Setting Up the Location of an Interview

1. Be flexible enough with your equipment that the interviewee can sit wherever is most comfortable. Bring extension cords even if you plan to use A/C current to power your tape recorder. If you must rely on battery power, have extra batteries. A small, portable battery tester can save an interview.

2. Test the equipment before each use and after arriving for the interview.

3. Be familiar with equipment, perhaps practicing first so that everything will go smoothly. The less attention you need to focus on your equipment, the better attention you will be able to give your interviewee.

4. Interview one person at a time, if at all possible.

5. Choose as quiet a spot as possible. Be aware of noise that will be picked up by the microphone--chiming clocks, phone, clatter of dishes, etc. Try to minimize these noises as much as possible without totally rearranging the environment in which the interview is taking place.

6. Turn the microphone towards the interviewee and have the tape recorder conveniently located near you so that you can easily and without fuss turn over or change tapes. Preferably, use separate microphones for the interviewer and the interviewee.

Author

For corrections and contributions regarding this World Wide Web page, contact Dr. Vernon L. Williams, ACU Box 28130, Department of History, Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas 79699.
E-mail: vwilliams@nicanor.acu.edu
FAX 915-674-2369
telephone 915-674-2150.