Set a time and place. Ask your subject when would be a good time to do the interview, and pick a time when both of you can focus on the interview

Try to interview your relatives separately, rather than together.  Joint interviews lead to confusion as to who said what, or who actually remembers a certain fact.  You may also be able to get more interesting stories if you get one relative’s version and then get another relative’s.

How to record the interview

• If you do the interview on Zoom, you can record the interview by using the “Record” button

• If you do the interview in person, you can record the interview using your smartphone

Even if you record the interview, you should take some notes as you go. Notes will make it easier to find useful pieces of information from your interviews in the future.  At the least, print out this outline and use it to jot down notes as you go.

After the interview, summarize the interview for someone else.  Doing this helps make sure that you understood what your subject was telling you, it will probably reinforce your own recollection of the interview, and it will probably help inspire some follow-up questions for the next session!

Be careful what you share online.

• Try to avoid sharing information that might cast a specific person in a negative light.

• “My dad legally changed his name because people in America kept mispronouncing his Korean name” does not pose legal risks because it is not identifying a particular person or causing anyone harm