This session is an opportunity to meet the Volunteer Programs and Visitor Services staff and learn more about the Powerhouse, the volunteer role and volunteer systems.

Read the Volunteer Induction information
Complete Quiz 1

The aim of this session is to help you become familiar with delivering activities at Powerhouse Castle Hill.  Activity Stations are hands-on learning experiences that connect visitors with our collection and exhibitions. These could involve:

• Props that visitors can touch and use
  
• Making activities where visitors create something and learn a new skill

Step 1: Watch & Reflect

Watch this video about See Think Wonder and think about how you would deliver an activity.

Step 2: Plan Your Approach

Consider:

• Introduction: How would you introduce the activity?
• See-Think-Wonder: What questions would you use?
• Storytelling: What stories will you share? Can visitors contribute their own?
• Engagement Techniques: How will you encourage visitors to share their experiences?
• Connections:
  
  • How does the activity relate to arts and sciences?
  • How does it connect to objects on display?

Step 3: Submit Your Response

1. Written Response: Submit a short written plan outlining your approach and email it to volunteer@powerhouse.com.au

The aim of this training is to help you become more familiar and comfortable with delivering story time. Story Time is an opportunity to uncover and explore themes of the Powerhouse Collection, through well-known children’s stories that link with objects that are on display. Story Time can be paired with Tours, Discovery Stations, Craft activities and more stories. 

At the end of the session, please complete Quiz 3 here

Take the time to read the story books and think about…  

• What is the main theme or themes present in each book?  
• What 2-3 key points will you stop to mention/ask questions/emphasize to the group?   

STORYTIME FUNDAMENTALS

Introduction 

• • Introduce yourself and the book, tell your audience what to expect in the story. 
    
  • Read the story, making sure you leave room to pause and ask questions. This strategy will give you a greater chance of holding the group’s attention.
    

Conclusion 

• • Wrap up the story so the audience knows it is finished. People want to clap, they just are not sure when to!
  • Using the See, Think, Wonder strategies included in the training below, link today’s book to an object or exhibition and encourage guests to visit them. If you have time you are welcome to take them yourself.  

Tips

• Practice reading the story out loud 
• If you stumble, don’t interrupt the story further with apologies, just move on!
• Make note of where in the story you might add a facial expression, an exaggerated sound or action. You might even encourage the audience to join in with the sound or action.

Tips for Storytelling 
Mem Fox Tips for Storytelling 
Betty White reading Harry the Dirty Dog

The aim of this session is to provide an overview of how Museums create labels and to get hands on practice writing short narratives.  

Choose an object currently on display that aligns with a theme of your preference, emphasising Applied Arts and/or Sciences. Further information about these objects can be found at https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/.

1. Compose an introductory label consisting of 100 words.  Read more about why Museums keep labels short

2. Craft a story ranging from 300 to 500 words, keeping in mind the guidelines below.

Add your stories to Quiz 4

TIPS ON WRITING STORIES
Using the acronym S.U.C.C.E.S.S Chip and Dan Heath refer with each letter to a characteristic that can help make an idea “sticky”. Watch the video here.

• • Simple: Make sure to communicate (only) the core of your message and to keep this core compact. Use creative analogies, refer to what people already know and don’t explain too much.  
  • Unexpected: Get people’s attention by surprise or by making them aware of something they do not (yet) know. Beware not to be too funny: it distracts. It’s better to do something unexpected with something everybody knows. 
  • Concrete: Good ideas are as tangible as fairytales and urban legends. Provide the context, stay away from statistics, keep it human and refer to what people already know and accept. (“Before this decade is out, (…) landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth…”) 
  • Credible: Credibility can come from inside and outside of the idea. External credibility is when somebody credible tells an idea. Internal credibility (which is more relevant to us) comes from convincing details, clear comparisons (“If we were a soccer team, only two of us would know where to score”) and showing success in extreme or really private cases. (“If it succeeded there, it will succeed everywhere.”) 
  • Emotional: There’s a lot of ways to make an idea emotionally relevant to people. Offer them relief or give them something to worry about, address their identity (“In other museums…”) and pick your adjectives carefully (How unique is unique?). 
  • Stories: A good idea is a story that can be told over and over again. It’s like an anecdote and people will remember it. To make sure your idea does, make sure it stimulates people (visualisation is a strong tool there) and inspires them by challenge, connection or creativity (a surprising plot). 
  • Share Stories: What stories/ experience do your visitors want to share?

The purpose of this module is to create and present a concise object talk. You have the flexibility to record it as a podcast, or write it as a blog post – the choice is yours. Your objective is to engage the audience and foster a connection with the Collection through your storytelling.

STEPS TO HELP YOU WRITE & PRESENT A 2-3 MINUTE STORY

Step 1: Dive into the Collection Ensure your Short-Talks are anchored in Museum objects, exhibits, or history. It’s essential for effective sharing. Some talks can focus on specific Museum items, while others explore broader topics. Find relevant items at https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/ and list them at the end of your script.

Step 2: Draft Your Story Keep these tips in mind as you write your initial script about your chosen object. Multiple drafts are common before you’re satisfied.

Step 3: Self-Evaluation

• Read your script aloud. Ensure it flows smoothly and makes sense.
• Aim for a 2-3 minute duration.
• Share your script for feedback.
• Remember, your audio should reflect your unique blend of facts, personal memories, anecdotes, and storytelling.

Step 4: Finalize Your Draft When you’re ready to record, use your phone with a microphone app or schedule a live presentation with a Volunteer Program staff member.

Short-Talk Script Tips

What’s Your Short Talk About? Clarify what you want to convey and why. Note the Museum objects you’ll reference, their significance, and your key message.

Style and Emotion Stay inclusive, informative, and uplifting. Your passion for Museum objects is contagious and makes your talk unique.

Structure – A Clear Beginning Start with the name of your object or theme to orient listeners.

An Intriguing Middle Use stories or an overarching narrative to bring the object to life, as you would in a Museum presentation.

Relevance Incorporate personal or professional memories and connections to the modern world.

The WOW Factor Explain why this object deserves attention.

A Satisfying Conclusion End with impact, leaving the audience captivated and informed. Consider standard closing techniques like revisiting your opening, looking to the future, using a quote, or expressing praise and hope.

In this session we explore how to create an activity for a program based on a Powerhouse Museum object. ​

Let’s start by brainstorming together:​

• Pick an object you are interested in from the collection to focus on ​
• Think of a program, celebration, or event you’ve been part of or have attended that connects to the story and idea of your chosen object​
• Decide who your audience is. Who are you creating this for? ​

For further research (optional):​

Once you have an idea of what you’d like to create for your visitors using the above, use the Program form here to write out your activity ideas that link back to your chosen object for an event.​

There’s no right or wrong way to create this as the goal is for us to explore what feels interesting to you and consider the different ways it can engage new visitors. ​

The research you provide will be stored in the Programs ‘ideas’ Library.