Introduction of new material

The aim of the activity is to prepare students to interview a witness to the history. 

Main part

The teacher introduces students to the most important rues of conducting an interview.

History is not only what is contained in the manual. History can be contained in objects, documents, places and people who have witnessed important and groundbreaking events, but also observed the problems of everyday life. A meeting with a witness to the history means emotions that are experienced, it is an account of times that have passed and are vivid in the memory of a given person. Registering such memories is an extraordinary opportunity to save those memories, people, characters, everyday worries of people who pass away.  

• Searching for a topic.

Before the conversation, it is important to answer the question: What interests me? What do I want to know? What would I like to ask my interlocutor?

Formulate the topic, if you are collaborating with another person, divide the tasks. Determine what the interview will be used for, e.g. a newspaper article, film, exhibition or radio broadcast. Determine what technical needs you will have: a voice recorder, camera or a sheet of paper is enough.

• Search for information.

Before the interview, you need to learn as much as possible about the topic you choose, e.g. everyday life in your town during World War II. This knowledge will help you to prepare your questions.

• How to find an interlocutor?

Ideally you can ask your friends who can reach interesting people through others. Let's look for witnesses around us, e.g. family, neighbors. Local history enthusiasts can help us find such people. This is important becauseif we do not know the interlocutor directly, this way we can build trust between him and us, without which a good interview is impossible. Collect information about your interlocutor, who he is, if he was a public / famous person, look for information in sources. If it is a person recommended by friends, ask them for details about this person's life. Learn anything about the history of the town where he lived because the interlocutor will refer to those places..

• Preparation of the interview.

According to Charlles Hardy III, it's best to think of as many questions as possible, which is a lot. Write them down as they come to mind. You should come back to them several times and add new ones. When we already have questions, they can be grouped into categories. Returning to the questions several times, they will become fixed in our head. We do not take the entire list to the meeting, we write down issues that we would not like to forget during the meeting. The interview must be a conversation between the narrator (that's you) and the witness, i.e. our hero and expert. Reading the questions on the list would make it difficult to establish a relationship and make the conversation unnatural. 

Determine the place of the conversation with the interlocutor. Choose a place where nothing will interfere the conversation. Avoid noisy places, places that would distract the interlocutor and you, e.g. work, crowded public places, etc.  

Take care of a suitable outfit.

During the first conversation, explain the purpose of the interview, define the topic of the conversation, tell about the project which includes the interview. Explain that the witness account is extremely important to you as it will reveal a story that you will cannot be found in a textbook.

Agree on the length of the conversation with your interlocutor.

• Conversation / interview.

Remind your interlocutor a day or two before the interview. Make sure your appointment is up to date. Think about your project goals, review the questions, and get your recording equipment ready. 

During the conversation, remind what are the goals of the project and what its effects will be. Ask if you can record the conversation. Remember to print documents related to the GDPR, e.g. consent to make the image public and use the text recorded during the interview. Make sure the place is quiet and the phones are turned off, so that the quality of the recording is as high as possible. Make sure your equipment is properly set up and turned on while recording. Inform the other party that you have turned on the voice recorder. You can turn it on at the beginning of the meeting or during the actual interview. Inform him that you can stop recording at any time at his request. 

During the conversation, try to establish eye contact with the interlocutor. Maintain interest, e.g. with a nod of the head. Avoid verbalizing: aha, yeah, etc. Remember that the interlocutor and his story are the most important during the recording.  

Ask questions:
- simple,
- open, e.g. "Can you tell me ...", "How do you remember ...", "How was it with ..." "I would like to know about ..."
- do not ask closed questions that the interlocutor can answer; "Yes" or "no" - do not suggest an answer; the person to whom the answer is suggested may be responding as expected, not as he really thinks.
- ask one question at a time, do not flood the interlocutor with questions,
- ask for details, appearance, emotions,
- do not interrupt the story, write the question down, you can ask it at the end,
- search for connections between questions - the witness's story inspires to ask another question,
- do not be afraid of the silence that is often needed to remember certain situations
- you can meet during the interview with the emotions of the interlocutor; cry, sadness, anger. Then try to redirect the conversation to another, safer topic.
- memories are emotions, sometimes we can recall the most painful ones. Let this person cry, apologize for causing a painful thoughts. Ask if you can continue the interview. If you cannot, say thanks and end the conversation, or if the interlocutor agrees, you can arrange a second meeting.
- you can ask the interlocutor about souvenirs from this period, it can be another interesting adventure - discovering photos, documents, memories that have not been seen by anyone except the witness,

Watch your interlocutor. If you see he or she is tired or impatient, try to end the conversation.

End the interview properly,. Say e.g.: I don't want to take up too much of your time, I will ask one last question ...

Remember to sign all consents; making the image public, consent to publication. Explain why they are needed. Do not leave right away, talk to the interlocutor for a moment longer. Remember that you are a guest at theirs home. Ensure that the interview can be submitted for authorization. Send thanks for the interview. 

After returning home, write down your impressions of the conversation.

• After the interview

Listen to the recording within 24-48 hours.

Write what issues were discussed.

Make a backup.

Consider if there was any question you didn't ask that is important. You can ask them during a second meeting or use them during a conversation with another person.

Send the interlocutor a thank you note and a recording for authorization.

The summary of the lesson will be to prepare a few questions for the witness of the story. it can be a family member or a person chosen by the student.