There is always that one surface in a space no one is sure what to do with. It’s not a primary location. And there isn’t any content still looking for a home. But we don’t want to leave it empty. What to do? Here’s a simple move that almost always works …

There is a counterintuitive audio engineering rule about how to make something louder. It might sound crazy. But it’s true. To dial something up — don’t dial it up. Dial everything else down. This rule is especially true in certain kinds of physical spaces …

What is the Paradox of Exhibitions? Exhibitions display collection items that we otherwise preserve. Unless they are digital items, they have physical form. We take them out of their root cellars and pantries. We bring them into the light. We destroy them a little.

SVEN: You guys coming to my session, “Objects Speak for Themselves”? PHIL: Yep! MONIQUE: [Gestures with coffee] Yep! PHIL: [Mutters] So untrue. MONIQUE: No, I’m really going. PHIL: I mean his title. It should be “Objects Can’t Speak for Themselves.”

What’s the best way to organize the content in our experiences? What if you learned there were five ways to do it — and only five? Host Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners) does a solo podcast on “L.A.T.C.H.”, the framework proposed by TED founder Richard Saul Wurman.

(Time — the “T” in L.A.T.C.H. — is one of the five fundamental organizing principles of exhibitions. See them all here.) Chronology is a common exhibition structure. But there are more twists on it than you think. Here are five:

Quick, what’s your new exhibition based on?
A. Thing-based
B. Idea-based
C. Wait, is this a trick question?

Do exhibits really teach? Do they really present big stories well? Is personalization really a must? Are exhibits getting ... better? Matt Kirchman joins me to debate Six Provocative Questions. But buckle your seat belts — these are called provocative for a reason.

Religion. Politics. Gender. Discuss. Controversial topics are part of the museum mission. And they attract public interest. But divisive themes can also cause bad PR, and jeopardize the mission. How can an exhibition court controversy with less risk?

A. Whenever possible, use a unique organizing principle. It creates a unique exhibition automatically. B. For all other times, there is LATCH. Richard Saul Wurman, co-founder of TED, popularized LATCH in the 90s: Location, Alphabet, Time, Category, Hierarchy.

Fuzzy little words get projects in trouble. I once saw a major exhibition in a year-long tailspin because people assumed different definitions for “script” in a contract. Saying “you are responsible for the script” is like saying “you are responsible for the building”. Yeah? Which part?

(I’ll hear about this one.) We all love good copy. But the script isn't why visitors come. An exhibition is not a book on a wall. Any visual medium — exhibitions, documentary films — should get developed visually. Visuals first, script later. How much later? 

Every visitor experience communicates five types of content, in this order. Inspiration > Persuasion > Orientation > Information > Education. Every experience has all five, even if some are minor…

A poem: Inspiration first. / If you inspire them first, / You can educate. / It will never work / In the other direction. / Not in exhibits. / We can’t say, “Now learn!” / We must woo the audience. / Immerse them first. Quick.

Exhibitions, like movies, are primarily visual. You can watch good movies with the sound off. Some films have no words at all. But you can’t have one with only words. Exhibits are the same.

Let’s test that real quick. Which would you rather visit?