If you want to record an interview but are not able to visit one of our StoryBooths, we encourage you to do-it-yourself. Use your own equipment or rent a StoryKit from us to conduct your interview and ask the questions you’ve always wanted to ask. You may be surprised by the power of the experience. Here’s how:

1. Pick a storyteller.

• Start by figuring out whom to interview. Do you want find out about your grandfather’s childhood? Reconnect with an old friend? Reminisce with a colleague who’s about to retire? Everyone has a story to tell; just ask.
• Some people might be hesitant. "I don’t have much to say," they’ll say, or maybe, "You already know everything about my life." Remind them that their experiences are unique and that the StoryCorps interview is about making a record for the future. Many people don’t think their stories are worth hearing, convince them otherwise. The interview should be fun and gratifying for all involved.

2. Create a question list

• No matter how well you know your storyteller, a little preparation will improve the quality of your interview enormously. Even if you’ll have the opportunity to interview your storyteller more than once, it helps to think of each session as your best chance to capture the most important stories, words, or songs on tape.
• Decide what you want to talk about. What are the important aspects of your storyteller’s life? What do they know that you want to learn? We’ve designed our interactive Question Generator to make generating your questions a little easier. You can also just print out our suggested questions and mark the ones you want to ask. If for some reason you have to do an interview on the spot, here are the questions that have yielded the best stories in our experience:

• What have you learned in life?
• What does your future hold?
• What are you most proud of?
• Do you have any regrets?
• What was the happiest moment of your life? The saddest?
• Is there something about yourself that you think no one knows?
• How would you like to be remembered?
• Is there anything you wanted to talk about that we didn’t get to?

3. Practice using the equipment

• To record oral-history interviews on your own, you’ll need three pieces of equipment: a recording device, a microphone, and headphones. We’ve included some recommendations on how to choose your own equipment.
• Before your interview, get comfortable with your equipment. Record yourself. Find a friend and do a mock interview. A few things to remember:
• Always wear headphones when recording. Your headphones are your "ears" for the interview; they tell you exactly what you’ll hear on your finished recording. Use them to adjust the microphone position so the sound is as clear as possible. If you hear anything weird such as "humming" or "clicks“ stop recording and figure out the problem.
• Mic close. Hold the microphone about seven inches (roughly a hand’s length) from your storyteller’s mouth and slightly off to the side. Always hold the mic in your hand, moving it between you and your storyteller, just like a TV news reporter. At the start of the interview, you can ask your storyteller to wait a moment before responding to your questions so that you have time to move the microphone back and forth. If the sound is too loud in your headphones, lower the headphone volume instead of moving the mic farther away.
• Be careful of mic noise. The low rumbling sound you might hear when you move the mic in your hands is known as "mic handling noise." Avoid it by using a light touch and not shifting around too much. If you must move the mic, make sure to wait until your storyteller has finished speaking. AS noted above, various mic holders and shock mounts are also available to help minimize handling noise.
• Avoid popping "p" and sharp "s" sounds (unnatural plosives and sibilance). If you hear either, point the mic to the side of the storyteller’s mouth. Both occur only in a relatively narrow zone directly in front of the mouth. (To see for yourself, say the word "pop" with your hand directly in front of your mouth. Now say it again while moving your hand to the side. You’ll be surprised how quickly the plosive zone disappears.)

4. Choose an interview location.

• Pick the quietest place possible. A carpeted living room or bedroom makes for warm, intimate recordings. Avoid large, empty rooms, and stay away from kitchens, which have a lot of reflective surfaces and appliance noise.
• Prevent noisy distractions. Rooms are full of all sorts of sounds that you normally don’t notice but that can wreak havoc on your recording. Close the door, unplug the phone, make sure your chairs don’t creak, turn off anything that is making noise: ticking clocks, buzzing fluorescent lights, air conditioners, fans, etc. Listen and adjust during the interview as well. If you hear noise as your storyteller fiddles with her necklace, for example, feel free to let her know. Never record interviews when there’s a radio or television on in the background.

5. Set up and test the equipment.

• Set up your equipment as early as possible and make sure you’re comfortable with it. This way you’ll be able to focus on the person you are interviewing and not the equipment. Before you begin your interview, record your storyteller talking for a few seconds to make sure everything is working. Ask warm-up questions like, "Can you describe what this room looks like?" or "Tell me what you had for breakfast." Take all the time you need to adjust your microphone placement and eliminate background noise. Stop and listen to the recording you just made to make sure everything is working. Just remember to press "record" again when you start recording for real.

6. Begin the conversation.

• Begin your StoryCorps session with warm-up questions or small talk to help put your storyteller at ease. If you haven’t already, let her know why you want to interview her and what, generally, you’ll want to talk about in the interview. Once she is ready, you can move on to the ID.
• The ID is an important part of every interview. Start by stating your name, your age, the date, and the location of the interview. For example, "Hi, my name is Christopher. I’m forty-one years old. The date is August 3, 1492, and we’re sitting here on my ship called the Santa Maria in the port of Palos." Now ask your storyteller to state the same information. Repeat this procedure at the start of any new disc.
• Use your question list. Remember, the questions you generated are just suggestions. Trust your instincts. If something interests you or bears exploring, ask more questions. Sometimes your storyteller will need "permission" to explore a certain topic; granting that permission might mean nothing more than showing your interest, or saying, "Tell me more." Think of the question list as a crutch. If you get tongue-tied or need a place to start, use it, but don’t let it constrain you. Feel free to ask questions in whatever order feels right. Take breaks if you need them.
• Don’t make noise when your storyteller is talking. Don’t say, "uh huh," or interrupt when something interesting or important is being said. Instead, use visual cues like nodding your head.
• Make sure you alternate the microphone between you and the storyteller. When you’re asking the question, the mic should be pointing at your mouth. But when your storyteller is answering, the mic should be close to her.

7. Get great stories.

• The best interview is simply a conversation. It should feel like your storyteller is just being herself. However, sometimes people act differently when a microphone is present. Here are some tips for helping the conversation flow:
• Listen closely. Look at your storyteller’s eyes (not the mic). Stay interested and engaged.
• Stick with the good stuff. When you hear something that moves you, feel free to talk about it more. If you think the current topic isn’t interesting , steer the conversation somewhere else.
• Be yourself. You can laugh with the person you are interviewing or even cry with them. Real moments are the best moments.
• Help the storyteller be more descriptive. When you need your storyteller to describe something, it can help to ask her to "paint a picture with words."
• Don’t be afraid to record again. If the storyteller garbles words or makes a mistake, ask her to repeat herself. If a story never quite gets to the end or your storyteller loses her train of thought, you can ask for the ending again. Make sure you are happy with what you’re recording. You can record as many times as necessary (as long as you’re not driving your storyteller crazy).
• Ask emotional questions. Questions like "How does this make you feel?" often elicits thoughtful responses. Don’t be afraid to ask.
• Take notes during the interview. Write down any questions or stories you might want to return to later in your interview.
• Be curious and honest and keep an open heart. Great things will happen.

8. Wrap it up.

• Before you turn off your recorder, do two things: Ask the storyteller if there is anything else that she wants to talk about, and thank her. Sharing a story can be difficult for some people. Express your gratitude by letting her know it was a privilege having her share her story with you.

Next step: print out our interview checklist to take with you to your interview.