If this was your last chance to have a conversation with someone, who would it be and what would you talk about?

WHAT IS IT?:

The Listening Project is a joint collaboration between BBC Radio 4 and the British Library. These are conversations that matter; exceptional, inspiring and hopeful stories which reveal the bestin all of us.

Each recording is about 40-minutes in duration and becomes part of the British Library’s speech collection. An edited version (2-4 minutes) willappear on BBC local radio and/or BBC Radio 4, as well as The Listening Project website.

This is how a Listening Project conversation happens (all timings are approximate):

BEFOREHAND:

1. Think about who you’dlike to have your conversation with?The first step is choosing the person.

2. What would you like to talk about? Think about the key events or turning points you’d both like to share and explore…

3. Are there things you’ve never saidto the other person that you’d like to? Are you proud of them? Do they inspire you? Did they get you through a tough time in your life? This is an opportunity to say those things.

4. Once you’ve decided what you’d like to talk about, your facilitator will speak to both of you and offerideas aboutquestions and structure to help you get the best out of your conversation.

5. Key thing - don’t worry. Your ‘Listening Project’ conversation can take unexpected turns, so go with the flow and see where it takes you.

ON THE DAY:

1.Welcome: We’ll sit down over a cup of tea and chat through what you’ve got in mind.

2. Soundcheck: We’ll check you’re sitting comfortably and good to go.

3. Recording(about 40 minutes): This is your chance to share, listen and follow… You don’t need to stick too strictly to your questions. If you hear something you want to explore more deeply, feel free to do so.

Some tips for helping the conversation flow:

  • Look at the person you’re speaking to, not the microphone or the facilitator. Stay interested and engaged
  • Be yourself; you can laugh, cry and interrupt to your heart’s content. Don’t feel restricted. This is yourconversation so you don’t need to be on your ‘best behaviour’
  • Questions like “how did that make you feel?” often elicit thoughtful responses. Don’t be afraid to ask.
  • Be curious and honest and keep an open heart. Great things will happen.
  • Sometimes your storyteller will need ‘permission’ to explore a certain topic; you can help by simply saying something like “Tell me more”.
  • It can be good to end the interview with questions like “what are you proudest of?” or “any regrets?”
  • The most important thing is to listen and to trust your instincts. If someone wants to tell you something, help them to tell it.

During the recording, the Facilitator will keep an eye on the time and monitor the audio. Facilitators are not interviewers, though they may ask a question during the recording to get a little more clarity and so future generations can better understand your story.

4. Consent forms: We’ll walk you through the consent forms for The British Library and the BBC. They require basic personal information such as your name, address and background, and we require your consent to both archive the conversations, and to air them on the BBC.

5. Photos: Finally, the Facilitator will take photos of you and your interview partner, both together and separately. These photos will be included in the oral history archive.

6. CD: The Facilitator will send you a copy of the interview as a CD or an MP3 file, as you prefer.

If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to reach out to your facilitator at any time. We’re here to help, and we’ll do whatever we can to ensure you walk away with a recording you’re really happy with.