First, you will need to decide which family members you’d like to interview and in what order. It’s usually best practice to start with your oldest family members (grandparents, great aunts and uncles, parents, etc.)
Decide on the scope of your interview
Focusing your scope will make writing your questions easier and make your interview more efficient. Some common interview themes are:
Family history
Personal histories
Historical events
Invite your interviewees
Reach out to your subjects and invite them to the interview. If you and the subject aren’t close, be sure to introduce yourself by saying, “I’m such-and-such’s oldest daughter” or something similar. Explain that you are interested in family history and why you want to do an interview. It helps put people at ease (and make it more likely they’ll say yes!) if you give them an idea of what to expect. Letting your interviewee know if you’ll be recording an interview is also courteous. If you’re doing the interview via phone, check the call-recording laws in your state to make sure your recording is legal.
Prepare and practice your questions
Before the interview, prepare and practice your questions. It’s best to ask open-ended questions (rather than ones with yes or no answers), and to focus on people’s memories and experiences.
Anticipate problems (listed below) and how you’ll respond to them. Don’t send questions ahead of time. It’s helpful to do some preliminary research on your subject so that you can prepare more specific questions and be able to help your interviewee if they struggle to remember a name or a date.
Gather your supplies
Be sure that your device is charged and has sufficient storage space. It never hurts to bring a backup option if you have technical difficulties! Be sure to have your list of questions and something to take notes with.
Bring photos or other memorabilia! It’s true what they say: a picture is worth a thousand words. Photos and other items can help jog your subject’s memory and reveal details, memories and stories that would have otherwise gone unmentioned.
Below are our suggested questions for three different kinds of family history interviews.
Family History
Tell me about your family growing up (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.)
Have you done any family history research? What did you learn?
What family stories were you told growing up?
What traditions did you grow up with? Where did they come from?
Do you have any heirlooms, scrapbooks, home movies?
Personal History
What’s your first memory?
How did your parents meet
Tell me about your childhood home.
What were your favorite subjects in school?
Who was your favorite teacher?
How did you meet your spouse?
Tell me about your wedding day.
Tell me about the day your first child was born.
Tell me about your friends. How did you meet?
Describe your first job.
What was your favorite job and why?
What did you do with your first paycheck?
Who are your heroes?
What were your favorite books, songs, etc.?
Where and when have you been the happiest?
Historical Events
What is one historical event you remember?
What do you remember about that day/event?
How did it affect your life? Life of others and community?
How did you feel about it? How have your feelings changed or not?
What do you remember about other people’s reactions?
Shy or Resistant Interviewees
It could take a while for interviewees to feel comfortable and start opening up, so don’t be surprised if their answers are a little short to begin with. Plan for asking some “warm-up” questions to start the interview (“Tell me about the house where you grew up.”) and don’t be afraid to ask clarifying or follow-up questions (“What was the surrounding neighborhood like?”).
It is also helpful to pause for a few seconds after the interviewee has finished talking to see if they add anything else. Sometimes, people will open up more if you give them an extra opportunity to do so.
Staying Focused
Sometimes, the challenge isn’t getting your subject to talk but getting them to stay on track. If you know they are a talker, it can be helpful to remind them of the goal of the interview before you get started.
If your interviewee gets off track, don’t tune out. You don’t have to be held hostage! Listen and affirm the last thing they said, and then try to bring them back to the question gently.
Ending the Interview
Plenty of interviews wrap up naturally. If you find yourself at the end of your time and need a way to wrap up, you can ask, “What haven’t we talked about that you’d like to discuss in the time we have left?”
Try to stick to your allotted time and be sure to thank your interviewee before you leave.
After the Interview
You did it! You now have a valuable piece of oral history to pass on to future generations. After the interview, ensure you’ve properly organized and preserved the information you gathered.
If you recorded the interview, be sure to download the file and save it in multiple places. Remember, LOCKSS (lots of copies keep stuff safe). You should also create a transcription of the interview.
Also, be sure to organize and back up any notes you took during the interview. As you organize, look for any information you might have missed. You can contact your interviewee for clarification or ask for a follow-up interview if you feel it’s appropriate.
It’s a nice gesture to send your interviewee a thank you note, either in the mail or via email.
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