancellation”.
See Figure H in picture.
2. On the Inspector tab, click “Confirm” to cancel the tour. See Figure I below.
Once confirmed, the status will refresh under appointment as “Cancelled”. You may now
delete the appointment if the contacts are no longer necessary.

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RESCHEDULING TOURS:
1. Sometimes Tour Groups will ask to be moved to an earlier or later time and/or date. On
the Inspector tab click Reschedule using Administrative Override.
See Figure J in picture.
2. On this page, make any necessary corrections and click Override. See Figure K below.
3. Once clicked. The Inspector page will show Confirmed and a notification email is sent
out to the Tour Group contact on file.

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CREATING A CONTACT LIST USING AQ:
1. On the left-hand side of the
Homepage, click Report.
(See Figure L in picture)
2. In the Workarea tab under Date Range, decide whether you need a day, week, or
month schedule and click inside the circle (See Figure M below) and then click Search
on the right-hand side of the page (See Figure N below).
3. Under Appointments Reports, click Print Summary Style (See Figure O below). A
window will pop up: Print out for the front desk, so they have a list of the tours, their
times and contact details. Update this on a weekly basis if any new tours are booked.
4. Click Print Detail Style (See Figure O below) to obtain all the information for every
tour that month. This information will be used for your doc. file, which is discussed in the
PREPARING A WORD DOCUMENT USING AQ section on page 10.

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CONFIRMING BEFORE A TOUR:
1. As a courtesy to the tour group, using your Print Summary Style document, make a
phone call and send an email to each tour group contact on the list 24-48 hours before
they are scheduled to come in.
i. Confirm by asking how many people they expect to come: This will enable you to
know how many interpretives (if any) are needed for the tour.
ii. Ask the contact what the group has been learning about and what they hope to
learn more about by coming to the museum: This will enable you to let the docent
know how best to serve the group and frame the tour.
iii. See Appendix for a sample confirmation phone call script and email.
PREPARING FOR A TOUR:
1. Using your Print Detail Style document, each tour listed documents the number of
attendees expected as well as what kind of group will be coming. For example, the image
below shows that there are 18 students from a middle school coming, so you would
know to prepare enough interpretives for a group of 18 that are suitable for their age
group as well as prepare the docent so they know how to tailor the content of the tour
appropriately.
2. On the second floor nearest the employee room by the bathrooms, there is a wall entitled
the “Romare Bearden Wall” where a black outline of his face is depicted blowing a
wishing flower, and next to it a plaque where printouts of questions are posted for the
public to read and respond. Each week the Docent Associate clears the wall of sticky
notes, cleans up the area, re-sharpens pencils, and chooses a new question to post.

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PREPARING A WORD DOCUMENT USING AQ:
Using the Print Detail Style document from AQ, extract the necessary information onto a word
doc. file.
1. Here is the format for extracted information:
Date • Time • # Attendees & Group Type • Group’s City • Docent (& Shadow [SH] if booked)
Using the Figure O above as an example, organize details into format presented above:
Wed April 02 · 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM · 18 Middle School · Fairfax · Gio (SH: Traka & Gloria)
i. ASIDE: Some groups that book tours will have over 30 attendees. When
attendees total 30 or more, book a second docent to help split up the tour into two
manageable groups.
Figure O:

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ii. WEEKEND OPEN TOURS: On Saturday and Sundays, MoAD provides free
tours for those currently visiting the museum that have already paid for their
admissions. At 1:45 PM, the docent will go around to each floor to announce that
a 1-hour tour will commence at 2:00 PM for anyone that would like to participate.
NOTE: This information has a different format to booked tours:
Sat April 19 · 02:00pm – 03:00pm · Open Tour – Gio (SH: Gloria)
iii. Open Tours are never scheduled on AQ and can only be signed up for on the
WEJOININ website, which is discussed in the next section.
Congratulations! You have successfully navigated Appointment Quest and created
your first Tour Word Doc.! Great job!

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WEJOININ (WJI)
All scheduled tours are presented on WeJoinIn as what’s called a “sheet” where docents as well
as shadows are able to sign up for an up-coming tour.
1. WJI Website: http://www.wejoinin.com
Username: lbrown@moadsf.org
Password: diaspora
Creating a Docent Sign-up Sheet:
1. Create a sheet by clicking the icon. See Figure P below.
2. When the window pops up, entitle the new sheet with the following format:
“[Current Month Year] – Docent Sign-up Sheet”. See Figure Q below.

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3. Using the information from your doc. file you created, it is now time to create a new
sheet on WJI, so docents can begin signing up for the tours.
i. In your Doc. file, copy the information by highlighting with your mouse and
cursor; once all the info is highlighted, press and hold Ctrl then the letter C.
ii. On the WJI page under where it says Description, press and hold Ctrl and then
the letter V to paste the content into the box (See Figure R below)
iii. Click under the Description Box in Figure R. The page will refresh
to the Sheets Page.
iv. REMEMBER to update the description box each time a Docent signs up.
Building the Sheet Schedule:
1. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click “Build a sheet yourself.” See Figure S
below.
2. The
page will refresh with a Sign-up section of rows and columns now available to begin
inputting the dates and titles from the Description Box, which is now above. Notice there

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are two grey boxes with the options to Add a New Row and Add a New Column. See
Figure T below.
3. Whenever you hover the mouse’s cursor over the Row or Column, you’ll notice three
options appear that allow you to Move the Row/Column up or down, Delete it, or
Rename it. See Figure U below.
4. Using the information in your Description, create a Row for every date and a Column
for every hour block that there is a tour and click Rename to input the appropriate title.
See past example below.

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Example:
i. NOTE: Tours are scheduled for one hour during the four times listed above. There
are exceptions made when particular groups make special requests; at which time,
a new column is added. See example below
Example:
5. When all of the dates and times have been inputted, next is to limit the number of signups
to one.
i. ASIDE: If there are any tours with over thirty attendees, it is advisable to increase
the signups to two people. When you hover your cursor over each block created
between the Row & Column, two options appear: Options and Close. See Figure
V below.

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6. Click Options and a window will pop up See Figure W below. Select the Limit bubble
and input 1 or whatever number is necessary for the specific tour.
Figure W:
Click Save. Repeat this step for every block.
Creating a Shadow Sign-up Sheet:
Now it’s time to create the second sheet for Shadows to sign-up by making a copy of the original
Docent Sign-up Sheet. Due to certain limitations of WJI, we are unable to customize and move
the Docent Sign-up Sheet to be above the Shadow Sign-up Sheet once it has been created, so
both the original title and shadow title must also be edited.
NOTE: Since this routine will be repeated monthly, instead of editing both titles you can
save yourself a step by creating the original sheet with the shadow title: *** [Month Year] –
Shadow Sign-up Sheet” title, so the correct order will appear on the homepage to begin
with. The copy you make, therefore, will be edited to say “Docent Sign-up Sheet”.
1. At the top-right corner of the page,
click Your Sheets to be brought
back to the Homepage.

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2. On the Homepage, underneath the new month’s sheet you have just created, click Make
a copy. See Figure X below.
3. Click Edit (See left of Figure X) underneath the Title Copy.
4. On the Sheet, edit the title to say ***[Month Year] – Shadow Docent Sign-up Sheet.
The *** will create a natural indent on the homepage to separate from the other Docent
Sign-up Sheet.
i. Dates and limits do not copy over, so you will have to update/close the blocks
again, making sure that the “limits” are correctly inputted.
Sharing Links For Completed WJI Sheets:
1. Once completed, notice the link on the
right-hand side of the WJI Sheet Page.
See Figure Y in the picture.
NOTE: This link will be different for
each sheet you create and what the
Docent Associate shares in every email
sent to the docents. When they click this
link, they will be brought to the sheet
where they can sign up for a tour.
Congratulations! You’ve just completed your first sign-up sheets for the Docents!
i. ASIDE: Familiarize yourself with the rest of the website by exploring and
navigating the different links.

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SURVEY MONKEY
After every tour, an email is sent out to the contact of the tour group asking for them and/or as
many people from the group that would be willing to fill out an online anonymous survey using
Survey Monkey link we provide. For a Sample Email Request Surveys, see Appendix at the
back of the manual.
1. Survey Monkey (SM): http://www.surveymonkey.com
Username: moadeducation
1. Once signed in at the Homepage, under Responses, click the number listed representing
the total surveys taken anonymously. See Figure Z in picture below.
2. Next, click Individual Responses to review individual surveys. See Figure AA below.

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3. The page will refresh and a set of options will appear, allowing you to select a specific
response numeral or toggle left or right with the arrows. See Figure AA below.
4. Review each new survey
and identify key points that can
be addressed with the Director of
Education that could improve the
Docent Program.
To Find the Link:
1. In Figure AA, just above where it says AA is a tab you can click entitled “Collect
Responses”. The page will refresh and a link on the left-hand side of the page entitled
“Web Link” will appear. See Figure CC below. Click the link.
i. A page displaying the link to the survey will appear. See Figure DD below.
Copy and paste the link whenever you need it.
In the Appendix section, there
is a sample email that has the
link: the suggestion is to copy
and paste this email and tailor
the message to fit each tour
group.

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To Delete Past Responses:
Whenever the responses reach 100, the oldest year of responses are deleted first. If all 100 are in
the same year, check with your supervisor for best advisement.
1. Under your Individual Responses tab from Figure AA, navigate to the oldest post by
clicking the drop-down menu for the Respondent # as depicted in Figure BB. For each
response you wish to delete, click the Delete option on the right-hand side. See Figure
EE below.
2. A prompt screen to delete will appear. See Figure FF below. Click delete and move on to
the next.
Congratulations! You have successfully navigated Survey Monkey! Well done!
ii. Also, SM does not send automatic alerts when new evaluations have been
completed, so it is important to log-in regularly to monitor the incoming
responses.

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DOCENT BLOG
The Docent Blog is run and operated by the Docent Blogger (DB); however, it is the job of the
Docent Associate to send the information to the DB, i.e. updated tour schedules, manuals, files,
exhibition materials, interpretives, etc.
Here is the link for the Docent Blog: http://moadsfguides.wordpress.com
Email the current DB and let them know you are the new Docent Associate. Navigate the blog
and become familiar with the various links and information.
Docent Blog Updates:
By the first of every month, the Docent Associate sends the DB:
1. The same information that is used for WJI schedule to upload onto the Blog’s
WJI page. Update weekly
2. Information on up-coming fieldtrips, trainings, events, etc. Update weekly.
At any time:
1. Send relevant information that pertains to the current exhibition. Update weekly.
2. Any forms, files, blurbs, etc., that are relevant to the museum and Docent
program.
3. Any pictures, videos, or memorabilia that could be posted on the Gallery page.

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LIVEBINDERS
The conceptualization behind Livebinders (LB) is about taking three-ring binders and putting
them on the web. “Shelves” are created like a cataloging unit where “binders” are stored on
varying topics pertaining to each shelf. For example, MoAD has a shelf entitled “Docent
Documents” where binders on varying topics are stored, like the Docent Manual, Current
Exhibition materials, MoAD’s Annual Educational Programs, and so on. The Docent Associate
is responsible for all the material on LB. Materials will come from the Education Department.
Livebinders (LB)
o LB Website: http://www.livebinders.com/
Username: moadsfdocents
This is the homepage for
LiveBinders. Click “Login”
shown in Figure FF in the
picture.
Once clicked, a log-in screen will pop up on the left
side of the screen shown left.
Enter the log-in details from page 24.

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Navigating LiveBinders:
Upon logging in successfully, notice at the bottom left side of the below the “Dashboard” the
shelves are listed under “My Shelves”. See Figure HH.
Click on the shelf
“Docent Documents” to
be brought to all
relevant materials
pertaining to that
particular shelf.
How to Create a New Shelf:
To create a new shelf, click “Start a Blank Shelf” shown
second from the top under “Dashboard” in Figure GG. The
segment of the page will shift to show several text boxes to
fill out. Always set the Access Key as “moadsfdocents”.
Click “Create New Shelf”.
Once created, a prompt will
appear under “Create New
Shelf” as shown in the picture
to the right.

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How to Create a New Binder:
To create a new binder, click “Start a Blank Binder” shown under “Dashboard” in Figure GG.
Clicking this link will bring you to a new page where you can fill out the text boxes. See the
picture below for a detailed example.
Click “Create
New Binder” to
be brought to the
content page for
the binder.
To add content to
the binder, click
“Add Content”
shown below in
Figure II.
A prompt window will pop up. Add any
documents, images, videos, audio,
and/or any other media files that pertain
to the binder/shelf.
Note: PDF files are the easiest to upload.

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Once a file is ready to be selected, click “Upload a file”,
choose your file and click “Upload” as shown in Figure JJ.
The tab will refresh to show the newly uploaded file. You can
edit the tab color one of two ways: By either clicking the red
arrow in the tab header or by clicking “Tab Settings”. See the
picture below for an example. By clicking “Tab Settings” you
will be able to alter the title, text and layout.
Congratulations! You have successfully created your own LiveBinder! Well done!
ii. Also, this website was added towards the end of my contract here at MoAD.
There is still much to learn about LB, and we all would appreciate if you
could add any pertinent information to this section should the new Docent
Associate see fit to do so.

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Appendix
Appendix A
Sample Emails................................................................................................................................ 29
Confirming A Tour ............................................................................................................ 29
Cancelling A Tour.............................................................................................................. 30
Weekly Docent Bullets ..................................................................................................... 31
Sending Tour Evaluations................................................................................................. 32
Shadow Self-Evaluation ................................................................................................................. 33
Appendix B
Phone Calls .................................................................................................................................... 35
Pre-Visit Contact Questions.............................................................................................. 35
Appendix C
Sample Interpretives ..................................................................................................................... 36

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Appendix A
SAMPLE EMAILS
During specific instances, the Docent Associate will need to email for particular reasons, such as
confirming a tour, cancelling, rescheduling, sending out SM Tour Evaluations, etc. Appointment
Quest does send emails whenever changes are made to the group’s tour and account, however, in
certain instances, the DB may want to send a personalized message.
Presented are examples that past Docent Associates have utilized:
Confirming A Tour:
Subject Line: Greetings from the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)
Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. [First & Last Name],
Thank you for your interest in MoAD. You have successfully been booked for a tour
with your group tomorrow for Thursday April 17, 2014 from 02:30 PM to 03:30 PM. We
look forward to sharing the museum with you.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at this email
address or the number listed below.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Docent Associate
Education Department, Museum of African Diaspora (MoAD)
685 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Office: (415) 318 - 7142
Front Desk: (415) 358 - 7253
[Your Name]@MoADSF.org

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Cancelling a Tour:
Your scheduled group tour for Friday April 11, 2014 at 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM has been
successfully cancelled. We value your contribution to the museum and hope to see you
and your group soon.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at this email
address or the number listed below.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Docent Associate
685 Mission Street
Office: (415) 318 - 7142
Front Desk: (415) 358 - 7253

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Weekly Docent Bullets:
Whenever emailing the Docents, the DB might include a friendly opening; however, it is fully up
to the discretion of the current DB. Remember, every week the Docents are reminded of what
tours still need to be signed up for. They also have the blog and WJI to source this information:
The DB is just the gentle messenger there to remind them. Here is one possible example:
Subject Line: Wednesday Weekly - Good Afternoon Docents
Hello Docents,
So I just left an incredible tour with 13 little middle school students. They were so
attentive, asked great questions, posed awesome perspectives and were very grateful for
the tour. I, in return, was very grateful to have them at the museum. I believe each one of
you docents could benefit from these tours in what they offer.
That said, there are two tours tomorrow that have no docent booked. If you have the
availability, please sign up for this week's tours.
Here's the link: http://wejoinin.com/sheets/rnwsj
If you're not evaluated, sign up to shadow a tour here: http://wejoinin.com/sheets/khayi
All information can be accessed on the blog as well: http://moadsfguides.wordpress.com
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Docent Associate
685 Mission Street
Office: (415) 318 - 7142
Front Desk: (415) 358 - 7253

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Sending Survey Monkey Tour Evaluations:
After every tour, an email must be sent out to the tour group contact asking for a tour evaluation
to help improve the quality of the tours. Remember to tailor the email for the particular group. If
the example below doesn’t make sense, correct it. Here is one example:
Thank you so much for having your group come to the Museum of the African
Diaspora today. We so look forward to having the opportunity to work with the [Group
Name] again.
We would be so grateful as well if any number of the teachers, chaperons, and students
from the groups would be willing to fill out a short, anonymous evaluation so that we can
continue to improve the quality of our school and group tours.
The evaluation can be found by clicking this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HXY3GQ7
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Docent Associate
685 Mission Street
Office: (415) 318 - 7142
Front Desk: (415) 358 - 7253

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Shadow Self-Evaluation
When filling out this form, please mark on the side of each question whether you were observing
(O) or acting as the docent (D).
Observer: ____________________________ Date: ________________________
School/Group Observed: _________________________________________________________
Guide(s) Observed: ______________________________________________________________
Group Grade/Age: ________
O/D
1. Introduction: Identify ways introduction was effective.
________________________________________________________________________
How might you change the introduction going forward?________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. Inquiry Base: What types of questions were asked (close-ended, yes/no, open-ended,
fill-in-the-blank, etc.)? ________________________________________________________
3. Delivery: How were public speaking skills performed (vocabulary, inflection,
volume)?______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What could be done differently next time?___________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. Eye Contact: In what ways was eye contact made or chosen not to?_________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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5. Content: How was a balance maintained between creating an enjoyable experience and
imparting knowledge?____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. Rapport: Was there a connection made with the audience? If so, how or why not?_____
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Were visitors active participants or observers? ________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
7. Pace: Describe the pace of the tour (quick, slow, just right): _____________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What stops were made on the tour (i.e. Celebration Circle, Freedom Theater, mural,
etc)?__________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
8. Closing: How did the tour end?_______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
In what ways is this different from tours you have been on?_____________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
9. Learned: Identify 3 learnings that you can utilize or avoid in your presentations going
forward:_______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Additional Comments: _______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Page | 35
Appendix B
Phone Calls
24-48 hours before a tour, the Docent Associate calls the Tour Group Contact (TGC) listed on
the Print Summary Style read-outs mentioned in Figure O on Page 09. For the TGC, this will
be the initial verbal contact from the Museum, so it is imperative to exercise excellent customer
service, be polite and courteous and remain diplomatic whenever possible.
Below are a set of questions to remember to ask and verify with the TGC.
Pre-visit Contact Questions:
1. Greeting: Introduce yourself and the museum.
2. Verify: Verify the details of the tour with the TGC.
3. Understand: Ask about the group and their prior knowledge.
4. Thank you: Thank them for their time.
Sample Dialogue:
a. Hello this is [Your Name], the Docent Associate from the Museum of the African
Diaspora. Is Mr/Mrs [TGC] available?
Sample Answer: This is he/she.
b. How are you today?
Sample Answer: Good how are you?
c. Great. We’re just calling to confirm your tour for [date of tour] for [# of
attendees] from [place of departure/school/group name]. Is that correct?
Sample Answer: That’s correct.
Sample Endings:
1. Wonderful. Well, we thank you for your time and looking forward to sharing the
museum with you.
Sample Answer: Thank you very much, good bye.
2. Fantastic. Also, so we can better work as a team, what has your group been
learning about so that we may better tailor the tour around their prior knowledge?
Sample Answer: Our 8th
grade class has been learning about African dance.

Page | 36
Appendix C
Interpretives
During the group tours (mostly school groups), the Education Department usually decides to
include a group activity called “interpretives”, which facilitates critical thinking and peer to peer
dialogue; they also are used as a way to connect the groups with the information they are
learning about at the museum. The Docent Associate is responsible for creating, gathering and
preparing these interpretives for the incoming Docent that will lead the tour. Check with the
Education Dept. Director if ever unsure if whether to provide the interpretives.
These worksheets could be as simple as a scavenger hunt for young children or group activities
where 2 or more students are involved to answer questions.
Tips For Creating Interpretives:
Aim for 3 versions per exhibition:
o Photo scavenger hunt for all ages
o Upper elementary/middle school age version
o High school version
Consider the exhibition space when creating the interpretives. For example, choose items
for the photo scavenger hunt that are spread throughout the gallery.
Make all questions and instructions as clear, concise, and explicit as possible.
Be sure to leave adequate room to write/draw responses.
Questions should allow students to make personal connections while also providing a
basis for further discussion and critical thinking as a group.
For the two middle and high school interpretives, aim for between 2 and 4 questions on a
one hour tour. If you have more questions than you have time/space for, consider
incorporating them into a pre/post activity.
When possible, create opportunities to highlight different learning styles. For example,
have a question that involves sketching as a response or have pre-K students respond to a
piece of art kinesthetically.
Before incorporating interpretives into tours, be sure to get feedback from staff (and do a
trial run with at least one of the interpretive if possible.

Page | 37
Here are a few sample interpretives for children in grades K-5th:

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