• What did you see... hear... feel... taste... or smell?
• Tell me about...
• Describe...
• Explain...
• Compare...
• Take me on an imaginary walk around your camp when you were a little girl.
• What would I have seen and done if I had spent a day out hunting with you when you were a young man?

• Here are some questions that encourage storytellers to reflect on their lives and offer values, beliefs, opinions and feelings rather than just facts and events:
  • What was the hardest thing you ever had to do?
  • What turning points do you see in your life?
  • What do you see as the happiest time of your life? What do you see as the worst time?
  • If you had your life to live over again, what would you do differently?
  • Do you feel that you missed any great opportunities?
  • Did your life turn out the way you thought it would?
  • How are you different from your children? How do you think your way of life compares to your children’s?
• Now review and analyze the questions you have created. If you created your questions in small groups, the groups can exchange questions and critique another group’s list. You can use the critique on the next page. Add your own points to the list.

Critique of Interview Questions

• Are the questions related to the storyteller’s area of knowledge?
• Are there any ‘leading questions’ – ones that make the storyteller think you want a specific answer?
• Will the questions bring out interesting answers?
• Are there any questions that might bring out boring answers? How would you change them?
• Do any of the questions show the interviewer’s attitudes or opinions?
• Are the questions open-ended, not closed?