If a relative is reluctant to agree to be interviewed, here are a few ideas to get things started:
• Ask him or her to confirm or counter what someone else has said.
• Bring out others’ books or tapes as examples of personal history.
• Pull out an old photo album and let the images lead the conversation.
• Reassure your subject that you’ll offer the opportunity to edit the interview transcript before it is shared with anyone.
• When he or she insists that no one would be interested in their life story (They always do!), say everyone’s life is valuable to future generations—the successes and the challenges! An ordinary life, when viewed by descendants, is always extraordinary.
If the person wants to put off being interviewed until a later time, remind him that memories fade with time, and the farther away we get from events, the hazier they become. It’s best to record them now.
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