Interviewing Your Family Members
From Genealogy Online for Dummies
Here are a few tips to remember as you plan a family interview:
Before interviewing family members, prepare a list of questions that you
want to ask. Knowing what you want to achieve during the discussion can
help you get started and keep your interview focused.
You may want to bring a tape recorder for the interview. However, make
sure that you get the permission of each participant before you start taping.
Use photographs and other documents to help your family member recall
events.
Try to keep your interviews to two hours or less so that you're not
overwhelmed with information and the interviewee doesn't get worn out by
your visit. And remember, you can always do another interview if
you want more information from the family member. (Actually, we really
encourage you to do subsequent interviews. Often the first interview will
stimulate memories for the individual that you can then cover during
another interview.)
We're not sure how to politely phrase this next tip, so excuse us for being
blunt. You may want to begin interviewing some of your older relatives as
soon as possible, depending on their ages and health. If a family member
passes on before you arrange to interview him or her, you may miss the
opportunity of a lifetime to learn more about previous generations.
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