Family history interview checklist: before, during and after

The short answer

Before a family history interview, agree on the purpose, audience and recording permission; choose one theme; prepare six to twelve prompts; test the equipment; and bring only a few memory cues. During it, record names and consent, listen more than you speak, and mark uncertainty. Afterward, protect the original file, create a log and backup, confirm sharing choices, and send the promised copy.

The most useful checklist is not the longest one. It prevents the failures that are difficult to repair: recording without clear permission, losing the original audio, forgetting who was present, separating a story from its photograph, or sharing something the narrator expected to remain private.

Use this as a working sequence. Skip anything that does not fit the scale of your family project, but do not skip consent, identification or backup.

One week to one day before

Define the interview in one sentence

Write down:

• who you hope to interview;
• the central theme;
• the expected length;
• the intended audience;
• the result you plan to make.

Example: “A 30-minute audio conversation with Mom about the neighborhood where she grew up, kept for her children and grandchildren.”

This keeps the interview achievable and gives the narrator something specific to accept, change or decline.

Agree on permission and privacy

Confirm:

• audio, video or notes only;
• private family use, named relatives, an archive or public sharing;
• subjects the person does not want discussed;
• whether they want to review the recording or transcript;
• how they can pause, skip or withdraw a passage;
• whether living people’s names should be removed from shared copies.

Do not assume family relationship equals permission. If the project may become public, archival or commercial, use documentation appropriate to that use and jurisdiction.

→ Plan family interview consent and privacy

Choose six to twelve prompts

Build a short route rather than a complete life chronology:

1. an easy opening about a place or routine;
2. people in the household;
3. one event or change;
4. an object, photograph, recipe or tradition;
5. what the experience meant;
6. what should be remembered.

Prepare follow-ups such as “Who else was there?”, “What happened next?” and “Did you see that yourself or hear it later?”

Select memory cues

Choose no more than three or four items. Record what each one is and where it came from before the interview. Do not arrive with an unsorted box and expect the narrator to identify everything.

Useful cues include:

• a clearly numbered photograph;
• a map or street address;
• a letter, certificate or newspaper clipping;
• a recipe or familiar object;
• a small family-tree section with names visible.

The equipment check

Use the actual device, room and microphone position if possible.

• Charge the phone or recorder.
• Confirm available storage.
• Clean the camera lens if recording video.
• Turn off distracting notifications.
• Record 30 seconds from the intended position.
• Play the test through headphones.
• Check whether both voices are clear.
• Prepare a charging cable and, when appropriate, a second recorder.
• Decide where the file will be copied immediately afterward.

Do not judge a recording by the moving waveform alone. Play it back. A fan, television or distant phone can make a conversation tiring to understand.

→ Set up a clear phone recording

Ten minutes before the conversation

• Put water within reach but away from the device.
• Reduce background noise and interruptions.
• Place the recorder on a stable surface.
• Put prompts in large, readable type.
• Keep a pencil and short note sheet nearby.
• Ask whether the person is still comfortable recording today.
• Remind them they can pause or skip anything.

If the person is tired, unwell or no longer interested, reschedule or have an unrecorded visit. The record is not more important than the relationship.

Record an opening slate

Before the first story, capture:

• full name of the narrator;
• full name of the interviewer;
• date and place;
• interview topic;
• intended use and audience;
• clear permission to record;
• any sharing restriction already agreed.

Example: “Today is August 13, 2026. I’m Anna Reed speaking with my father, David Reed, at his home in Ohio about his childhood on Lake Street. This recording is for our immediate family. Dad, are you comfortable recording this conversation for that purpose?”

If consent changes later, keep a written note with the interview package and apply the latest agreed restriction.

During the interview

Keep the conversation human

• Begin with an easy, concrete question.
• Ask one question at a time.
• Allow silence after an answer.
• Follow useful details even if they move away from your list.
• Avoid correcting dates in the moment unless clarification feels welcome.
• Do not finish the narrator’s sentences.
• Offer a break after about 30–45 minutes.

Make brief notes only when they help you find something later: a name spelling, a photograph number, an uncertain date, a promised follow-up or a sharing restriction.

Separate firsthand experience from inherited story

Use neutral questions:

• “Were you there, or did someone tell you about it?”
• “Who usually told that story?”
• “How certain are you about the year?”
• “Is that the name everyone used, or a legal name?”

Do not turn uncertainty into a cross-examination. Its purpose is to preserve context for future research.

Monitor the recording quietly

Glance at the device occasionally to confirm it is still running. If it stops, say so, fix it and record a new slate. Do not pretend the missing section was captured.

Close the interview deliberately

Ask five final questions:

1. “What have I not asked that belongs with this story?”
2. “Who else should I speak with?”
3. “Are there photographs or documents connected to this?”
4. “Is any part private or limited to particular people?”
5. “Would you like another conversation?”

State that the recording is ending, then stop it. Thank the narrator and explain what you will do next.

Within the first hour afterward

• Confirm the file exists and plays.
• Copy it from the recording device.
• Keep the original recording unchanged.
• Make a second copy in a different storage location.
• Record the filename, duration and file size.
• Write down names, spellings, restrictions and follow-up promises while fresh.
• Do not delete the phone copy until the other copies are verified.

Use one stable identifier across the audio, transcript, notes and photographs. For example:

`OH-REED-2026-08-13-01`

→ Organize the complete interview file set

Within the first week

• Send the narrator the copy you promised.
• Prepare a short contents summary.
• Transcribe or timestamp the most important sections.
• Check names and dates against records without overwriting the recollection.
• Ask only necessary follow-up questions.
• Confirm any revised privacy choice.
• Store the interview log with the files.

A transcript can improve access, but it should never replace the original voice recording.

→ Create a reliable family interview transcript

The minimum interview package

A small family archive does not need a complicated database. Keep these items together:

• unchanged original audio or video;
• listening or sharing copy;
• interview log with people, date, place and topic;
• permission and sharing note;
• transcript or timestamped summary;
• related photograph or document identifiers;
• backup location;
• follow-up list.

The Oral History Association’s guidance emphasizes documenting who was interviewed, when and where, along with the content and technical context of the recording. These details are what stop a file called `Voice Memo 47` from becoming an orphaned mystery.

A gentler checklist for memory loss

If the person has memory loss, remove any task-like pressure:

• do not test recent memory;
• avoid “Do you remember?” as the repeated opening;
• offer one familiar cue at a time;
• accept uncertainty and changes of subject;
• keep the conversation shorter;
• stop when the person is tired or uncomfortable;
• do not claim the activity treats or improves memory.

→ Read the complete memory-loss conversation guide

Start with a printable first-session plan

The free Family Story Starter Kit includes a calm starting plan, prompts, and simple photo and source logs. For the complete method, return to the family history interview guide.

Sources and further guidance

• Library of Congress: Conducting family-history interviews
• Oral History Association: Principles and Best Practices
• UCI Libraries: Preparing to Interview

Keep the conversation manageable

For guided interview sessions, Tell Me How It Was offers a structured life-story interview kit. Use only the prompts that fit the person and stop whenever they want a break.