Ask for the scene.
Not the slogan.

A meaningful oral history needs consent, a clear purpose, and room for the subject to correct, contextualize, or decline. Start smaller than you think.

Before recording

Explain audience, storage, editing, sensitive topics, and withdrawal. Get real agreement.

Ask for scenes

Who was in the room? What did it look and sound like? Who taught whom? What changed?

Label the record

Keep memory, family account, document, and inference distinct. Approximate dates are allowed to be approximate.

Return stewardship

Offer the subject or family a usable copy and the chance to review names and quotations.