Tips on how to interview an older family member remotely.
/
Tips on how to interview an older family member remotely.
Family history is something that should be preserved and cherish, and in a time where social distancing and lockdown procedures are encouraged to help slow down the spread of COVID-19, it is more important than ever to contact family members through remote means. Interviewing an older family member about their experiences and knowledge of family history can be done remotely. If you are a keeper of family history or simply want to make sure that your family history is recorded, and then read the following step by step guide that will help you learn how to interview a family member remotely while you are both in lockdown mode.
Step One: Set up a conference call that you can record
First, you must consider the type of conference call you want to set up with your older family member. If possible, a video conference call is best, since it will allow the family member being interviewed to feel more relaxed and it will give you a chance to record their expressions and any items they want to share as well. The important thing is to find a way to record the call, whether you have a recording program on your phone or you will record it via a separate camera from your computer or tablet.
To learn how to record a virtual interview with an older family member click here.
Step Two: Prepare a list of questions to ask them
Before you make the call, make sure that you have a list of questions related to family history that you want to ask them during the remote interview. Having a list of questions prepared will help to ensure that you don’t forget to ask something important. It can also serve as a general outline for the conversation so that you don’t waste time or get off track.
The questions can be related to family history they may have learned from their parents or grandparents, asking about specific family films, or anything else you find interesting and worthy to include in your research.
Click here for are a list of 10 questions to ask your parents!
Step Three: Encourage them to show photos, mementos and other personal items
If you are doing a video call, then you should encourage the older family member being interviewed to show off their photos, personal items and mementos from their life. If they are showing family films or photos, ask them to explain the person or people in the picture and tell you a bit about their life. This type of information is invaluable when it comes to preserving family history.
If you aren’t doing a video call, then consider an alternative to showing off items visually. For instance, you could ask them to tell you more about their family stories or family members that have passed on.
Step Four: Back up the video or audio when you are done
When the remote interview is over, you should back up the file (whether it is audio or video) as soon as possible. Backup copies of important family history videos are essential, since your phone or original recording device may someday get lost or broken.
With the above guidelines in mind, interviewing a family member remotely will go much smoother.
To discover what good things you have learned from your parents click here.
To discover whether we should record dark family histories click here.
To learn how to back up our old photographs click here.