Mr. Nelson’s notes on conducting an effective interview. 1. Don’t start by asking “So tell me how close you came to death.” There are some brutal stories that will be hard to tell. Ease into it. Start with their background and family, discuss the Great Depression, etc. 2. It is easier to interview people in their homes at the kitchen table – they will be more comfortable in their own environment. Let them ultimately choose, however. 3. Don’t talk fast or mumble. Talk slow and loud. 4. Look them in the face and have a personality. 5. Get a tripod! Otherwise your arm gets tired and the camera shakes. 6. Have a release to sign saying you are not going to make money on their interview. I will provide this to you. 7. Give them a copy of a DVD with the interview on it. This will not be required but a nice offer. 8. Interview your grandparents for your own benefit later on in life! 9. Act like you care! 10. Give them copies of the questions before you come, but you should listen and feed off of their responses. Otherwise interview seems very scripted. 11. Ask them “When & where were you born?” “How many brothers and sisters did you have?” “What do you remember about the Great Depression?” Then: “Where were you on December 7th, 1941?” 12. Stop the camera whenever there are interruptions: phone, rest room, etc. 13. Eliminate background noises as much as possible before you start. 14. If they start to tear up or become emotional, change the subject to lighten the mood. 15. Do a practice run. You might need an auxiliary microphone. 16. Remind everyone that the camera picks up all background noises, so it would be very much appreciated to keep things as quiet as possible in the background. 17. Just tape the person, not everyone in your group. 18. Start “Good morning. We are in the home of _____. Thank you for letting us come to your home. Thank you also for participating in this interview about your experiences in WWII. 19. Know what areas of the war the person you are interviewing was a part of. This lets you research it a bit more to develop questions relating to it. 20. End with “Thank you for letting us interview you” or “Thank you for your service.” Here is an example of how you might want the order of the interview to go. Remember to feed off of what they say. 1. Introductions and welcome. 2. Background—Parents, where they grew up, went to school, etc. 3. Great Depression memories(brief). 4. Memories of Pearl Harbor. 5. How and why did you join the military(enlisted, drafted etc.). 6. What branch of the military. 7. Memories of boot camp. 8. The trip over to where they were going. 9. Memories/stories from their military experience.
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