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Take Notes While Recording an Interview
You sit at the kitchen table with a handheld recorder, the faint hum of the refrigerator in the background, while your mother begins to describe the house she…
Run a Group Family History Interview
You have gathered three cousins around a kitchen table, a recorder set on the table, and a stack of old photographs. The goal is to capture each person’s…
Redirect a Family Member Who Goes Off Topic
During a family history interview, a grandparent may launch into a story about a childhood trip that bears no relation to the question about a wartime occupation. The…
10 Practical Ways to Move Past Your Troubles
Everyone faces problems, but you don’t have to let them dominate your mind. By changing where you direct your attention and how you respond to setbacks, you can…
Preserve Original and Edited Interview Files
You have just finished recording a conversation with an elderly relative about their childhood, and the file sits on a laptop alongside dozens of other media. The raw…
Prepare Before Interviewing a Parent About Their Life
You have set up a quiet room, placed a notebook and a voice recorder on the table, and invited your mother to share the story of her childhood.…
Plan a Life Story Interview Session
You arrive at the family home with a recorder, a notebook, and a clear intention to capture a life story. The kitchen table is set, the kettle is…
Order Life Story Interview Questions
You sit across from a parent who has just finished a cup of tea, the kitchen clock ticking, and you realize the stories you want to capture are…
Name Family History Audio Files
You open a folder that contains dozens of recordings from recent family interviews. The files are named with a mix of handwritten dates, vague titles like “Interview 1,”…
Make a Master Index of Family Recordings
You have just opened a cardboard box labeled “Grandma’s tapes” and found a mix of cassette audio, VHS video, and handwritten track sheets. The media are fragile, the…
Label Speakers in a Family Interview Transcript
You have just finished recording a weekend reunion where grandparents recount the story of the family farm. The audio file is clear, but months later you will need…
Interview Two Relatives Together
You sit at the family kitchen table with a recorder, a notebook, and two cousins who have never spoken about the same childhood event together. The conversation quickly…