Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) Training at the Houston Zoo

Certification sponsored by the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) and the Houston Zoo

Certified Interpretive Guide Program (CIG)
The mission of NAI is to inspire leadership and excellence to advance natural and cultural interpretation as a profession.  Their certification program is one of the many services designed to further the work of the profession.  One certification offered by NAI is for CIGs.  The goal of the CIG program is to provide consistent, high quality training for people who have had little or no opportunity to learn about interpretation or who want a refresher course on the basics of presenting interpretive programs.  The CIG credential recognizes that the student understands and can successfully apply the NAI-accepted principles of interpretation to deliver high quality programming.  The credential is particularly important to employers who hope to gain a competitive edge in the marketplace by providing Certified Interpretive Guides to their visitors.

CIG Course Requirements
The CIG program focuses on development and delivery of personal programs.  It is designed to cover the basics of interpretation theory and practice.  The following elements are required components that must be included in every workshop(using NAI materials):

• Overview of interpretation profession
  • NAI past, present and future
  • Description of the certification process
  • Definition and principles of interpretation
• Audience and Resource Research
• How, when and why it is done
• Program Development
• NPS interpretive equation
• Linking tangibles to intangibles and universal concepts
• 5 elements of interpretation (PEROT)
• how to complete a presentation outline
• Program Delivery
  • Interpretive communication techniques
  • Informal interpretation and the interpretive log
• Certification Requirements
  • Open book literature review
  • Presentation outline        
  • 10-minute presentation
• Evaluation of Instructor

The Setting
Your experience will be a naturally wild experience at the Houston Zoo!  We will mix the 4 days of learning with hands-on on activities, group activities, and animal viewing in an outdoor and classroom setting.  We will break for lunch each day, and you may bring a sack lunch or you bring money to purchase your lunch at Zoo concessions.  If you need to make reservations for hotel lodging, please contact us.  Sessions begin promptly at 8am and end at 5pm each day.  (Be sure to allow for Houston traffic in your commute.)

Training Options
All students must complete the 32-hour training course; however, each student may determine if they want to be certified, join NAI as a member, or just purchase the materials required for the course.  Each student certified as a CIG receives a certificate and a NAI souvenir item.  They even receive authorization to use the NAI logo on their business cards and add CIG after their name!

ACTION: Review the following items and return the registration form for each student.  Please remember this training is limited to twenty students. All students must attend all four days of training.

***NOTE  -  Payment towards certification does not guarantee certification.  You must obtain 80% on your open-book exam, complete a program outline, and present a 10-minute graded interpretive presentation. 

**Optional expense:  $130 for certification library
This set is a valuable reference library to which you’ll refer throughout your career. The six texts, which are necessary for completion of the open-book literature review, will be provided for student use during the workshop; however, for those who wish to purchase their own texts, NAI offers a discounted package price of $120 + $10 shipping. You may call NAI at 888-900-8283, ask to order the “certification library” and have these books shipped to you directly. You can also order them online on their website at http://www.interpnet.com/store/acatalog//Publications_Page_1.html
To view NAI's bibliography web page for a description of the book set, go to the following page…  http://www.interpnet.com/interpnet/miscpages/programs/certification_bibliography.htm

• Environmental Interpretation: A Practical Guide for People with Big Ideas and Small Budgets by Sam Ham
• Interpreting Our Heritage by Freeman Tilden
• Interpretation of Natural and Cultural Resources by Douglas M. Knudson, Ted T. Cable and Larry Beck
• Interpretation for the 21st Century by Beck and Cable
• Sharing Nature with Children by Joseph Cornell
• Interpreting for Park Visitors by Bill Lewis

Instructor Information

Tara Tucker, CIT
Houston Zoo
Interpretive Coordinator
713-533-6543
TTucker@houstonzoo.org

Andrea Anders, CIT
Houston Zoo
Interpretive Coordinator
713-533-6549
AAnders@houstonzoo.org

Please download and complete this form and mail with check made out to HZI to:
Houston Zoo Accounts Receivable
1513 North MacGregor
Houston, TX 77030

Space is not confirmed until payment is received. 
For questions, contact: TTucker@houstonzoo.org