Tailored training

This course is being delivered online and in person.

A course tailored to the needs of your project group can be arranged. An OHS/British Library accredited trainer will work with you to assess your needs and agree a training programme.

The basic cost for courses delivered in 2024 is £500 per full day of training plus the trainer’s expenses, for a maximum of 12 participants.

The first part of a tailored training course is often based on the Introduction to Oral History course programme. It might include all or some of the following topic areas:

  • What is oral history?: understanding memory
  • Getting started: aims and objectives, who to interview, question approaches, ethical issues
  • An introduction to audio recording equipment
  • Interview techniques: do’s and don’ts
  • After the interview: summarising, transcription, copyright, archiving

If you’re designing your project training programme from scratch (for example as part of a funding application) we recommend that you budget for up to three days’ training, to take place at intervals throughout the project:

  1. The first course might be an introductory course (similar in style to the Introduction to Oral History course)
  2. The second could be a feedback/follow-up course to discuss and assess initial interviews carried out by the group (similar to the Developing your Oral History Skills course)
  3. The third course could begin to evaluate and select interviews for project outcomes such as exhibitions and websites – though you might need to buy in additional training for the technical design and delivery of these outcomes.

How to book

If you would like to explore this training option please send the OHS training administrator the following details so that we can match your requirements with a member of the training team:

  • details of your project
  • the type of interviews you will be conducting – audio / video / both
  • the number in the group and a rough guide to their ages (i.e. will it be a cross-generational project?)
  • anything specific you require from the course
  • possible dates (bearing in mind that we will require at least six weeks’ notice)

Online training: Courses are delivered by Zoom video call and each participant needs to join the training using their own device. For online courses each ‘full day’ of training is usually split over two half-day sessions.

In-person training: For in-person training we will be continuing with some social distancing measures, and will need to find out more about the training venue before arranging an in-person course. In-person courses are delivered over full day sessions.

Cancellation policy

As a courtesy to our trainers, many of whom are freelancers, if a training day is cancelled with less than a week’s notice the organiser/project is to pay the trainer the full day fee plus any pre-booked travel expenses.

Higher Education teaching

Please note: Oral History Society training is intended to support community organisations and local authority projects. We do not substitute for Higher Education teaching as we believe that oral history should be embedded in university curricula. The OHS has a Higher Education Group that is happy to support and advise on the development of oral history in HE. Please contact us for more information.

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