Notes from Cynthia Stokes Brown's Like it was: A complete guide to writing oral history

Paying attention is very difficult work... Listening well is much more important than consulting a list of questions, especially if your narrator wants to talk. Nevertheless, it helps to have prepared the questions. Writing down the list makes you think through what you hope to get on tape (or paper) and gives you practice in generating good questions. Also, having the list helps you feel confident that you know what you are doing.
Make a short list of general questions you would like to ask. You will need to personalize them when you are actually talking with your narrator. After the interview you can check off the ones you covered and remind yourself to ask the others at the next interview.
After you've decided whom you want to interview, write down ten reasons why you chose this person to interview. What is it about this person that interests you? Now take your list of reasons and develop out of it some questions to ask. What kinds of question words are more likely to produce interesting responses? Are any of your questions "leading"? That is, do they lead your narrator to give a certain answer that agrees with what you think, or with your expectation of what the narrator thinks? Interviewers should refrain from indicating their own opinions and expectations. Analyze your questions to see whether they reveal your attitude; all too often they do.
Don't be afraid to ask questions in order to get beyond the surface answers. This can be difficult. But in an interview the usual roles for social conduct do not apply; you are likely to be rewarded for boldness.
Answers that are interesting include not just information, but also feelings and interpretations. What does your narrator's life mean to him or her? How does he or she make sense of it? What are the main themes?
If your narrator is a big talker, your job as interviewer will be easier. If you narrator is quiet and shy, you may need to come back several times before he begins to feel comfortable. Good listeners remind their narrators that they are right in there listening by making comments such as "Uh huh," "Really?" "What next?" "Just what I needed to know," "Go on." These non-directive comments are often better than questions; they keep your narrator going without steering his remarks in any particular direction.
Don't expect to be able to complete an interview in just one visit; plan to come back a second and third time. You and your narrator will both appreciate having time to reflect about what came up during the first interview, and during the second or third you will both be able to achieve greater depth.
Remember that interviews are unpredictable. Narrators will respond in ways that you didn't expect; surprising topics will emerge that suddenly seem more important than what you had planned. Go with these surprises--play detective--follow your instincts.
Even if your interviews are going extremely well, some of your questions might be painful or discomforting to your narrators. Some aspects of their lives will be difficult to discuss. If your narrator is uncomfortable, drop it for now. Come back to it later from a different angle when you have established a closer trust. Life has its dark side, and to leave it out is dishonest. Conflict, challenge, obstacles, tragedies--these are the times when a person's real spirit emerges.

Practical Tips for Interviewing

1. Making Arrangements

Make a visit to your potential narrator to describe what you want to do and to solicit his cooperation. Agree on a time and place for the interview, give them an idea of the topics you want them to talk about, and suggest about thirty minutes for the first interview. Describe how you intend to use your story and ask permission from your narrator.

2. Setting Up

Try to minimize interruptions. Find a place well away from other people. Having spectators doesn't work--they can't avoid jumping into the conversation. (Trying to interview two narrators also doesn't work; they often contradict each other and even argue. Do this only if both narrators were present at the same event you are investigating.) Make sure your narrator is comfortable; don't let him give you his favorite chair.

3. Interviewing

It's a good idea to take notes. The main things to jot down are questions and topics that you want to come back to, or questions you didn't get to ask because you didn't want to interrupt. It is also a good idea to jot down the names of people and places that the narrator mentions. That way you can check the spelling with the narrator after the interview. Remember to let the narrator chat in a natural way. Don't hustle him along by rapid-fire questions. Ask only one at a time. Give him time to reflect. Silence is wonderful; use it to jot down a note rather than to leap in with another question. Usually the narrator will reveal the most sensitive material only after hesitating; if you rush in with a question, you will miss it.

4. Ending the Interview

Interviewing is tiring; stop before both or you are exhausted. Agree on a future time and place; plan with the narrator what topics you want to cover next. Ask the narrator how he is feeling about the interviews. Is he enjoying them? Could anything be done to make them more pleasurable?