A Little Advice
by Elise
If you are interested in interviewing older people, or anyone, here is a little advice.
1. Find someone to interview! If you want to interview someone, but don't know who, try interviewing a person who lives alone or doesn't have anychildren or grandchildren.
2. Call them and politely ask if you can interview them. Set up a date, place, and time. Ask them for directions, or, if they are coming to your school, tell them directions. Be specific. You don't want the person to get lost.
3. Decide on at least ten questions to ask. It helps to come prepared. Try to start writing down your questions a week or so before the interview. That way you don't have to worry about not having anything to say. Try asking people about:
Remember: Ask things like what, when, where, how, and why. Also, some questions are better than others in triggering interesting memories and images. For example, you might ask what Christmas morning was like when they were kids, or whether they had a secret, special place they liked to go.
4. For your interview, collect: pencils, paper, a tape recorder, a camera, VCR. Test your equipment before you start out! It is a good idea to bring a little gift. Pick some flowers out of your backyard or bake a batch of cookies. It makes the interview more enjoyable.
5. When you conduct your interview, be kind, courteous, and polite. This is their time and your idea. They are giving YOU the gift of oral history.
When you are finished, say THANK YOU. Follow up with a thank you note and later, a copy of what you write.
6. Now, take your notes and write them in sentence and paragraph form. Tell not only what they said, and what they looked like, but what YOU thought and felt about the experience. Use colorful and descriptive words.
7. Share the stories. Put them together in a book or on the internet. Place them in libraries and distribute them in the community.
GOOD LUCK!
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