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Oral History Interviewing
"We wondered if we would have ever heard these stories..."
Oral history interviewing is a natural process really.
We
all grew up listening to the stories our parents and granparents told.
We'd ask our parents, grandparents and other relatives questions
and then sit back and listen to the stories.
Oral history interviewing is the process of gathering these stories and preserving them. We worry about "doing it right" to the point of paralysis. Don't fall into this trap. My experience conducting oral history interviews has been with my parents, in-laws and then informal "interviews" with interesting people that I've met along the way. Many
of the stories that our parents told were stories that we'd heard
before. We were happy to be getting those recorded finally.
But even more exciting, were the stories told that we had never
heard before. We wondered if we would have ever heard these
stories if not for sitting down and formally just doing oral family history.
...And you know something else? Both
of our parents loved the process. Once they got started talking
... they had a great time and reveled in their memories. Tips For Conducting a Successful Oral History Interview
1.
Before interviewing anyone, give
advance warning.
Interviewers
should
explain what they want to do, why they want to do it, and why
a
person is important to them and their research.
2.
An interviewer should be
prepared
before the interview
by finding
out
about a relative. Where does this person fit into the family? What
documents
might he or she have? What other genealogical items might
this
person have? Whom did this person meet that no one else knew, or
whom
might he or she remember best? Where did this person live? As
much
information as possible should be gathered ahead of time about
this
person's relationship to everyone in the family.
3.
Interviewing requires structure, so questions
should be thought out
beforehand.
List questions on a sheet of paper, organized by subject.
An
easy way is to organize chronologically beginning with the early
years.
4.
Summarize
what's already known
so that the interviewee can verify
the
facts. Then ask for more detail.
5.
Remember, ask
open-ended questions.
"What do you remember most
about
your first apartment?" or "Tell me about your relationship
with your
sisters"
may yield something unexpected and wonderful.
6.
Use a tape
recorder but don't depend
on it solely.
A small recorder
usually
doesn't disturb anyone, and it catches every bit of information,
including
the way interviewees sound and exactly how they answer
questions.
However, tape recorders have a way of stopping just when
there's
important information-without any sign to the interviewer. So a
backup
notebook is a necessity.
7.
During the interview, write
down
names and dates,
and double-check
them
with the interviewee. Facts are important, but the most important
information
interviewees offer are their stories. Try to capture not only
the
way they talk but their colorful expressions.
8.
Begin with
easy, friendly questions.
Leave the more difficult or
emotional
material for later in the interview, after trust has been
established.
If things aren't going well, an interviewer should save
difficult
questions for another time.
9.
Also, begin with questions about the interviewee. Get
some
background
information about him or her. And
when asking for dates,
relate
them to the interview.
10.
Bring family
photographs
to the interview and use them during it.
Look
for photos, artwork, or documents that will help jog the
interviewee's
memory. Ask the interviewee to describe what's going on.
"Do
you remember when this was taken? Who are the people? What
was
the occasion? Who do you think took the picture?"
11.
Don't be
afraid of silence.
Silence is an important part of
interviewing,
and it can sometimes lead to very interesting results.
Because
people find silence uncomfortable, they often try to fill it if the
interviewer
doesn't, and, in doing so, they may say something that
they
might not have otherwise.
12.
Allow
interviewees time to ponder
their thoughts.
Asking
interviewees
to think back on things they may not have considered in
years
is a challenge. Calling up these memories may spark other
thoughts,
too.
13.
Be ready to ask
the same question in
different ways.
People don't
know
how much they know, and rephrasing a question can give more
information.
14.
Ask to see any
family treasures
belonging to the interviewee. When
interviewees
bring out an heirloom, they should be asked to describe it.
What
is it? How was it used? Who made it? Who gave it to them? Ask if
there
are any stories connected with it, or any documents.
15.
Be sensitive.
Sometimes people become emotional talking about the
past.
They may remember relative’s long dead, or forgotten tragedies. If
an
interviewee is upset by a memory, the interviewer should either
remain
silent, or quietly ask, "Is it all right if we talk some more
about
this?
Or would you rather not?" People frequently feel better when
they
talk
about sad things. Give the interviewee the choice of whether or
not
to go on.
16.
Try not to
interrupt.
If the interviewee strays from the subject, let
him
or her finish the story and then bring them back on track. Not
interrupting
makes the conversation friendlier, and may lead to
something
unexpected.
The
preceeding tips were adapted from an article written by Mr. Bob Brooks.
More great articles written by Mr. Brooks can be found at bobbrooks.com

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