Entries tagged as ‘Questions’
The American Thanksgiving is a week today, November 26th. This is a wonderful time to reflect on all that we are grateful for in our lives. Last year I wrote an article, Are You Ready To Make Thanksgiving Memorable? You can read it by clicking here. I wrote about the holiday being an opportunity to record family thanksgiving memories.
In a similar vein, StoryCorps has launched the National Day of Listening on November 27th. Here’s what they have to say.
On the day after Thanksgiving, set aside one hour to record a conversation with someone important to you. You can interview anyone you choose: an older relative, a friend, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood.
You can preserve the interview using recording equipment readily available in most homes, such as cell phones, tape recorders, computers, or even pen and paper. Our free Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide is easy to use and will prepare you and your interview partner to record a memorable conversation, no matter which recording method you choose.
You can get the Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide here. As well, StoryCorps has a Question Generator that provides a handy list of interview questions. If you want, you can even share your experience with StoryCorps when you’re finished. So what are you waiting for? Plan now to save some memories this Thanksgiving.
Photo by iStockphoto
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Categories: Holidays · Life stories · Questions · Tips
Tagged: How to, Thanksgiving, Questions, National Day of Listening, saving memories, Story Corps
So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it.
Jiddu Krishnamurti ~ (1895 – 1986) spiritual philosopher
At the heart of a good interview is your ability to be an active listener – to listen , as Krishnamurti notes, to the whole of what someone says, not to just the words. Here are seven things you can do that will help you do a better job of listening.
Acknowledging
- Non-verbal – an open relaxed body position, facing the person squarely, eye contact, nodding and appropriate emotional response, i.e. smiling, sad, or curious. Use of silence to give your subject time to think and reflect.
- Verbal – “I see.” “Uh, huh.” “Okay.” “Yeah.” “Oh, really.”
Questioning
- Use open questions, How? What? Where? When? rather than closed questions that lead to yes or no responses. Example: closed – “Did that affect you?” Open – “How did that affect you?”
- Stay away from “Why” questions which can make a person feel defensive.
- Avoid an interrogating style and aim for a conversational tone that is calm and gentle.
- Ask one question at a time and keep questions short and simple.
Suspending judgment
- Refrain from verbal expressions of disapproval. Don’t use words such as “should”, “ought” or “must”.
- Avoid non-verbal disapproval. Don’t grimace or shake your head or cast your eyes heavenward.
- Don’t give opinions unless asked.
Concentrating
- Leave your concerns outside the door and be fully present.
- Focus on your subject and be alert to when your mind wanders. Gently bring it back to the “here and now”.
Supporting
- Express warmth and caring in a personal and appropriate way.
Clarifying
- When you’re not clear about what your subject said, ask for clarification or paraphrase what they’ve said to be certain you’ve understood the person correctly.
Summarizing
- Pulling together feelings, experiences, ideas and facts without adding any new ideas helps provide a sense of movement to the interview. It also demonstrates to your subject your ability to listen attentively to what has been said and as a result builds trust.
Photo by Caleb
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Categories: How to · Interviewing · Life stories · Personal historian · Questions · Tips
Tagged: How to, Interviewing, Jiddu Krishnamurti, life story, listening, Questions, Tips
Whether you’re writing your own life story or working on another’s, I think there are essential questions that you need to ask. These are questions that go the heart of a person’s character and beliefs. I’m not suggesting that this list is comprehensive. What questions would you put in your top 20? Leave me a comment. Don’t be shy. I won’t bite. Promise.
- What do you know about yourself?
- What are you good at?
- Why are we put on earth?
- What brings you happiness?
- What makes you sad?
- How would you define success?
- What has mattered most to you in life?
- What do you believe happens after you die?
- What are the rules that you try to live by?
- How are you loved?
- What is the most important life lesson you’ve learned?
- Where are you going with your life?
- What regrets do you have?
- What would you like to change about yourself?
- What would you like your epitaph to say?
- Where do you find your sanctuary?
- How does spirituality manifest itself in your life?
- What do you still want to accomplish?
- What is it that people don’t know about you?
- What does family mean to you?
Photo by Thor
Categories: Life stories · Questions · Tips
Tagged: beliefs, life story, Questions
Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.
Margaret J. Wheatley, is a writer and management consultant who studies organizational behavior.
I’ve mentioned before that one of the advantages of working on one’s life story is that it provides an opportunity for reflection. I find the end of the year is a natural time for reflection. I block out some quiet time and look back on the past twelve months. These are some of the questions I ponder. What has worked for me? What hasn’t? What goals did I achieve? What am I the proudest of? What regrets do I have? What do I need to do more of?
Photo by hobvias sudoneighm
Categories: Life stories · Quotes
Tagged: end of year, life story, Margaret J. Wheatley, Questions, quote, reflection
The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? What are you doing? Think about those once in a while and watch your answers change.
Richard Bach, an American writer
Whether you’re writing your own life story or someone else’s, Bach’s advice is dead on. Our stories are more than a chronological telling of places, people and events. We need to incorporate the emotional content of our personal history as well.
Photo by Ethan Lofton
Categories: How to · Life stories · Memoirs · Tips · Writing
Tagged: life story, Questions, Richard Bach, Writing
I’ve been a professional personal historian now for some five years. I’m occasionally asked by people looking for a new direction in their professional lives, if they should consider becoming a personal historian. I usually extol the virtues and tell them how much I love my work. But I’ve never actually thought seriously about what someone needs to consider before taking the plunge. So if you’ve been thinking maybe this is the line of work for you, here’s something to consider. If you can answer yes to each of the following questions, then I think you’re ready.
- Are you prepared to work for a year or two with little or no income? Like any new business, it takes time to to market and promote your services. So for the first couple of years you’ll likely see more money going out than coming in.
- Do you know what products/services you’ll offer? Personal historians offer a wide range of services and products that include ethical wills, corporate histories, editing, bookbinding, family histories, photo restoration – just to mention a few. You need to know what strengths you bring to the work.
- Are you able to work alone for long periods of time? Being self-employed can mean working days without seeing another person. If you come from a job that involves daily contact with work colleagues, you may find it difficult to adjust to the isolation.
- Are you disciplined and self motivated? There’s no boss telling you what to do. You’re it! If you don’t keep your office organized, prepare marketing plans and materials and check on possible leads, no one will.
- Do you have samples of your work? Prospective clients like to be able to see the quality of your work.
- Do you enjoy working with people? For the most part personal historians work closely with their clients. If you’re not a people person then this isn’t the work for you.
- Do you have a support group of friends or professional colleagues? As I mentioned earlier, being on your own can feel daunting at times. It’s really important to have a group of people you can call on for professional advice and emotional support.
How did you do? Don’t give up if you answered no to some of these questions. It might mean you’ll have to do a little more work and planning to ensure you’re ready to become a personal historian. Or the questions may have helped you see that this is not the work for you.
Photo by thparkth
Categories: How to · Personal historian
Tagged: criteria, how to become, Personal historian, Questions
In a previous article, 14 Questions to Help You Build a Better Business, I wrote about the value of using the end of the year for reflection. I decided to take my own advice and use this final week of 2009 to take a break from posting articles and do a little reflecting of my own. It’s a good time to relax and plan for 2010. I’m excited about bringing you more articles that may be of help to you.
