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Servant Leader Oral History Project

Grade Level: 
6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Keywords: 
Community
Interview
Oral History
Our State of Generosity
Philanthropist
Servant leaders are people who practice a leadership philosophy that “enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations, and ultimately creates a more just and caring world.” For this activity, youth create their own oral history recording by interviewing an individual who they consider a servant leader. Youth will glean lessons from the interview and create and preserve a historical record of a story that is worthwhile knowing.

Listening, really listening is an act of philanthropy.  We are intentionally giving our time to another person when we listen to their stories.  To introduce the oral history project, begin by watching the StoryCorps video describing the “Great Thanksgiving Listen.”

Duration: One group session and then independent time to arrange, record, and edit an interview. 

Materials: 

  • List of interview questions, which may come from StoryCorps.
  • Recording equipment (iphone)
  • copies of the Project Instructions handout below for participants to follow

Instructions

Listen to a StoryCorps recording from this TED.com list of the best interviews. 

Additionally, you can learn about servant leaders in Michigan in this oral and video history collection.​

Discuss

What about their stories are interesting, surprising, memorable, or touching to you?

What do the stories have in common?

How are they examples of “servant leadership”? In other words, what leadership traits were exhibited by those people in the interview that created a more just and caring world? 

Your Turn

For this activity, you will create your own oral history recording by interviewing a generous person in your community. Your storyteller could be a prominent community leader or someone who is quietly making a difference. You will use the Story Corps App (If you are age 13 or older). This interview will be preserved by the servers at the Library of Congress for many years afterwards. In addition to learning the value of oral history, this activity encourages you to emulate the traits of individuals that you consider generous leaders. If everyone conducted themselves like servant leaders, it would be a better world to live in. 

Discussion: Crafting Your Interview Questions

Before your interview, you will create a list of interview questions that will invite an engaging conversation.

You could start with generic questions like these:

  • What was an important event in your life?
  • What’s the most important life lesson that you’ve learned?

But these could put your subject on the spot if they can’t think of anything. Instead, try to create a list of specific questions that will get them talking. For example:  

  • Why did you decide to join the military? How did you feel when you found out you were being deployed?
  • What was your most rewarding experience as a foster parent? Who is the one child you will never forget?

Also, ask open-ended questions. Which question below is more thought-provoking?

1.  Was it difficult to grow up during the Depression?

2.  What was it like to grow up during the Depression?

The first question could easily be answered with just a “yes” or “no” if your storyteller is nervous and not very chatty. The second open-ended question is better because the wording encourages a more detailed, thoughtful response. The StoryCorps Great Questions page has suggestions for getting a good conversation going.

The Interview

During the interview, listen carefully to how your storyteller responds to each of your questions. Do their answers take unexpected turns? Also, listen carefully for any interesting nuggets of information that come up. Keep in mind that the best interviews come from more listening than talking and thoughtful follow-up questions. So trust your instincts and be open to straying from your prepared questions.

Tip: Count to ten between pauses before asking the next question to give your storyteller “think time” during their answers.

People love to tell their stories, but you might need to coax your storyteller to share details and give examples. Make note of any themes that come up again and again. (Did he/she always like animals? Was having a safe place to live always important to him/her?) This will help during the editing process as you decide what to keep and what to delete.

Some tips from StoryCorps to help keep the conversation flowing:

  • Look at your storyteller’s eyes, not the microphone. Stay interested and engaged
  • Be yourself. You can laugh or even cry with your storyteller.
  • Emotional questions like “How does this make you feel?” and “Can you tell me more about that?” often elicit thoughtful responses. Don’t be afraid to ask.
  • Be curious and honest and keep an open heart. Great things will happen.
  • This video from StoryCorps has very practical tips for recording your interview, saving it and keeping it safe à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dohm3-plvv8.
Reflection
  1. What was it like interviewing your storyteller for the Servant Leader Oral History Project?
  2. What did you learn about servant leadership while creating your recording?
  3. What are some reasons it might be important to share and preserve our stories? 
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