Decide whether you'd like to talk with individuals or several people together. You could conduct a joint interview with a married couple or a set of siblings, or you could talk to each of them separately. There are advantages either way. Sometimes, if more than one person is the subject of the interview, the combination can spur memories that would not otherwise come up. Next, decide how you'd like to record the interview.
Audiotapes are simple to create and easy to play back and store.
Video recordings, on the other hand, capture facial expressions and gestures that are lost on audiotape. Also, try to use high-quality equipment and materials. You are creating a valuable keepsake that cannot be replaced, and you want it to last so other generations can enjoy it and learn from it. The best professional interviewers have an arsenal of techniques that they use to relax their subjects and stimulate interesting answers. You can adopt some of them to get the most out of your informal interviews.