A Brief Guide to Historical Interviews English 8

#1: ATMOSPHERE  Make sure you and your interviewee are both relaxed. Conduct the interview in a place where the interviewee is comfortable with sharing information with you.  If you plan to audio record your subject, ask permission first.

#2: BODY LANGUAGE  Be professional, but warm, with your body language.  Make sure to properly greet the interviewee and thank him or her for granting you the interview.  Sit facing the interviewee throughout and provide good eye contact.

#3: BEGINNING  Always begin the interview with non- threatening topics; don’t dig in to the juicy stuff right away.  Example: “What was it like growing up in Sleepy Eye during the 1950s?”  NOT: “What was the war like? Did you ever kill anyone?”

#4: FLOW  Try not to just conduct an interview; have a conversation with your subject.  Use your interview questions more as a framework than as a map.  If you think of better questions as you go, USE THEM!  If your subject begins telling a story, don’t worry about your next question; LISTEN to the story and take advantage of it!

#5: BE FAMILIAR  Know WHY you chose this subject.  What interests you about this person?  What do you want to know more about?  You should have an idea about this person’s life before beginning the interview; ask friends or family members for help if you need it!

#6: FLEXIBILITY  Be ready to change the course of the interview if you need to.  If your subject seems uncomfortable about some questions, it’s okay to rephrase them or move on.  If your subject really wants to talk about something specific, go with it! Be ready to ask follow-up questions to get as much information as you can!

#7: QUESTIONS  Avoid “yes” or “no” questions; ask questions that begin with “how” and “why” to get the most information.  DON’T: “Did you like living in Sleepy Eye?”  DO: “HOW did you like living in Sleepy Eye and WHY did you feel that way?”

#8: EMPATHY  Always think about how your subject might feel.  Emotions can come up during interviews about a person’s past. THAT’S OKAY! If a subject expresses that he or she doesn’t want to talk about something, don’t push it.  Avoid insensitive questions that might be considered offensive or assumptive. You might ask a parent to review your questions before asking them.

#9: DON’T RUSH IT.  Don’t feel like you have to rush the interview.  Sometimes, a subject will open up more if you wait 5 seconds for a response.  On the same token, it’s okay to cut an interview if it’s going way too long. Just be polite about it.

GOOD LUCK!!!  I’m excited to see how these interviews turn out!