Home > Just for Kids > Oral History > Tips for Starting Out

Checklist for Getting Started

• Choose a topic
• Decide on the questions to ask
• Research your topic
• Plan for about an hour-long interview
• Practice interviewing

More Specifically:

1. First, think about what you would like to find out about the past. You can explore just about any topic that interests you. It can be a broad topic, or a specific one:
   • Ethnic background. What was it like to grow up African American? Italian American? Irish American? Haitian?
   • Immigration Experience. What was it like to come from another country to live in the U.S.?
   • Cities and Towns. What was going on in their town or city during a certain time?
   • Childhood. What was growing up like for that person when he was your age? What games and toys did they play with? What kind of food did they eat? What style of clothing did they wear?

2. Do a little digging and research the topic you have chosen.
   • Go to the library and look for information on the subject
   • Search the Internet and see what you can find out
   • Look at old magazines for pictures and old advertisements of the time
   • Visit your town or city museum or local historical society; they might have information on your topic, and someone there could help you find material on the topic
   • Watch films or videos on the topic

   The research you do will help you think of questions to ask, and help you to know something about your topic. It will impress the person you are interviewing that you know about the past already, and help make you an informed interviewer.
3. How long should your interview be? Usually 45 minutes to an hour is a good amount of time. You can always ask the interviewee to speak with you if you have more questions.
4. Practice the interview. Work with a small group of other students or friends. One person can be the interviewer who asks the questions, one can be the interviewee, who answers and tells his/her memories, and one can be he observer, who can objectively watch how the interview goes and make suggestions after it is over. You can discuss as a group what worked well, and what you would like to improve upon for next time. Then the three of you can switch roles and practice again.