Tips for interviewing a relative, Part 1 of 3

Before you approach a relative and begin asking questions about his or her life, define your goals and think about some of the following questions:

• Will you focus on the person’s entire life or just a portion of it?
• Who is the audience? In other words, who will have access to this person’s story?
• If negative material comes up, how will you deal with it?
• Will the stories you’re told be published, made available to a select few, or be kept private?

Then, inform the storyteller about the purpose of the interview and who will ultimately hear or read it. If you must, periodically remind the person you are interviewing that the stories that emerge from the interview will only be used in a way you both have agreed upon at the outset.

Once your interview is underway, if your subject refuses to discuss a particular subject, respect his or her wishes and don’t press. Try again at a later date, however; time can change a person’s perspective, giving him or her the distance needed in order to talk about a painful subject.