The article "What is Oral History" gave me a good idea of all of the aspects of oral history. Oral history is basically learning about the past through spoken word. It can range from informal conversations with family members about the past, to recorded interviews, and more. One section that caught my attention talked about interviews. "The best interviews have a measured, thinking-out-loud quality, as perceptive questions work and rework a particular topic, encouraging the narrator to remember details, seeking to clarify that which is muddled, making connections..., evoking assessments of what it all meant then and what it means now."(3) It says that a good interviewer listens carefully to the narrator, gathering information and asking tough questions.
Chapter 3 in Brown's Like it Was: A Complete Guide to Writing Oral History the interview process is discussed in depth. The main points I got from it are as follows:
1. Coming up with productive questions:
Make a list of things that interest you about the person, and then create questions based on them.
2. The author stresses focusing as much as possible on listening to the narrator.
“…Listening well is much more important than consulting a list of questions, especially if your narrator wants to talk.”
But having a list made him more confident and helped him to get a clear idea of what information he needed out of the narrator. When making a list of questions, leave them general so that you can personalize them when actually talking to them. Don’t just read from the paper!
3. Analyzing your questions:
Are they likely to produce boring answers?
Are they leading questions?
Get more perspectives through asking how the subjects’ parents/children/neighbors felt
If you get boring answers, ask follow-up questions
4. Practice!
Chapter 3 in Brown's Like it Was: A Complete Guide to Writing Oral History the interview process is discussed in depth. The main points I got from it are as follows:
1. Coming up with productive questions:
Make a list of things that interest you about the person, and then create questions based on them.
2. The author stresses focusing as much as possible on listening to the narrator.
“…Listening well is much more important than consulting a list of questions, especially if your narrator wants to talk.”
But having a list made him more confident and helped him to get a clear idea of what information he needed out of the narrator. When making a list of questions, leave them general so that you can personalize them when actually talking to them. Don’t just read from the paper!
3. Analyzing your questions:
Are they likely to produce boring answers?
Are they leading questions?
Get more perspectives through asking how the subjects’ parents/children/neighbors felt
If you get boring answers, ask follow-up questions
4. Practice!