What skills are needed?

Patience - It often takes patience to encourage someone to talk about their past. There is training available for would-be oral historians, such as the Oral History Society, but, provided you’ve mastered the minidisk recorder, the most important quality needed is to be a good listener.

Understanding - Recording someone’s memories is both valuable in an historical context and is also often of benefit to the person who is speaking. They are often elderly, some are consequently quite isolated, perhaps lonely. To have someone spend a couple of hours or more talking to them is pleasant if the person has a sympathetic ear and kindly manner. It isn’t about robbing someone of their life history and then running but rather about sharing memories and encouraging the person talking to feel valued. Everyone has a story to tell, each person’s view on the grand scheme of historical events can be subjective, but personal views and experiences are unique.

Honesty - Listen and try not to put your own views forward – the interview isn’t about what the interviewer thinks, it’s about the interviewee’s views and memories. It’s also good to be able to gently rein in on a topic if it seems to be drifting off into too much irrelevance. Be reassuring, open and honest and be able to chat in a constructive manner.

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