Re-posted from: http://createyourlifestory.com/motivation/what-to-talk-about-prompts/
Welcome To Episode Seven of Create Your Life Story
So you want to talk to someone or you want to record yourself, but what are you going to talk about? Sure it’s a conversation and we have conversations all the time so how hard can it be. In the shower and driving in the car you think of a constant stream of subjects to talk about. You remember the time you broke your collar bone or the time Dad came home rolling drunk, the birth of your children and the passing of your parents, your excitement of heading off to university and that stunning holiday in Europe. Oh, and all those special loves and adventures not to mention the achievements in business and work.
Then you turn on the microphone and recorder and you say… Nothing. All you have is a void, all of a sudden, those subjects are gone, vaporised… funny that!
Having something to talk about is the single greatest fear and subject that concerns people when it comes to creating a Life Story. Either it’s “I don’t have anything worth mentioning” or “I don’t know where to start”. Either way, here is a start and something to talk about to help you on the way.
Rather than you having an endless list of questions to ask here is a list of prompts to get you thinking. Read through this list and think of the times, situations and people that pop into your memory. Carry a notebook and as ideas appear to you write those ideas down to work on later. Ideas will come to mind as you travel somewhere, hang up the washing or walk to get lunch, any and everywhere.
In the first instance just write down quick notes of the times, people and events that you want to talk or ask about. These are just memory grabs to remind you for when you get a moment to return. Then when you have time pull out your notes and flush them out into a more useful form to use when actually recording.
Here are some general ideas of time and situation in the average life to get you started….
Childhood
* Where, times, culture, climate
* Toys, games and playing
* Celebrations, birthdays, Christmas and gatherings
* Hobbies, activities, chores, clubs and groups
* Good and bad times
* School, education, talents and skills
* Illnesses, hospital, dentist and accidents
* Parents and Grandparents
* Changes form today for children
Adolescence
* Friends and social groups
* School, activities, social, academic
* Work at home, volunteering, paid
* Family and other holidays trips
* Relationships with parents, siblings, relatives and friends
Early Adulthood
* Additional education or training
* Work, people, friends and skills
* Dating, Intimate relationships and love, who, what, where and how
* Meeting partner, marrying and settling
* Family life and relationships
Turn the question, person or subject into a leading question to provokes a response, then create a response to answers that question as a statement. This is all outlined with an example in the previous episode. Now you have a chain of events that has evolved from:
* a general idea
* to a specific time/situation/place in life
* to a question of that time/situation/place
* to a statement in response to the question
Action Summary
1. Read through the list of prompt subjects
2. Carry a notebook to write new ideas that come up away from the main list
3. Write down specific situations, people and events that come to mind
4. Generate conversational prompts to lead into the conversation from your specific situations
5. Start recording