We also want to capture any local dialect or word phrasing our subject may use. One's own family is a great place to start. To be sure that you can prove later on that you have permission to tape this conversation, ask if it's OK, and if the person agrees, ask again while the recorder is on. Family geneology can be enhanced by recording stories of how one's grandparents came over from Europe, or by asking one's grandparents about their memories of great grandparents. Trying to get information on deceased relatives through other people's memories of them can help us get a better feel for someone we have never met.
Nursing homes are a storehouse of oral historians.
With the population living longer as medical advances are discovered, we can reach back up to a century through the eyes of nursing residents. Call the Activities Department or Volunteer Department of your local nursing home and they will surely know of some residents who are good story tellers and who will appreciate your visit and efforts. Be sure to ask about that nursing home's policies on recording and writing about their residents. Most, however, will appreciate a copy of your final transcriptions for their own records or library. It can be very easy, once the subject has warmed up to the process.