resource center
oral history
of
durham
THE INTERVIEW
This is the day you've been waiting for!
Think of the interview as a dance in which the interviewee leads and you follow. Have an objective in mind for your interview, but be open to other possibilities.
Interview day reminders and tips
Transcribed stream of consciousness reflection on oral history interviewing (written longhand August 30, 2015 and digitally recorded by Stacy Torian on July 19, 2017)
THE WRAP-UP & REVIEW
The interview is over but your work is not done. Now is the time to do the postmortem, i.e. assess what went well, what could have gone better, and what you learned from the experience. You should plan to index your interview as well, so that researchers can easily reference specific parts of the recording.
Post-interview summary and questions
Post-interview indexing template
THE PRE-INTERVIEW
Thinking back to your interview listening experiences, create a list of question topics and actual questions. Keep the questions open ended and do not write too many. Save room for unexpected ideas and themes that may arise.
If possible, have a short phone conversation with the interviewee the day before the real interview. This will help you build rapport with the interviewee and answer any questions the interviewee may have about the process. Confirm name pronunciation, place of birth, and interview topics, as well as the time and place of the interview.
From the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
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THE INTERVIEW
PROCESS
