Using a Tape Recorder

Some people write down notes when they do interviews. But it is hard to write down what a person says and be polite and think of the next question at the same time. Many people use a tape recorder. The tape makes a complete record of everything that is said. It does not mix people's words up or forget them. It leaves you free to think about what you are doing.

Tape recorders are not hard to use. It helps to use a microphone that plugs in to the tape recorder. Many tape recorders have built-in microphones, but these pick up the noise of the tape going around inside the recorder. This adds noise to your recording.

You can practice using the tape recorder before trying a real interview by pretending to interview friends, or just by letting a tape recorder record while you are at home. This shows you where to set the volume when you record. If the volume is too low, you won't be able to hear the tape. If it is too high, the recording will distort and be hard to understand. You also learn how to point the microphone to pick up the best sound. It is not a good idea to touch the microphone when the tape is being recorded. Every time the microphone is touched, loud noises are added to the tape. If you put the microphone on something hard, like a table, people sometimes make lots of noise with cups and spoons. It is better to put something like a paperback book between the microphone and the table. The "pause" button on the tape recorder and the off/on switch on the microphone can make it look as if a tape is being made when it is not really recording. It is best to leave those switches alone.

Everyone makes a few mistakes while, doing interviews. All of us have done at least one interview that was not recorded by mistake. As we use the same tape recorder over and over, we make fewer mistakes.

Doing Interviews

We usually phone people to ask if we can visit them before we do an interview. We explain our project. We do not want people to think we are trying to sell them something. It is good to tell the person where you got his or her name. This makes it easier for the person to trust you. Tell people that you are looking for information and stories from their own lives. Many people will say they do not know anything worth learning. You can tell them they know things you cannot learn in books. It is a good idea to tell the person you will be using a tape recorder. I always tell people I use the tape recorder so I do not forget or misunderstand what they tell me.