Tips On Effective Interviewing Techniques In Your Genealogy Search
December 1st, 2008

One of the most difficult parts about genealogy research can be interviewing family members to get their oral histories of the family. Not only is it immensely difficult for you, it can also be very hard on your subjects as well. Instead of simply quitting the interview process, which is what most amateur genealogists do, simply try these tips to increase your interview effectiveness.

First, consider the kinds of questions you are asking in your interviews. Most people consider the standard journalism questions the appropriate question types to ask. Questions like "who, what, when, where, how, and why" are the kinds of questions most people throw at their interviewees. People hate to answer questions like "Where were you born?" People love to answer questions like "What was your wedding like?" Those description questions will help your interview subjects to open up about their lives and tell you everything you need to know. None of them require a simple yes or no answer. All of these kinds of questions will require a thoughtful response that will be a wealth of information for your research. Moreover, it will give you a much richer view of your family research.

When you get ready to arrange an interview, ask yourself what the purpose of your interview is. What kind of information are you attempting to discover? What kinds of things do you need to know before the interview closes? More importantly, you must decide if you are doing simply a facts based interview, or something a little more important. If you are just trying to complete a family tree or a family map, you may only want the facts. If, though, you are trying to compile a family history, a more in-depth interview may be required.

Prepare your questions in advance. This can help you be a guide instead of an interrogator in the interview process. Having a prepared list can help you know both what information your subject is offering is valid and important to your research. If your subject veers off track, you can gently steer them back to where you need them without getting caught in the moment of their story. However, you might be prepared to leave your list if your subject is offering you information on another topic you hadn't considered.

Once you sit down with your interviewee, it is important to put them at ease. The more nervous the two of you are with the process as a whole, the less valuable information you are likely to get. Start by letting them know that these are their memories, and you do not or never will own them. Remind them that they will have the right to look at any information you compile, and that they will have the right to make changes to their part of the information as they deem necessary. You should also help ease their minds by telling your interviewee that they have the right to not answer questions as they see fit. If a question you ask is simply too personal, let them know that they can choose not to answer that question. Not everyone will want every piece of information about their lives to be known, and it can help someone who is being interviewed if they know they have a choice about the questions you are asking.

Any good interview should have a strict time limit. One to two hours is best for most people. If you are interviewing an older individual, you may want to further limit your time. The time limits may also have to be adjusted for those with medical problems. Talking for an extensive amount of time about personal background and history can be a bit taxing to the brain, and it is important to give your subjects time to think and recuperate before you start again.

Be sure to be a good interviewer in all respects. Once you ask a question, listen to the whole answer without interruption. Remember that older subjects tend to pause more than younger subjects and interrupting an individual during that pause can force them to lose their train of thought, which may have been important information for you.

Oral histories are essential for genealogy research, and asking the right kinds of questions and displaying the right kinds of interview behavior can be helpful to that process

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