Interview an older relative about their life
Ask a parent or grandparent about their childhood and record the stories before they're lost.
- Time:
- 60 min
- Cost:
- free
- Difficulty:
- moderate
- Where:
- Indoors
- Best:
- With others
This is the one activity on this site with a genuine deadline. To interview an older relative about their life is only possible while they are here, and the details that disappear are not the famous events but the ordinary ones: what a Tuesday looked like, what things cost, what the house smelled like.
Why interview an older relative about their life is worth an hour
Ordinary questions produce better answers than momentous ones. Asking about a war or a disaster gets a rehearsed account; asking what they had for breakfast as a child gets something never told before. Recording matters for a similar reason: the voice is a large part of what you are preserving, and notes capture facts while losing everything else.
How to interview an older relative about their life step by step
- 1
Ask permission and record the audio
A phone voice recorder is enough. The voice itself is much of what you are preserving.
- 2
Ask about ordinary daily life
Breakfast, the walk to school, what things cost. These produce far richer answers than momentous events.
- 3
Bring photographs
Objects and pictures unlock memory in a way open questions do not. Ask who is in them and what happened next.
- 4
Stay quiet during pauses
The most interesting material usually arrives after a silence. Filling the gap closes it permanently.
- 5
Stop after an hour
It is genuinely tiring for both of you. Several shorter conversations produce far more material than one long session.
Tips to get more out of it
- Back up the recording immediately in two separate places. It is genuinely irreplaceable once the conversation is over.
- Note names, dates and places separately as you go, since they are hard to extract from audio later.
- Be prepared for difficult material. Let them stop, and do not push toward anything they avoid.
Ways to mix it up
If they are uncomfortable being recorded, take notes and write it up the same day while the phrasing is fresh. If distance is a problem, do it by video call and record that, which is far better than not doing it at all.
Interview an older relative about their life: frequently asked questions
What questions should I ask?
Ordinary daily life: meals, routines, prices, journeys. These produce fresher answers than questions about major events.
Should I record it?
Yes, with permission. The voice is much of what you are preserving, and notes lose it entirely.
How long should the interview be?
About an hour at most. Several shorter conversations produce more material and are less tiring for both people.
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