Oral History Institute

Creating a timeless gift of wisdom

  • What is an oral history?

    The human brain is the most sophisticated and complex entity in existence. Compared to the biggest and fastest computer man has created, the human brain wins hands down. Scientists still haven't figured out how a couple of pounds of gray matter can store and recall so much and so quickly. Computers have one important edge: if you back up the information before it crashes, the information can live forever. The oral history interview is the closest thing man has to a back-up system. It's as simple as asking someone to sit down, relax and start talking about his or her life so far. Humans have been doing this for thousands of years, but the information had to be restored in the minds and memories of those who listened to the life story. After several generations, much of what the original storyteller said would vanish or change forms. Today's audio and video recorders enable one generation to pass along the detailed life story intact -- in the voice of the storyteller.

  • Why should I arrange an oral history?

    In time, everyone leaves the world as we know it. The oral history interview allows future generations to learn from and understand the wisdom and circumstances of common ancestors -- long after those ancestors have passed away. This site exists to encourage everyone to arrange for oral history interviews of their beloved elders and then preserve the sounds, images and stories for the children of tomorrow. Consider it a "back up" that could enhance others' lives for centuries or longer.

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  • Oral History Options

    Once you agree that arranging for an oral history of someone you love is one of the greatest gifts you can give to the world of today tomorrow, what are your options? 1. Do a little preparatory homework, gather the minimum audio or video equipment necessary, secure a comfortable and quiet setting and prompt the person to talk. You'll find tips and resources on this site. Advantages: It doesn't cost much to do it yourself. You may already have a good relationship with the person. You will have an idea of many of the topics you hope the person will cover. Disadvantages: You are limited by the quality of the technical equipment and know-how. There may be things the person will not feel comfortable telling to a family member. Your own knowledge can sometimes prevent you from probing in certain areas -- areas you wouldn't have thought applied. 2. Have a trusted friend conduct the interview -- someone who is not close to the person they'll interview. Advantages: Your loved one is likely to volunteer much more information to a stranger that he or she would to a family member. The interviewer will be open to all kinds of information and may ask things that you wouldn't have thought to ask. It's inexpensive. Disadvantages: The same technical problems mentioned above may occur. You cannot control the direction that the interviewer will take, which could result him or her not covering certain topics. 3. Hire a professional to conduct the oral history interview. Advantages: You can be confident that the technical aspects will ensure a high-quality and long-lasting product. The skilled and experienced professional will elicit stories and recollections you never imagined your loved one was capable of expressing, and those stories will come to life in the minds of viewers and listeners long into the future. The professional will better control the environment and will know how to bond personally with your loved one. Your loved one will offer more details to someone who clearly hasn't heard the stories before and has no reason to be judgmental. The professional will be better at remaining quiet and listening. He or she will be more likely to help your loved one drift into what oral historians call "the trance" -- a mental state in which the person seems to journey to the past and remain there. The professional knows to say nothing that could bring your loved one out of that trance. Disadvantages: It will cost a lot more than if you do it yourself or have a friend conduct the interviewer. The audio and video equipment will be of the highest quality and, hence, cost more. You can expect to pay hundreds of dollars for the actual interview and a thousand dollars or more for the post-production -- the creation of the audio or video DVDs. If you wish to include family photographs, old films or videotape, documents, exteriors of important places the person lived or work or even comments from other people, the cost can be very high. Here's what one oral historian told me: "People are willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars for a funeral service and a burial plot. If they invested half of that amount in an oral history interview before their loved one dies, they would have a memorial that lasts forever."

  • If you’re ready to participate . . .

    Once you agree that arranging for an oral history of someone you love is one of the greatest gifts you can give to the world of today tomorrow, what are your options? There are three: you can conduct the oral history of your loved one yourself, you can ask a friend to do it for you or you can hire a professional. All three are good choices as long as the interviewer follows some simple, but strict, guidelines.

  • Do it yourself: advantages and disadvantages

    Do a little preparatory homework, gather the minimum audio or video equipment necessary, secure a comfortable and quiet setting and prompt the person to talk. You'll find tips and resources on this site. Advantages: It doesn't cost much to do it yourself. You may already have a good relationship with the person. You will have an idea of many of the topics you hope the person will cover. Disadvantages: You are limited by the quality of the technical equipment and know-how. There may be things the person will not feel comfortable telling to a family member. Your own knowledge can sometimes prevent you from probing in certain areas -- areas you wouldn't have thought applied.

  • Recruit a friend: advantages and disadvantages

    Have a trusted friend conduct the interview -- someone who is not close to the person they'll interview. Advantages: Your loved one is likely to volunteer much more information to a stranger that he or she would to a family member. The interviewer will be open to all kinds of information and may ask things that you wouldn't have thought to ask. It's inexpensive. Disadvantages: The same technical problems mentioned above may occur. You cannot control the direction that the interviewer will take, which could result him or her not covering certain topics.

  • Hire a professional oral historian: advantages and disadvantages

    Hire a professional to conduct the oral history interview. Be sure to check on the person's experience and insist on seeing samples of his or her completed work. Advantages: You can be confident that the technical aspects will ensure a high-quality and long-lasting product. The skilled and experienced professional will elicit stories and recollections you never imagined your loved one was capable of expressing, and those stories will come to life in the minds of viewers and listeners long into the future. The professional will better control the environment and will know how to bond personally with your loved one. Your loved one will offer more details to someone who clearly hasn't heard the stories before and has no reason to be judgmental. The professional will be better at remaining quiet and listening. He or she will be more likely to help your loved one drift into what oral historians call "the trance" -- a mental state in which the person seems to journey to the past and remain there. The professional knows to say nothing that could bring your loved one out of that trance. Disadvantages: It will cost a lot more than if you do it yourself or have a friend conduct the interviewer. The audio and video equipment will be of the highest quality and, hence, cost more. You can expect to pay hundreds of dollars for the actual interview and a thousand dollars or more for the post-production -- the creation of the audio or video DVDs. If you wish to include family photographs, old films or videotape, documents, exteriors of important places the person lived or work or even comments from other people, the cost can be very high. Here's what one oral historian told me: "People are willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars for a funeral service and a burial plot. If they invested half of that amount in an oral history interview before their loved one dies, they would have a memorial that lasts forever."

  • Resources, tips and Tools

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Cues to get them talking

Posted by donraymedia on May 16, 2009

Some sure-fire topics for your oral history interview

(As sidebar to “So I says to Howard Hughes…” in Los Angeles Magazine, October 1982.)

Okay. So you’re not an interviewer. That doesn’t mean you have to hide from Aunt Minnie. Here are 10 questions that some of Southern California’s sharpest oral historians provided. They swear that these questions will get Mama, Uncle Irv or Gramps talking so much that you’ll feel like Mike Wallace.

  1. Tell me about your grandparents. This one could provide you with a firsthand recollection of someone born back in the 18th Century.
  2. Tell me the reason you or your family moved to Southern California (or whatever area they now live). Odds are you’re going to hear about health, religion, military assignments or prosperity — or maybe about Gramps runnin’ from the law.
  3. Tell me about the image you had about Southern California (or wherever they migrated to).  Here’s where you’ll hear about images of blue ocean waves lapping up against an orange grove with the snocapped mountains in the distance.
  4. Tell me about the origin of that impression of the area. This is how you find out what an industrious chamber of commerce Los Angeles had. “When they say the read about California in the Los Angeles Times, they’re not lying.
  5. Tell me what you know about the impact on your family of the flu epidemic of 1917. Depending upon where they were, it could have been 1918 or later. But if they were alive then, they’ve got a story to tell.
  6. Tell me about your aspirations when you were growing up. Here’s your chance to see your grandparents in the proper historical context and in their own family setting.
  7. Tell me about the way children have changed through the years. You’ve probably heard this answer before. “When I was your age .  .  .” But this time you can be ready for it.
  8. Tell me about the greatest technological advance you’ve witnessed. Odd are your guess will be wrong. And be sure to ask the reason they believe it was the greatest technological advance.
  9. Based upon your lifetime and experiences, tell me your opinion of this time period. Find out how good or bad you really have it today.
  10. If you were starting out as a young person today, tell me about the things you would do differently. If he or she says, “Nothing,” keep probing. Remind him or her of some of the tales you’ve heard about the things your mom or dad did. That should get them on the right track.

This entry was posted on May 16, 2009 at 10:24 pm and is filed under Oral history tips and techniques. Tagged: , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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