Video Collection · For Supporters · 3 Videos
How to Capture an Elder's Stories While You Still Can
Short videos for the conversation you keep meaning to record before it's too late.
How this collection works
- Who watches this
- You — the person showing up. These videos aren't for the recipient.
- When
- Before a conversation, when you're not sure what to say. Watch alone, take a beat.
- What each beat is for
- Caption orients you before watching. Takeaway is the line to hold onto. Reflection questions turn watching into a small decision.
The collection · 3 videos
01 / 03
7 Minute Masterclass on Interviewing with StoryCorps
StoryCorps · 7 min
A Library-of-Congress oral-history team on guiding someone through the arc of a real story.
Takeaway
Skip yes/no questions. Open with “tell me about…” and “what was it like when…,” then follow the moment they get animated — that's where the real story lives.
Reflection
01
Name the one person whose stories you'd most regret losing — then text them today to set a time to talk.
02
Write your opening question now: an easy “tell me about…” that gets them comfortable in the first minute.
03
List two moments in their life you want them to walk you through, so you can steer back if the conversation drifts.
End of collection