Oral History Interview & Importance – Part 26

Interview Report

Hamid Qazvini
Translated by Natalie Haghverdian

2017-10-17

Once the interview process is over, it is essential to draft a report on interview status and methodology; the report shall contain the data on idea emergence to narrator identification and contact and interview conduct which shall be archived as the background of the project and submit it to relevant organizations. This report shall be drafted by the interviewer and it is important to inform the project sponsors and beneficiaries. Also, such report assists the scholar to remember the interview methodology and its status later and have a clear understanding of it. Some oral history institutes and organizations have reporting formats which facilitates the process and unifies the reports. There are various titles in such forms including: main subject, sub-subjects, complementary questions, interview strengths and weaknesses, level of narrator’s involvement, attachments.

It is worth mentioning that writing the report immediately after the interview makes it more precise and comprehensive.

Main content to be covered in the report are:

A: General Data

1. Narrator’s name and personal information
2. Date and hour and duration of the interview sessions
3. Sound and image quality
4. Interviewer & interview team personal information
5. Interview location address

B: Detailed information

1. Definition on narrator’s collaboration. Whether the narrator’s cooperation was sufficient and if not which are the reasons? If collaborated, what is the assessment on the quality of responses?
2. Narrator’s main perception of the interview subject and its necessity.
3. Recording the narrator’s physical and emotional state during the interview.
4. Indication of the name and personal information and relevant topics to specific individuals named by the narrator in the interview.
5. Elaboration on probable continuation of the interview and its methodology.
6. Main pillars of dialogue during the interview. (Indicating key words supports recoding various subjects.)
7. Interview annexed documents; indicating number and specification of such documents.
8. Method of communication with the narrator?
9. In case there is a questionnaire available it is recommended to attach them to the report to indicate which questions were covered.

In some projects, two or three individuals fill the report form which include the general information covering the start to the end, implementation and archive of the whole process.

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 1 - Oral History, Path to Cultural Dialogue

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 2 - Characteristics of an Interviewer

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 3 - Selecting a Subject

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 4 - Narrator Identification & Selection

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 5 - Goal Setting

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 6 - Importance of Pre-interview Data Collection

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 7 - To Schedule & Coordinate an Interview

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 8 - Required Equipment & Accessories

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 9 - Presentation is vital

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 10 - Interview Room

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 11 - Pre-interview Justifications

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 12 - How to Start an Interview

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 13 - Proper Query

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 14 - Sample Query

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 15 - How to ask questions?

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 16 - Body Language

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 17 - Application of Body Language (1)

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 18 - Application of Body Language (2)

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 19 - Listening Carefully (1)

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 20 - Listening Carefully (2)

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 21 - New Questions

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 22 - Duration

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 23 - Arguments with the Narrator

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 24 - Mental Stimulation

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 25 - Ending the Interview