I honestly believe that my Front of House experience is going to stand me in good stead for my museum career.This was really made clear to me in an incident on the first day of my new placement.

I think that my Front of House experience has:

• boosted my confidence
• improved my communication skills
• given me an understanding of what visitors want from their museum visit
• an understanding of how people act in a museum
• an understanding of how visitors see a museum

Front of House Staff:

• Witness first hand what works and what doesn't in a museum
• Witness and hear what visitors do and do not like
• Can directly impact on whether visitors enjoy their visit or not!
• Should be listened to when they have an opinion or idea for the museum!

I know that this has been blogged about before. See museumuse and The National Museum of American History Are there some more I don't know about?  

For me, my experiences as a Visitor Services Assistant has really influenced how I think about and view museums. What has influenced you?