Idaho Public Television Oral History/Senior Thesis Project
You can make history.

    Finding an Interview Subject
  1. Select your story subject - find a family member or friend who has been affected by war and ask if they would like to share their story.
  2. Ask friends and family if they know someone who experienced WWII either through the military or on the homefront that would be willing to share their story.
  3. Contact local veterans organizations, service organizations, or nursing homes to see if they can help you locate a WWII era resident who would be willing to share their story with you.
    Preparing for the interview
  1. Complete a biographical data form prior to interview to help develop your interview questions and help lead your research.
  2. Learn more about the era and time frame in which your interviewee will be speaking about.
  3. Develop your interview questions. We have developed some questions to help get you started.
  4. Select interview location - when you set up interview time with your interviewee, ask where he/she would like to be interviewed. Plan on spending at least an hour with the interview, perhaps even consider conducting the interview in several sessions.
  5. Arrive early to interview location to set up cameras and to check audio and lighting levels.
  6. Make a checklist of all equipment and materials you will want at the interview. Video and still cameras, tape recorders, back up batteries, tripods, extension cords, powerstrip; microphone; headphenes etc. you will need for capturing the memories of your interviewee.
  7. Be sure to check your equipment out thoroughly a few days before the interview to make sure you are familiar with equipment and everything is working properly.
      • Make sure all batteries are fully charged.
      • Have extra batteries on hand.
      • Bring extra tapes - you don't want to run out in the middle of a wonderful story.
      • Develop a plan B in case of equipment failure on the day of the interview.
  8. Solicit a friend or family member to operate camera so you can concentrate on the interview itself.
  9. Prepare and review your interview questions beforehand.
  10. Arrive early to interview location to set up cameras and to check audio and lighting levels.
  11. Ask your interviewee to bring photos, service records and correspondence to the interview as a way of enhancing the interview. These documents often help recall specific events and time periods.
    Interview Tips
  1. Be prepared.
  2. Help put your interviewee at ease. Seat them in a comfortable chair with something to drink nearby. Attach or position the micorphone, perform audio checks and adjust your camera so the interviewee is framed appropriately. Once you've double checked all your settings, tapes and battery levels, you are ready to begin!
  3. Get all biographical information and housekeeping tasks done at beginning of interview.
  4. Begin by asking some introduction questions to help warm up your subject. Questions about family, hometown, friends in school etc to put him/her at ease and begin developing some rapport.
  5. Be a good listener. Be sincere and pay attention to the narrator. Make eye contact, try not to fidget, provide either verbal or non-verbal responses to show that you are interested in the narrator and their story.
  6. Do not interrupt when narrator is talking. Provide adequate “pause” time, in case the interviewee wants to further elaborate on a topic. Try to do a follow-up question rather than changing the subject with a new question. If you have questions that arise, write them down to follow-up when your interviewee has finished speaking.
  7. Ask all your close-ended questions (those requiring a short one or two word answer) in one portion of the interview. And once you have those out of the way move on to open-ended questions. Examples of open-ended questions would include: Why did you enter the service. How did you feel about that? What made you feel that way? What were your impressions during boot camp?
  8. If your interviewee has provided photos, letters or diaries, be sure to get video of the objects to use in your final presentation. Use the memorabilia as conversation starters, - ask about the people and places in the photos and what was else was happening around the time the photos, letters were created.
  9. Thank your interviewee and write a thank you follow-up letter.
    State at the beginning of the interview:
  1. Date and place of the interview
  2. Name of the person being interviewed
  3. Interviewee's birth date
  4. Names of the people attending the interview
    If interviewing a veteran:
  1. War and branch of service
  2. Rank
  3. Where he or she served
    If interviewing a civilian:
  1. What type of work he or she performed
  2. Where he or she served
  3. What war he or she served during
    Sample Questions For Veterans
  • Were you drafted or did you enlist?
  • When did you begin your service?
  • How old were you when you began service?
  • Where were you living, and what were you doing prior to your service?
  • What is your most vivid memory of your time in the service?
  • Ask follow up questions to help your interviewee to expound on a topic.
    • Examples include: When did that happen? Did that happen to you? What did you think about that? What are the steps in doing that? What was it like? What happened?
  • Ask interviewee to show you photographs, or personal letters or service records as a way of starting the conversation. Often this will encourage memories and provoke interesting stories.
Funding to provide educational resources to Idaho Schools was generously provided by our corporate sponsor Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club.
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