Ideas for practicing interviewing skills!

Here are some good tips for conducting a good elder interview!

Remember to Prepare in Advance (click here to see this resource for preparing)! 

Remember how to show up and greet someone properly based on the person’s background.  Think about the setting and atmosphere do you want to set up (location, time of day, who else is around) and how much time the elder has.  Then, make a plan and extend an invitation to the person.  If you’re thinking of sharing the interview with other people, remember to ask for informed consent (permission to share the stories with other people – see this video for more info)

Get a pad of paper and pen and write down some questions you want to ask such as:

1. In what years were you an early teen? Where did you live when you were in your early teens?
2. What was it like when you were growing up in your neighborhood?
3. What does this watershed we live in mean to you?
4. What is your fondest memory of the watershed including plants, animals, wildlife?
5. What is the difference in the watershed now, then from when you were growing up? How do you feel about that?
6. In what ways do you think it would be effective to educate youth about the importance of the lands in the watershed?