QUESTION: While we’re all practicing social distancing, I thought this might be a good time to conduct an oral history with an elderly relative. Do you have any tips for someone who’s never conducted an oral history?
This is indeed a great time to conduct oral history. Take advantage of the accessories provided by platforms like Skype and Zoom; both offer recording features and it can all be done on your end, so there’s little pressure on your parents, grandparents, and loved ones to learn new technology skills.
As for tips on culling a narrative from someone, here are my Five Oral History Commandments, whether you’re doing it in person or on an online platform:
All images from Bell Telegraph Magazine (Internet Archive)
Commandment 1: Prepare the participant. A solid oral history is not thrust upon involved parties spur of the moment. Ask them if it sounds like something they’d like to do and then give them, and the process, sufficient time for it to take place. People appreciate a brief description of what will be discussed. Give them a chance to write notes for themselves if there is a specific anecdote or story they’d like to share. This is their project as much as it is yours. Give them this courtesy.
Commandment 2: Prepare yourself. Are you in a suitable place for recording? Will dogs be barking or lawnmowers and trash collectors be distracting? Have you written down a list of guiding questions to get the conversation started or, more importantly, back on track during a lull? The more prep work you put into this oral history collection, the greater the reward.
Commandment 3: Go in chronological order. When I conducted my oral histories for formal preservation, I did my best to keep the questions in a timeline that followed the participants experiences. Start at the beginning. Work towards the present day. This sounds simple, but it often gets overlooked as a key component to successful oral histories. Sometimes people get so focused on preparing “good questions” that they forget to follow the story.
Commandment 4: Listen. Any questions you have prepared are only there to guide you. Listen to your loved ones as they talk to you about their life. Let their stories inform and inspire relevant follow-up questions. This is not a race to the finish line, nor is it a timed event. Beyond the finished product being a useful artifact of family history, the process is also a moment to savor. That’s difficult if you are skimming your guiding questions while your loved ones are baring their soul.
Commandment 5: Be willing to leave your notes behind and follow the story. This is probably the most critical point in the whole list of commandments. No one can predict what gems might expose themselves during a recording. Everything up to this point is critical up until the moment a life experience of extraordinary consequence is exposed. Moving the conversation “towards the present” becomes less important then. Learn from your elders.
Now is the time to preserve someone’s life experiences, and enrich your own life in the very act of preservation. Now is the time to learn someone’s history.
