Workshop Leader:
- Padmini Broomfield - Community Historian, Southampton City Council
This lively session offered a whistle stop tour of the crucial things to think about if you are embarking on a project to collect oral histories. Presenter Padmini Broomfield drew on her extensive experience as an oral historian for Southampton City Council, providing practical tips covering preparation, identifying interviewees, the interview process, equipment, documentation and many creative ideas on what to do with the oral history once it has been collected.
Some delegates had had experience of oral history work but most had not. To give those attending the workshop an idea of what it really feels like to interview or be interviewed, they were invited to get into pairs and interview each other about any chosen topic for five minutes. Delegates fully engaged in this brief exercise which provoked a variety of responses. The group contained born interviewers and interviewees from the nervous to the delighted. This exercise was a great opportunity for delegates to gain some insight into the often challenging position of both of the interviewer and interviewee.
As well as advocating the strengths of taking a life story approach to an interview, thus gaining an insight into the context of the different life experiences of an individual, Padmini also explored new work interviewing people on historic sites in Southampton. She played a fascinating sound extract of an interview with Terry Trickey, a local Blacksmith, whose forge is soon to close. This was particularly relevant and interesting to those delegates responsible for historic sites and an example of the richness oral history can bring to interpretation.
The wealth of ways in which oral history can be presented once collected was explored including creating:
- Radio Programmes
- Exhibitions
- Books
- Community Events
- Websites
The power point presentation used in this workshop, filled with lots of practical tips and useful website addresses, will be available to download from this site shortly.
