Great listening skills are just one spoke in an interviewer’s wheel. Listening is integral to the whole process, but follow up is essential to proceed to the truth.  Here are some of the most important follow up techniques to add to your toolbox:

  1. 2013_Listen_soundlessness_130x130Show Encouragement! When your witness/job applicant/suspected fraudster is allowed to explain and provide detail, show your interest and your willingness to be involved in the conversation.  Words such as, “I’d like to hear more,” or “tell me about” gives permission to share.
  2. Restate to Clarify! Rewording and repeating back what you are being told helps to clarify what you are hearing. Subjects will know you are really listening to them, and this encourages more conversation. Persons who tell the truth are more likely to provide richer detail, and restating what you hear helps you assess whether the subject might be lying or shading the truth.
  3. Be Honest!  When you are eliciting responses to what you are hearing, do not be deceptive or try to trick the subject.  Statisticly, this tactic works against eliciting the truth, and, if caught, you have lost the bond of trust that is so critical to an open and forthright conversation. 
  4. Point Out Your Observations!  If while listening to an explanation the subject frowns or sighs, mention what you are seeing/hearing.  For instance, consider using, “You seem upset,” or “This seems to really be bothering you.” These types of responses have the ability to deepen the relationship and allow for verification or respectful disagreement.  Again, this is another effective method of getting to the truth. 
  5. Silence and Prompts are Helpful! Your own body language (such as good eye contact) along with your maintaining silence shows the subject that they are holding your attention and your interest.  Gaps of silence also allow for a mild level of discomfort and encourage the subject to keep talking to fill the silence.  Prompts such as “Yes,” “Um-hm” or “I see” are brief responses that do not interrupt a narrative or the subject’s train of thought, and they provide further encouragement to continue. 
  6. Leading Statements / Questions Work! These types of remarks are controversial to some interviewers (especially when a witness is under oath); however, their use promotes subtle control to move into areas of further interest or out of areas of less interest.  The technique is particularly worthwhile when exploring areas about which little is known.  If, however, the leading statement/question does not thoughtfully follow a thorough understanding of what was heard, it can cause confusion and/or a disconnect between the interviewer and the witness.

Accurate and planned follow up to practiced listening can build and deepen rapport between an interviewer and the interviewee.  The better the relationship, the better the opportunity for the subject to feel comfortable to talk about themselves and also about difficult and upsetting topics.  Ultimately this helps the interviewer to achieve his/her goal which most frequently is to identify truthful responses, misleading statements and/or lies.

As I have suggested in previous newsletters, practice, practice and more practice makes you the interviewer more effective and more successful.  Practice some of these techniques in casual settings on family and friends, and observe and remember that which is most effective for you.  Your higher comfort level with one technique vs another can improve your success rate.

Research North, Inc. (RNI), is a professional private detective service providing support to the business community, the insurance industry and individuals in Michigan and Wisconsin since 1981. The company also offers pre-employment background checks to small and medium sized businesses through a subsidiary called Backgroundcheckswork.com that is fully staffed by professional investigators who are retired from law enforcement.

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