WORKSHOPS FOR HISTORICAL SOCIETIES, COMMUNITY GROUPS, AND FAMILY HISTORIANS
Oral history workshops work best in an extended time period – at least four hours, better, a whole day with a lunch break, and best, a weekend day-and-a-half. Given enough time, this workshop can include a session on ways to design presentations (museum exhibits, storytelling programs, etc.) from materials collected.
For shorter oral history workshops, see Workshops for School Audiences , which can easily be adapted for adult participants.
GATHERING STORIES FROM REAL LIFE: MASTERING THE ART OF ORAL HISTORY
It takes a little knowhow to sit down and tape record interviews that can be shaped into stories, whether you want to gather histories of your community, your family, or any other subject. In this workshop, Jo addresses the various goals and visions of oral history projects. In a series of interactive exercises and practice interviews, she introduces strategies for asking effective questions, following promising leads, triggering memories, and evoking stories that demonstrate how others have found meaning in their lives. Participants will leave with a repertoire of useful skills, a plan of action, and a manual for future reference.
“Your workshop was a rare and welcome combination of organization and high creativity that is sending me out with a head full of ideas and the resources to get going on them.”
Workshops on the Art of Storytelling
Workshops for School Audiences