Choose a comfortable starting point
Pick a photograph, recipe, keepsake, or familiar place. Tell your relative why you want to hear the story and ask if now is a good time.
Listen first, write it down
Storytelling Guide
A comfortable conversation can preserve a family memory more clearly than a perfect list of dates. Start with curiosity and give the speaker room.
See the steps
Ask open questions
“What do you remember?” and “How did that begin?” invite a fuller answer than questions with only yes or no. Follow the speaker’s lead when a small detail opens another memory.
Listen without correcting the story
Pause before the next question. Let people revise a date or say they are unsure. Different versions can be recorded as different memories, rather than flattened into one account.
Save the context and ask permission
Note who spoke, when you talked, and which people or places came up. Ask before recording or sharing the story, especially when it includes living relatives or private family details.
Make a question for your conversation
Your question will appear here. This tool stays on your device.