Oral History Training - Eastside Community Heritage

I attended the oral history training session, run by Hannah and Fanny from Eastside Community Heritage.  There were 6 volunteers being trained.

Checklist: 
before the interview:
- prepare interview structure
- check equipment.

Take with you:
- Audio recorder
- Spare memory card no less than 2gb
- Camera
- Leaflet about project, with your contact details
- Post it notes for pictures (labelling so you don't forget the details)
- Batteries
- Extension lead

Before turning on equipment:
- Tell them what you are doing and why
- Explain where the interview will be deposited and how
- Explain at the end what will happen to the interview and how it will be used.
- Leave a contact number and name.

Dos and don'ts for oral history interviews

Do

Explain what you are doing
Listen to the interviewee
Ask them to spell their name for the recording
Date of birth
Leave your contact details
Be on time
Ask them where they would like to meet
Check equipment
Ask fi they have any photographs
Take a picture
Stay for a cup of tea.

Don't:

Don't talk too much
Don't keep saying mmmmm - just nod
Don't contradict, argue or challenge even if you don't agree
Don't ask leading questions
Don't ask several questions at the same time
Don't be frightened of silence; people may need a few minutes to gather their thoughts
Don't parade your own knowledge, even if you have done plenty of research and lots of other interviews
Don't write on the back of photographs.

What to ask:

Two types of oral history interview:

The Life Story.

Where you ask people about an event or place or about some particular knowledge.

In practice many interviews are a mixture of the two.

It is important to think through the topics you want to discuss and to have consistency from one interview to another.

- Background, family, childhood, school
- Growing up, relationships, courtship, marriage, divorce
- Work skills, changing practices, wages
- Family, housework, children, health, finances
- Housing, transport, shopping
- Hobbies, sport, entertainment, social life, class, religion, politics.
- Crime, conflict
- Views on life - then and now
- Important events eg world events, second world war, floods
- Environment, building, landscapes, wildlife.