About Writing Good Questions



Conducting Interviews for your Personal Mythology

Remember Our Purpose:

1. Pick someone from your parents' or grandparents' generations to whom you are close or are just interested in.  You are going to need to have access to this person, so don’t pick someone who lives far away. This can be a relative or someone outside your family.

2. Develop a list of at least 20 interview questions you could ask this person.  Among these questions should be a request to get a tour of their pictures.

3. Set up a time to interview this person. Your need to either tape-record the interview (audio or video) or take detailed notes about their lives.  You may want to take some pictures while you are there.  All notes and pictures from this should be added to your scrapbook.

4. Write a character sketch about this person.  Capture the following:

Ø       The person’s physical presence

Ø       A full sense of the person’s persona – the flavor and facts of their personality

Ø       A feel for their lives, the mood and events that make them who they are

5.       This character sketch in FC form along with your notes and any pictures will be included in your scrapbook.

About Good Interviewing

-if you don't use a tape or video recorder, take notes

-if you do use a tape or video recorder keep it out of the center of focus

-bring a photo or an item that may help start the interview

-interview your source, keep in the background (silence is sometimes OK)

-watch for consistency in the answers, and for conflicts with other sources

-especially with older people, don't rush away after the interview

-ask if you may make a follow-up call

-it may be appropriate to send a thank you letter

 

"There are some essential qualities an interviewer must possess: an interest and respect for people as individuals, and flexibility in response to them; an ability to show understanding and sympathy for their point of view; and, above all, a willingness to sit quietly and listen." (Thompson p. 165)

About Writing Good Questions

-keep questions simple

-don't suggest an answer in a question

-speak the interviewee’s language

-think through an indirect question ahead of time for asking delicate, personal questions

-respect any request not to include certain information

-decide the best order for your questions

 

There are several different kinds of questions that can be used. They often overlap: questions about facts, stories, images & "flavors", values & ideas, and connections to larger history.

GET FACTS: These work well at the beginning of an interview or at the beginning of different sections of an interview.

What is your full name?

When were you born?

Where did you live when you were born?

When was you sister born?

What high school did you attend?

When did you graduate from high school?

What jobs have you had?

 

GET STORIES:

What were you doing when you heard about your brother's accident?

Who decided your family would move?

Tell about the day you first came to the United States.

What was it like traveling alone for the first time?

What were the first few days like after the baby ws born?

What radio or television shows does s/he remember?

What movies does s/he remember?

What music does s/he remember?

What sport events does s/he remember?

What are some of his or her positive memories of work or school? Problems?

GET IMAGES and "FLAVORS":

What did your house/apartment look like from the outside?

What was the general floor plan of your house or apartment?

What foods did you eat on a typical day? On holidays?

What did your kitchen look like?

Describe your toys.

What is an early image of your mother? What hairstyle did she wear? What kind of clothes did she typically wear?

What kind of clothes did you wear everyday? On special occasions?

What medicines or remedies do you remember?

What transportation did you use?

What did your school or job site look like outside? Outside?

What images does s/he have from her/his farm, town or city?

What did you traditionally do on Halloween? Thanksgiving? Christmas? etc.

What arts or crafts were created (woodworking? weaving? etc.)

What did you do for relaxation?

 

GET VALUES AND IDEAS:

What do you remember you father telling you about religion? Was there a saying your mother often repeated to you? How did you know you had done something they did not approve of? Did reading the newspaper affect your ideas about the war in Vietnam? What book influenced you most in college?

 

CONNECT TO LARGER HISTORY:

1930s:

What did your family do to stretch the food, clothing, fuel, etc.? What did your family do, if anything, for extra income? Did anyone in your family work in the C.C.C., the W.P.A., etc.? Did your family or the individual you are interviewing hear about F.D.R.? What memories does s/he have of poverty, his or her own or others?

1940s:

Did someone in your family fight in World War II? If so, where did s/he go? Can s/he describe some of his or her experiences? How long was s/he overseas? Was s/he wounded? What was his or her "job"? Can they explain rationing to you? Do they remember the stamps? Does anyone remember hearing F.D.R.'s request for declaration of war speech? His death? What does anyone remember hearing about Hiroshima? What does s/he remember hearing about the German concentration camps?

You get the idea… adapt your questions to suit your subject.

 

Ideas for interviewing relatives

• Use a video camera on a tripod or solid surface to film the interview.

• Start the camera before the interview begins for a more natural, less self-conscious conversation. If the person being interviewed feels self-conscious, the camera doesn't have to be focused on the interviewee.

• Before interview, state date and location on tape.

• Ease into the interview by asking person how long they have lived at their house.

• Begin with the family shoe box of old photographs, certificates, and documents to be used as a memory jogger.

• Pass one photograph at a time in front of camera lens and ask about each.

• "Label" each photo by asking the who, what, where, when, and why of the photo.

• Try to keep the questions going and be prepared to ad-lib questions to keep the train of thought going.

• When done with photographs, begin interview questions (see suggested interview questions below).

• Use as few or as many interview questions as desired. In some cases, it may be best to conduct several short interviews rather than one very long session. And not all suggested interview questions will apply.

• If the person being interviewed can't remember an answer, move on to the next question and come back to the unanswered question later. Try rephrasing the question to see if that helps better trigger memory.

• If the person being interviewed chooses not to answer a question, move on.

• Sometimes a telephone interview is the only option. Be sure to call in advance to set a convenient time. Take notes during the conversation, and transcribe immediately after the interview.

• And sometimes, an interview by correspondence is the only option. It is usually best to just send a few questions at a time and leave space for the answers. Send a large self-addressed stamped envelope and always send a follow-up thank you note. If the person seems willing, it may be possible to set up a correspondence where you can ask additional interview questions.

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