Your grandma is by the window today. She’s telling the story about leaving home with just fifty dollars. You’ve heard it before, but you wish you could remember it all. You wish your kids could hear it exactly as she tells it. Sadly you’re not recording.
Oral history interviews capture these stories. They save what makes your family yours. Hence you have to conduct them. But how? Simple! Keep reading for solid tips on how to capture the interviews the right way.
Tip 1: Dig for the Right Story
First things first, go for a story you really want to know. This could be from your dad or your grandma. Don’t overthink whose story sounds super dramatic. Your grandma’s life as a waitress is just as interesting as your dad’s immigration trip. Don’t get picky.
Focus on one person at a time. As nice as it sounds, don’t hold joint interviews. Think about timing too. If your dad has time for a little chit-chat, that’s just perfect. You should interview only when they want to talk and you’re ready to listen.
Now they might tell you their life isn’t interesting enough to record. Believe me, that’s totally untrue. Try asking gently, smile with them. And be specific, most people warm up when you ask specific questions. They just need someone who actually wants to hear their story.
Tip 2: Do a Little Prep Before You Hit ‘Record’
Now don’t wing it completely. Take twenty minutes before the interview to write down your questions. The sweet spot is questions that make your interviewee try to remember the details. You want to steer clear of the usual yes or no questions. Dig deep for the gossip. That’s what the oral interview wants.
Go with themes like Childhood and Young Adult Years. You could also have questions about their family life or work. Whatever themes you pick, prep for it. Draft the questions you want to ask. Some of them will lead to stories that take the conversation for a long ride.
Tip 3: Pick A Comfortable Spot for the Interview
Using a bad location can ruin an interview. Settle for a place your loved one feels comfortable. Somewhere they relax and open up naturally. Their homes are great for a start. Make sure it’s quiet. Turn off the TV. Close windows if there’s traffic noise. Put phones on silent. Tell other family members you need an hour uninterrupted.
Background noise ruins recordings. These noises include the refrigerator humming or ventilators working. The recorder will pick it up. Hence, a quieter spot is preferable. Do an audio test and listen to it. This will help you determine if you got a good enough spot.
Sit close for good audio, but exercise a decent distance still. The recommended distance across a table works well. Next to each other on a couch works too. Moreover, ensure they’re comfortable physically. Do they need water? A cushion? Also, get the right lighting, so they know who they are talking to.
Some people might get nervous when being recorded. Reassure them this is just a conversation. You can stop anytime. They can ask you to delete things. Let them also know roughly how long you plan to interview them. Knowing there’s an end soon often helps people relax.
Start recording before you tell them. Some people stiffen up when they know the recording started. If you’re already rolling when you start, they forget about the recorder soon and you can get the best stories from them.
Tip 4: Leverage Simple Recording Tools
Your smartphone is probably perfect. It can record good audio. Choose basic software on your smartphone. Put the phone on the table but much closer to them than to you. You need to hear the audio clearly, and this would help. Ensure you don’t hold it as moving can distort the audio. Also, turn on “Do Not Disturb” to prevent calls from interrupting the session.
You could also use a mic for much better audio quality. The popular clip-on mics cost about $20 on Amazon and similar platforms. But honestly, phone audio works fine for family interviews.
Some people prefer video. Seeing facial expressions adds something special. Phones work for video too, just prop it up so you’re not holding it. But remember that video takes up way more storage space and is harder to share and preserve long-term.
Whatever device you use, test it first. Record 30 seconds. Play it back. Can you hear clearly? Is it loud enough? Adjust as needed.
Here’s a critical tip: start with more battery than you think you need. Interviews that were supposed to take twenty minutes can go an hour when someone’s really opening up. Having your device die halfway through is heartbreaking.
Bring a backup if possible. Record on your phone and your laptop simultaneously. Or have someone else also record on their phone. If one fails, you have a backup.
After the interview, immediately save the file somewhere safe. Email it to yourself. Upload to cloud storage. Don’t let it live only on your phone where it could get lost if your phone breaks.
Tip 5: Ask Questions that Bring Memories
Their answers depend on how you ask your questions. If you want real stories, be specific with your questions.
Don’t just ask about their childhood, ask about how summer looked like when they were seven. Ask what smells reminded them of childhood home. These will definitely make them smile as they think about those events.
Arrange questions by theme so you’re not asking them randomly. You could spend fifteen minutes on childhood. Then move to adult years or family life. After someone answers, pause. Give them five seconds of silence. Don’t try to correct facts. Just let it go. This is how they remember their life.
Tip 6: Listen More and Interrupt Less
We’re made to break silences. Even worse, you might jump in with our own stories. Don’t do these. Your job is to listen. Not plan your next question while they’re talking. Not check your phone. Just listen.
Make eye contact. Nod. Smile and be natural. Try to wait a while after they finish. Silence often pulls out the best detail. If you must interrupt, make it gentle. Don’t sound like an investigator.
Let them digress. The best stories are those side stories. Someone starts talking about their first job and ends up telling you about their father’s work ethic. That switch may be more valuable than the original question. Lastly, stay in the moment. Put away your phone. They’ll sense it and open up more.
Tip 7: Respect Emotions
Some stories hurt so keep an eye for body language. If a person turns their head or looks uneased, they probably don’t want to continue with that story. My advice: don’t pressure them. If they don’t feel like talking, don’t go asking why. Just respect them and move on.
It’s fine if they cry while telling a story. Have tissues around. Let them cry. Don’t rush to end the silence or make it better. After emotional moments, ask if they want to take a break. That makes them more comfortable.
You can always offer to stop recording during sensitive parts. Then they can decide if they want it on record. Just make them comfortable to share, don’t force it.
Tip 8: Take Notes Along with Recording
Don’t just depend on the recording. Keep a notebook nearby and jot important details like:
- Dates and ages mentioned
- Names of people
- Places and addresses
- Connections you want to follow up on
- Questions that pop up while they’re talking
You don’t need to write everything. But notes help you ask questions without interrupting. You can also use them when organizing the recording later.
Right after the interview, spend ten minutes expanding your notes. Add details you’ll probably forget. Write down any stories they chipped in but didn’t finish off. You can ask about these in your next interview.
Tip 9: Label and Save the Recording Properly
You’ve spent hours recording your family stories. Now you should save them properly.
Name the file clearly. Instead of “Recording_001.m4a”, save it as “Grandma_Mary_Childhood.m4a”
Include details like:
- Who you interviewed
- General topic
- Date of the interview
- Your name if others might add recordings too
Back it up immediately. Consider making a CD or USB drive copy for other family members. Your siblings might want copies too. Even the person you interviewed might want one to keep.
If the audio needs removing background noise or boosting volume, do it to a copy, not the original. Always keep the raw recording. Remember to name both clearly too.
Tip 10: Share and Preserve the Story for the Family
A recording sitting on your computer helps no one. Share it. Make it something the whole family can enjoy.
Simple options:
- Share the audio file directly. Email or text it to siblings, cousins, kids
- Make a transcript. Services like Otter.ai or Rev.com turn audio to text for cheap or free
- Combine the transcript with photos from the era
- Make a simple book and print copies for family members
- Pair old photos with audio clips of the person explaining what’s happening in the picture
- Play these recordings at family gatherings
Consider timing. Share some clips with family right after the interview while the person’s still alive. Don’t wait until after they pass.
Meanwhile try making multiple copies in different formats. Make it easy for everyone to access the stories in any way they want. Update these stories regularly. Interview family members about the same events to get different views. Years from now, descendants you’ll never meet will listen and feel connected to you.
How StoryKeeper Takes It Further
If you want help turning these precious recordings into something truly lasting, StoryKeeper was built exactly for this.
StoryKeeper helps families record and preserve their loved ones’ stories in one organized platform. Upload your audio recordings, add photos from the same time periods, write context and captions. Everything stays connected and organized on a timeline.
What makes it special? StoryKeeper transforms all of this into beautiful keepsake books. It handles all the technical work. You just focus on getting the stories.
The platform uses a one-time payment instead of endless subscriptions. You own everything and can download all your content anytime. Your family stories won’t get locked into a service that might disappear. It’s really like a piggybank for your family stories.
The technical matters less than your intention. You don’t need to be a professional interviewer. You don’t even need the perfect audio quality. You just need to press record and listen.
Some people wait for the perfect time to do this. Meanwhile, the people who hold these stories get older. They probably pass away taking entire lifetimes of wisdom with them.
Start today. Call someone you love and ask if you can record their story this weekend. Write down five questions. The stories are there, just listen and record.
