CIG Flathead Valley Community College May 2020

Certified Interpretive Guide Training Course

May 18-21, 2020
Flathead Valley Community College
777 Grandview Drive, Kalispell, MT 59901
Instructor: Christiane Hinterman
Registration Cost: $265 (Certification is an additional $150)



Flathead Valley Community College, in partnership with the National Association for Interpretation (NAI), is offering a training course for individuals in the field of Interpretation. It is designed for individuals who deliver interpretive programs or have contact with the public at interpretive sites.

With fair temperatures, snow capped mountains, rushing rivers, and a lush green valley floor, the month of May is an ideal time to visit NW Montana. The Flathead Valley Community College hosts this course on its wonderful state of the art campus within close proximity to lodging, food, the well-known resort town of Whitefish, and best of all, Glacier National Park. Just a 35-minute drive can take students to breathtaking views of Lake MacDonald and trail heads leading to stunning scenery. The month of May also offers a time of less tourists and the unique opportunity to experience walking or biking the famous Going to the Sun Road before it opens to vehicles within the National Park.

Christiane Hinterman has been teaching the CIG course for 6 years and loves to share her passion with those who join her. With 20 years of experience in various interpretive capacities Christiane offers a dedicated approach to helping students gain and hone their skills. She works tirelessly to help everyone find their unique voice and individual passion to share with the world. She hopes you will consider the journey! Morning and afternoon snacks and beverages provided.

Course Options

There are two options for this course.

Option one: take the course without obtaining certification.  

Option two: take the course and add certification as a Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG). You will pay an additional fee for certification and you must complete an open book Core Literature Review exam. The CIG lasts four years and comes with a complimentary one year membership. If you are already a member of NAI we will add your complimentary membership onto the end of your current membership.

The CIG Program

The nationally recognized Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) program is designed for anyone in the interpretive field. Whether you’re a new hire, a professional looking to refresh your skills, or beginning a second career, this course will aid you in improving your presentation techniques. The course combines the theoretical foundations of the profession with practical strategies in delivering quality interpretive programming to visitors.

This 32-hour course includes:

  • The history, definition, and principles of interpretation.
  • Techniques on how to make your programs purposeful, enjoyable, relevant, organized, and thematic.
  • How to use tangible objects to connect your audience to intangible ideas and universal concepts.
  • The 3 certification requirements needed to obtain a CIG (open book CORE Literature Review exam, program outline, and 10 minute interpretive presentation).

Texts Used in the Workshop

During this course, the books on interpretation listed below will be mentioned and some of their ideas explored. They are what the open book Core Literature Review exam covers and are useful texts for any interpreter to read. You are not required to purchase these texts for the course and a loaner set of these books will be provided by your instructor during the class for those who choose to add certification. If you would like to buy your own set for use during the class or for your own library, you can order them from NAI’s online store as individual books or as a package and listed under “Core Review Library Package”.  Click here to go to the NAI Store. 

Member Discount: Those choosing to apply for certification will receive a complimentary one year membership to NAI. Memberships will become active within a couple of days of registration and will allow you to purchase course books and other registrations at the discounted member rate. Once memberships become active, you will receive a receipt via email letting you know that you are all setup. Current NAI members will receive a one year extension on their current membership. If you are registering for $0, your membership will become active when you are certified.

 The texts are:

  • Interpreting Our Heritage, by Freeman Tilden (4th Edition, U. of North Carolina Press, 2007)
  • The Gifts of Interpretation, by Larry Beck and Ted Cable (Sagamore Publishing, 2011)
  • Personal Interpretation: Connecting Your Audience to Heritage Resources, by Lisa Brochu and Tim Merriman (National Association for Interpretation, 2015)
  • Interpretation: Making a Difference on Purpose, by Sam H. Ham (Fulcrum, 2013)

Further Information

For more information about the course, please contact Christiane Hinterman at christianehinterman@hotmail.com or call (970) 485-4854.

For more information on local dining, lodging etc. please contact the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce: (406) 758-2800

For more information about the Flathead Valley Community College please contact the Continuing Education Office: (406) 756-3832

Special Terms and Cancellations

Cancellations must be made in writing and emailed, postmarked, or faxed by May 3, 2019. A nonrefundable processing fee of $50 will be assessed. Emailed cancellations should be sent to registration@interpnet.com. Cancellations cannot be made by phone.

No refunds will be given after May 3, 2019.
When
5/18/2020 - 5/21/2020
Where
Flathead Valley Community College 777 Grandview Drive Kalispell, MT 59901 UNITED STATES
Online registration not available.

Sign In

Please note: you must be logged in to the NAI website to register for this event.

If you have never had an NAI account, please choose Create an Account below.

If you are a current or previous member of NAI and have problems retrieving your login credentials, please email login@interpnet.com.

If your event registration fees come to $0, you will need to continue to the payment page and proceed through all of the payment steps (you will not be asked for a credit card number) to finalize your registration.
Need to pay with multiple payment cards?
If you need to pay with two cards, please proceed to register for the base registration and anything else that can be added to that card. Proceed to checkout and pay for the registration. Once you have completed that step, come back to the registration page and add any additional events. When you proceed to the payment page again, you will be asked to reenter your payment information.

Already registered but want to add something else?
If you've already registered but want to add additional items, just come back to this page. You will be able to edit your additional events until about two weeks before events.

Wanting to add a second ticket for something you are already registered for? You will have to remove the first ticket and add 2 tickets (or however many you want) back on to your registration.