Comments on: Storytelling Matters: Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling at Concordia University

By: Christine

Christine — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:54:27 +0000

Thank you very much for your comments. Storytelling is definitely an important part of history, and it’s great to hear from others committed to the same idea. I think it’s wonderful that you share your recordings with interviewees – it’s important to give something back to the people who share their life stories.
There certainly is a delicate balance between preparing a list of questions, thus influencing the interview process, or allowing for a free flow discussion. The former can unduly influence the interview process, while the latter can result in a very unorganized piece of work. Thanks very much for sharing how you deal with this balance.

By: Steve Gammill

Steve Gammill — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:27:39 +0000

I neglected to mention that in my practice, I give a copy of the digital recording to the interviewee, attractively packaged, so they may gift it to their children and loved ones. In the years ahead, those children and grandchildren will have the stories of their ancestor preserved, not in written form, but in their own voice.

By: Steve Gammill

Steve Gammill — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:24:31 +0000

I am privileged to have discovered your blog. I, too, am an advocate of story telling. In my practice and in my life I have found that focused interviews, those asking for stories pertaining to a particular value or set, make it easier for the person to recall the events and experiences I am seeking. As an example, my recent book, Success…Swimming in a Sea of, focuses on the meaning of success in life. This method sometimes allows for questions that are more open ended. You can see the book at http://www.stevegammill.com/book. I have about 25 different, focused interview sets in my inventory. Storytelling, as any of us collect them, provides the true legacy of people.