As you prepare your questions keep the following important points in mind:
- Do your research. Have your family charts and notes in front of you to help you formulate questions to fill in some of the holes in your research.
- Use open-ended questions that encourage personal commentary, rather than close-ended questions that only require "yes" or "no" answers.
- It's always important to gather some basic facts, but it's almost more important in a family history interview to elicit stories - the type of information you won't always find at the courthouse. Instead of the basic who, when, and where, think how, what, and why.
- Try to elicit facts as well as feelings and descriptions. While you should always try to elicit such details as names and dates, remember that facts also include finding out how, why, where and with what results.
- People's memories are generally tied to specific triggers. Ask questions about specific events or other concrete experiences, such as a description of a typical Saturday morning at home.
More:
50 Questions for Family History Interviews
StoryCorps Question Generator
