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    Record Family Stories

    Audio is more powerful than written.

    Why audio matters

    • Voice carries emotion text never can.
    • Hear laughter, accents, hesitations.
    • Easier than writing — just talk.
    • Grandchildren may forget your face but never your voice.
    • Captures regional dialect of an era.
    • Future generations will treasure it.

    StoryCorps app

    • Free app from National Public Radio.
    • Records 40-minute interviews.
    • Built-in question prompts.
    • Submit to Library of Congress archive (optional).
    • Or keep private to family.
    • Beautiful, simple interface.

    Voice Memos (iPhone)

    • Pre-installed on every iPhone.
    • Tap red button — start recording.
    • Automatic transcription in newer iPhones.
    • Share via text, email, or AirDrop.
    • Sync to Mac via iCloud.
    • Free, simple, always available.

    Conducting good interviews

    • Quiet room — no TV, no fan.
    • Ask open-ended questions: "Tell me about..."
    • Let silences happen — don't fill them.
    • Follow curiosity — go off-script.
    • Record 30–60 minutes max per session.
    • Multiple sessions over time better than one long one.

    Great questions to ask elders

    • What's your earliest memory?
    • Tell me about your parents.
    • What was school like for you?
    • How did the world change in your lifetime?
    • What family stories did your grandparents tell?
    • What do you want grandchildren to know?

    Where to save recordings

    • iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox — back up always.
    • Email to several family members.
    • FamilySearch Memories — free permanent archive.
    • Library of Congress (via StoryCorps).
    • Burn to USB drives — give to multiple family.
    • Multiple copies = won't be lost.

    Don't wait — start this week

    If you have an elderly parent, aunt, uncle, or older relative — record them this Sunday. Not next month, not when you have time. Pull out your phone, open Voice Memos or StoryCorps, ask three questions. Adult children most regret not having recorded their parents' voices when they had the chance. Take 20 minutes today. The recording will become priceless.