Publishing Oral History Interviews

• Choose a quiet space with minimal background noise
• Properly position the recording devices in the interview space 

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Start with a brief interview introduction that states the date and location of the interview, the names of the interviewer and the interviewee, and the topic of the interview.

Example:

“This is [the name of the interviewer] interviewing [the name of the interviewee] for [the topic or project name]. Today’s date is [MM, DD, YYYY] and I am at [the location of the interview]. I am here today to talk with [the name of the interviewee] about [subject the interviewer will be asking about]. Thank you for participating in [the topic or project name]....” 

• Both the interviewer and the interviewee should discuss in advance the approximate length of the interview. Even if the interview has been scheduled for a specific duration, it can be unexpectedly longer or shorter depending on the flow of the interview process. The interviewer should be flexible and adaptable and be prepared for the interview to diverge from the scheduled time and adjust their approach accordingly.
• While giving open-ended questions to the interviewee and actively listening to them, the interviewer should ask them follow-up questions which can probe deeper into their stories or clarify information. For example, open-ended questions, like “Tell me about…” or “What do you remember about …”, promote detailed responses, while follow-up questions, like “How did that make you feel?” or “Can you give me an example?”, help in expanding the narrative.

Depending on the nature of the interview questions, the interviewer could give the interviewee an opportunity to add any other questions which had not been covered in the interview. For example, the interviewer could ask the interviewee, “If there anything you would like to add that we have not covered in this interview?”

The relationship between the interviewee and the interviewer is very important for Oral History projects. After the interview, the interviewer should make sure:

• Both the interviewer and the interviewee sign the legal documents:
  • The Interviewee agreement (See, "Forms and Templates")
  • The Interviewer agreement (See, "Forms and Templates")
• The interviewer discusses the timeline to share the following items with the interviewee to review:
  • A copy of the recording
  • the transcript
  • a brief biography (See, "Forms and Templates")
• After the review by the interviewee, the interviewer revises the items listed above if needed.
• The interviewer discusses scheduling any follow-up interviews if needed.