| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
The history of a nation is made up of the accumulated experiences and stories of its people. Every individual, no matter from what walk of life, has a story to tell. Oral history is a useful method to collect and preserve these personal experiences and knowledge about historical events and periods for the benefit of present and future generations.
Here is a short guide to conducting your own oral history project. With the proliferation of affordable digital recording devices and online platforms to share finished recordings, there has never been a better time to do oral history. Remember, time and tide wait for no one -- the unique experiences of individuals, once lost, are lost forever. |
| |
 |
|
| |
|
| |
1. PROJECT PLANNING
- Establish your project objectives and scope. You may conduct your interviews using a chronological “life story” approach, or focus on one or a few specific themes. Some suggested themes include: childhood games, school life, work and migration, living conditions, customs and traditional practices, religion, food, entertainment/leisure, courtship and marriage, places of interest, Japanese Occupation.
- Plan a list of questions, whether chronologically or thematically. Use the 5Ws (Who, What, Where, When, Why) and 1H (How) to help you. Most oral histories should cover basic personal data such as date and place of birth, parents’ occupations, number of siblings, etc, in order to give listeners a sense of the interviewee’s background. Focus on the interviewee’s personal experiences and responses to events. Open ended questions are best for allowing the interviewee to share more information.
- Identify suitable interviewees. You may wish to start with elder members of your immediate and extended family, followed by neighbours and family friends.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
2. PRE-INTERVIEW
- Once you have identified an interviewee, try to meet up with him/her for a casual pre-interview session before the actual recording. Share your project objectives and scope with him/her so that he/she is mentally prepared for the interview.
- You may use memory aids like family photographs or artefacts to jog his/her memories. During this pre-interview session, your interviewee may bring up interesting topics that you had not thought of asking before. You may choose to add these to your list of questions.
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
|
| |
3. RECORDING
- While it is ideal to record with professional audio recorders and microphones, do not let the lack of professional equipment get in the way of conducting your oral history project.
- Be familiar with the workings of your recording device. There’s nothing worse than to discover that you had forgotten to press ‘record’ after a good interview session.
- More important than using high quality equipment is to choose a suitable time and location to record your interview. Be careful of ambient sounds that will add ‘noise’ to your recording. Things to look out for: telephones, clocks, pets, young children, heavy traffic and electrical appliances such as air-conditioners, fans and refrigerators.
- Pay attention and engage your interviewee! If you show interest in what your interviewee says, he/she will be more willing to open up and share.
- Be sensitive to interesting and relevant subjects that your interviewee raises and do not be afraid to go with the flow and ask for more details, even if they are not in your list of prepared questions. Think of your role as a conduit through which the interviewee may be able to share his/her experiences.
- While interviewer-interviewee interaction is good, refrain from arguing with the interviewee or injecting your personal opinions. You are trying to learn from your interviewee rather than prove a point.
- Do not be alarmed if your interviewee goes “off topic”. Be flexible. Sometimes it is the “off topic” comments that yield the most interesting stories! That said, if you find responses becoming repetitive, be tactful and move on to the next question.
- Avoid peppering the interview with interjections such as “ah,” “I see”, etc, as they will sound unnecessary and excessive on playback. If you want to encourage your interviewee, use non-verbal affirmations, such as nods and smiles instead.
- At the end of your interview, please remember to get written approval if you want to publish the interview in any form (even if it is your personal blog). This is especially important if you have interviewed individuals from outside your family.
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
|
| |
4. DOCUMENTATION AND DISSEMINATION
- While not a substitute for listening to the voice of the interviewee, transcriptions are useful for quick access. However, as transcribing is a very time-consuming process, you may choose only to transcribe selected, notable portions. If the interview was conducted in a non-English language, you may also consider translating it into English so that you can share it with more people.
- To maximise your audience, post the audio on your blog or personal website, along with information on your project objectives. Include your own comments on the interview process and what you have learnt from the experience. Congratulations on completing our own oral history project sharing your interviewee’s experiences with the world!
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
