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Brigidine College Library
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Genre Writing |
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Oral History Interview |
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Oral History is a personal, highly
subjective picture of the past in people’s own words. It is as old as humanity.
Some views of historians:
Oral History ‘individualises’
history.
Oral History is indispensable to the
historian’s goal of capturing the full human story and giving it meaning.
Oral History provides a space in
which both the interviewer and interviewee can explore the ways people make
sense of their lives.
Research the time period, theme, group
etc you have chosen to focus on for your oral history, and of which your
interviewee is representative.
Frame your questions.
Arrange a preliminary meeting with
your interviewee. This helps break the ice and prepare for the recording
session. Explain the purpose of the
interview.
Give the interviewee a chance to
read your prepared list of questions.
Ask the interviewee if they have any
photos, objects, newspaper or magazine clippings etc which they might be
prepared to locate and make available at the interview. You might be able to
arrange to photocopy or scan relevant photos or documents – But remember, they
are very precious. If your person agrees to loan them to you for this purpose,
you must make whatever arrangements necessary to protect them.
If you are recording the interview,
organise the use of a cassette recorder, make sure you are confident with using
the equipment, and that you have practised with it. Use a separate microphone
rather than an inbuilt one – the sound quality is better, especially with two
people speaking.
Check with your teacher if a Legal
Release is necessary. These confirm to the interviewer and the interviewee that
the information will be used in an agreed way. A simple form could look like
this:
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Legal Release Form I, …………………………….. (interviewee’s
name) give my permission to ………………………………. (interviewer’s name) to use this
interview, or part of it, for research for a school assignment. I also give
my permission for copies to be lodged in ………………………Library for the use of
other genuine researchers. Signed ………………………………………..
(Interviewee) Date …………………………………….. Interviewer …………………………………… |
Have your questions prepared in advance,
in broad groupings or themes eg Daily life, Politics and government, The Media
etc.
Use the Funnel Approach in writing
questions, always moving from the general to the specific.
Clear communication is essential, so
only one concept or issue should be included in a question, which should always
be brief.
The most effective questions are
worded as simply as possible. Avoid technical jargon, teenage slang,
colloquialisms or any language which the interviewee may not be familiar with,
including overly-sophisticated language which the interviewee for one reason or
another may not recognise or understand eg Pauline Hanson and her ‘Please
explain…’ when asked if she was ’xenophobic’.
Do not phrase questions in a way that
suggests a response or presupposes a certain state of affairs or attitude eg do
not assume that the interviewee disliked Joh Bjelke-Petersen and loved Gough
Whitlam just because you or your parents might feel that way.
Avoid any hypothetical questions eg
‘What would you have done if …?’; ‘What would you have thought of …?’.
Ask questions that require more than
a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer. Ask ‘Why?’, ‘How?’, ‘Who?’ eg ‘How did you feel when
…?’, ‘What did you think about …?’.
Remember – you are looking for the informal and personal aspects, the
emotions and relationships which give the human dimension to hard facts.
DO
Conduct the interview in a
non-threatening, relaxed environment, possibly in the interviewee’s home.
Ensure there is no background noise
or distractions like televisions, air conditioners etc.
Try to have only one narrator
present.
Check your recording equipment just
before your start.
Be understanding and sympathetic.
Show interest and respect for the
person and what they know.
Listen carefully, and keep eye
contact.
Break for refreshments if necessary
– continual talking can be tiring.
DON’T
Talk too
much.
Worry about brief periods of silence
– let the interviewee collect their thoughts.
Ask questions that have already been
answered.
Be judgemental and debate or argue
with the interviewee, even if you think their recollection or their view is
incorrect.
Ask too many questions at once.
Be clever and make the interviewee
feel inferior.
Ask for more information on a topic
that may be distressing to the interviewee.
Fail to follow up with probing
questions at important points, even if they weren’t in the original questions –
sometimes this can be your best information.
Interrupt a good story because you
have thought of another question or because your narrator is straying from the
planned outline.
Allow the interview to last longer
than 40-60 minutes. Arrange another time if necessary and the interviewee is
willing.
Don’t rush off, unless the
interviewee has other commitments. Take a little time to chat, perhaps over a
drink. This allows a natural winding-down of the session, which is especially
important if emotional issues have been discussed.
Ask if there is anything else the
interviewee wanted to discuss. If you feel you have not covered all you need
to, arrange a date for another session (if this is convenient to the
interviewee).
Thank the interviewee for their time
and assistance, and assure them they have made a valuable contribution to your
research.
Arrange any photocopying or scanning
of the interviewee’s personal items in a secure and safe manner. Return these
as soon as possible.
Ask if the interviewee would like to
read a copy of the transcript and/or final product. Organise delivery if
necessary.
Write a ‘Thank you’ letter to
express your appreciation of the interviewee’s time and assistance.
Compiled
by J. King
August
2003