Important question for anyone

 

• Can you tell me about the important people in your life?
• What have been some of the happiest moments in your life? The saddest?
• Who has been the biggest influence on your life? What lessons did that person or those people teach you?
• Can you tell me about a moment when a person’s kindness made a difference in your life?
• What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life?
• What is your earliest memory?
• What is your favorite memory of me?
• Are there any funny stories your family tells about you that come to mind?
• Are there any funny stories or memories or characters from your life that you want to tell me about?
• What are you proudest of?
• When in life have you felt most alone?
• If you could hold on to memories from your life forever, which would they be?
• How has your life been different than what you’d imagined?
• How would you like to be remembered?
• Do you have any regrets?
• What does your future hold?
• What are your hopes for what the future holds for me?
• What are your hopes for my children?
• If this was to be our very last conversation, is there anything you’d want to say to me?
• For generations listening to this years from now, is there any wisdom you’d want to pass on to them? What would you want them to know?
• Is there anything that you’ve never told me but want to tell me now?
• Are there things about me that you’ve always wanted to know but have never asked?
• If you could talk to a younger version of yourself, what would you say?
• What were your first impressions of me? How did they change?

Friends or Colleagues

• If you could interview anyone from your life living or dead, but not a celebrity, who would it be and why?
• What is your first memory of me?
• Was there a time when you didn’t like me?
• What makes us such good friends?
• How would you describe me? How would you describe yourself?
• Where will we be in 10 years? 20 years?
• Do you think we’ll ever lose touch with each other?

Grandparents

• Where did you grow up?
• What was your childhood like?
• Who were your favorite relatives?
• Do you remember any of the stories your grandparents used to tell you?
• How did you and grandma/grandpa meet?
• What was my mom/dad/parent like growing up?
• Were your grandparents well-behaved?
• What is the worst thing your grandparents ever did?
• What were your parents like?
• What were your grandparents like?
• How would you like to be remembered?
• Are you proud of me?

Raising Children

• When did you first find out that you’d be a parent? How did you feel?
• Did you always know you wanted to be a parent?
• Can you describe the moment when you saw your child for the first time?
• How has being a parent changed you?
• What have you learned about yourself from being a parent?
• What are your dreams for your children?
• Do you remember when your last child left home for good?
• Do you have any favorite stories about your kids?

Parents

• Do you remember what was going through your head when you first saw me?
• How did you choose my name?
• What was I like as a baby? As a young child?
• What were my siblings like?
• What were the hardest moments you had when I was growing up?
• If you could do everything again, would you raise me differently?
• What advice would you give me about raising my own kids?
• What are your dreams for me?
• How did you meet mom/dad?
• How do you think we are alike? How do you think we are different?
• Are you proud of me?

Growing Up

• When and where were you born?
• Where did you grow up?
• What was it like?
• Who were your parents?
• What were your parents like?
• How was your relationship with your parents?
• Did you get into trouble? What was the worst thing you did?
• Do you have any siblings? What were they like growing up?
• What did you look like?
• How would you describe yourself as a child? Were you happy?
• What is one of your best memories of childhood? Worst?
• Did you have a nickname? How’d you get it?
• Who were your best friends? What were they like?
• How would you describe a perfect day when you were young?
• What did you think your life would be like when you were older?
• Do you have any favorite stories from your childhood?
• When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

School

• Did you enjoy school?
• What kind of student were you?
• What would you do for fun?
• How would your classmates remember you?
• Are you still friends with anyone from that time in your life?
• What are your best memories of grade school/high school/college/graduate school? Worst memories?
• Was there a teacher or teachers who had a particularly strong influence on your life? Tell me about them.
• Do you have any favorite stories from school?

Teachers

• When and why did you decide to become a teacher?
• Tell me about your first day as a teacher.
• How is teaching different from how you imagined it to be?
• Tell me about a time when teaching made you feel hopeful.
• What are the most challenging and/or funniest moments you’ve experienced in the classroom?
• How would you like your students to remember you?
• Was there a teacher or teachers who had a particularly strong influence on your life? What did you learn about teaching from them?
• Looking back, what advice would you give to yourself in your first year of teaching?

Love & Relationships

• Do you have a love of your life?
• When did you first fall in love?
• Can you tell me about your first kiss?
• What was your first serious relationship?
• Do you believe in love at first sight?
• Do you ever think about previous lovers?
• What lessons have you learned from your relationships?
• Who were the “ones that got away” in your life?
• What was the hardest break up you’ve ever experienced?
• Do you remember the best date you ever went on?/Do you remember your first date?

Marriage & Partnerships

• How did you meet your spouse/partner?
• How did you know they were “the one”?
• How did you propose?
• What were the best times? The most difficult times?
• Did you ever think of getting divorced?
• Did you ever get divorced? Can you tell me about it?
• What advice do you have for young couples?
• Do you have any favorite stories from your marriage or about your spouse/partner?

Working

• Describe the work that you do.
• Tell me about how you got into your line of work.
• Do you like your job?
• What did you think you were going to be when you grew up?
• What did you want to be when you grew up?
• What lessons has your work life taught you?
• If you could do anything now, what would you do? Why?
• Do you plan on retiring? If so, when? How do you feel about it?
• Do you have any favorite stories from your work life?

Religion

• Can you tell me about your religious beliefs/spiritual beliefs? What is your religion?
• How did you come to your faith? From your family? From a particular experience or set of experiences?
• How has your faith evolved over time?
• Have you experienced any miracles?
• What was the most profound spiritual moment of your life?
• Do you believe in God?
• How have you experienced God (or a Higher Power) in your life?
• Do you believe in the after-life? What do you think it will be like?
• When you meet God, what do you want to say?
• Have there been moments that tested your faith? What were those challenges and how did they impact your faith?

Serious Illness

• Can you tell me about your illness?
• Do you think about dying? Are you scared?
• How do you imagine your death?
• Do you believe in an after-life?
• Do you regret anything?
• Do you look at your life differently now than before you were diagnosed?
• Do you have any last wishes?
• If you were to give advice to me or others in our family, what would it be?
• What have you learned from life? The most important things?
• Has this illness changed you? What have you learned?
• How do you want to be remembered?