Interview 0

Orange background with unwound white cassette

“So I think the gentlest question is the best one. And the gentlest is ‘And what happened then?’ Maybe you’ll get a shrug . . . And boy, what an answer that is!”

— Studs Terkel

Interview 0 is a practice interview conducted after Day 1 and before Day 2. On Day 1, we’ll prepare you for this interview by sharing and practicing the following:

  • The questions you will ask

  • The best environmental and dispositional conditions for an oral history interview

  • Practice interviewing

The only recording technology you will need for all seminar interviews is your smartphone and its bundled Voice Memos app.

To help you schedule and prepare for Interview 0, please review items 1–6 below.

  • You will conduct Interview 0 after our Day 1 session and before our Day 2 session begins. Please do not conduct the interview before Day 1. During Day 1, we will practice specific questions, concepts, and ways of listening that will help prepare you for the interview.

  • Ask a family member or friend, preferably, or a colleague who is over 18 and with whom you feel safe having a 30–40-minute recorded conversation. The interview should take place sometime after Day 1 and before Day 2 begins.

  • You may explain that the interview has two purposes. First, it gives you a dedicated time to listen closely to the narrator’s experiences from childhood to the present, even if you have heard some of these stories before. Second, it allows others to listen carefully and without judgment, so they can reflect on their own lives, relationships, and assumptions in new ways.

    • Recorder: Use a smartphone and the Voice Memos app bundled with it, unless you already own or have borrowed a professional audio recorder and know how to use it.

    • Aim for Clear Sound/Good Volume: Position the smartphone (recorder) on a flat surface between your mouth and the narrator's. Sometimes, placing the recorder on a stack of books or a pillow can help. It is recommended not to hold the recorder in your hand or move it during the interview, as this can produce unwanted noise and may tire your arm.

    • Test: If you can, do a quick sound check. Ask the narrator, “What did you have for breakfast this morning?” Check the levels as they speak or listen to the recording. Reposition the recorder if necessary.

    • Choose a quiet space (avoid cafés and areas with air conditioners, fans, or TVs)

    • Let the narrator’s energy shape the length

    • Ask only the provided Interview 0 questions

    Speak calmly

    Allow the narrator to finish

    Pause before asking the next question

    Respect silences

    Maintain an open, accepting countenance

    Reassure the narrator that whatever they choose to share is okay

  • Before Interview 0, it would be helpful, but is not required, to read the texts listed under “Prep Before Interview 0.”
    We recommend beginning with the “DOD Texts” Preamble and Text Notes, which appear in the same file.

    You can access DOD texts only with the email you provided when registering for the seminar.

    1. Ask to take a photograph (screenshot on Zoom). If your narrator refuses, respect their decision.

    2. Explain to your narrator that the interview may be preserved in the Young People’s Archive, which holds thousands of other interviews and oral history remixes. YPA was founded by Dr. Lisa Arrastia, and narrators have been contributing their voices since 2015. The archive’s objective is to preserve the story of how people are making sense of American cultural values, norms, and beliefs for future generations of young people—so that they have access to a true historical record and understand their connection to a common humanity.

    3. Ensure your narrator signs the YPA Release and Deed of Gift form, whether or not your narrator chooses to donate the interview to YPA.

Access Shared Drive