Home · Home & life · Write family history questions before the stories disappear
Write family history questions before the stories disappear
Older relatives won't be around forever. Get interview questions and a simple way to record answers.
The prompt · ChatGPT
Write family history questions. Who I'll ask: [names, relationship] Themes I care about: [childhood, work, war, immigration, recipes] Sensitive areas to handle gently: [optional] How I'll record: [notes, voice phone, video] Ask me up to 3 short questions first if anything important is missing. Wait for my answers. Then: 1. Questions grouped by theme. 2. Warm-up questions. 3. Gentle wording for sensitive topics, with permission to skip. 4. A simple session plan (45 minutes). 5. How to store what I collect. Only use what I've told you, leave blanks for anything I haven't given, and don't invent facts, diagnoses or legal outcomes. UK English. Stay in this ChatGPT chat. Do not turn on apps or connectors, and do not use memory from another chat.
A short example
Fill the blanks, then paste. names, relationship: a short note you already have. childhood, work, war, immigration, recipes: a short note you already have. Leave the rest of the prompt as written.
Loading the outline…