Investigation Interviewing Techniques: Building Rapport and Detecting Deception, Exercises of Voice

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Investigation

Interviewing

Techniques

Learn how to get the right

answers to build your case.

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01 | Table of ConTenTS

Introduction

Investigation Interview Preparation

Establishing a Baseline

Building Rapport

Detecting Deception

Question Types and When to Use Them

Telephone Interviews

After the Interview

Learn about Investigation

Interviewing Techniques

2

3

7

9

13

16

19

21

Mistakes reveal the truth See page 15

A knowledgeable, skillful and experienced interviewer:

• Approaches the interview with an open mind
• Acts fairly and ethically
• Knows to sometimes dig deeper than the first answer
• Treats interviewees with respect and dignity

Successful interviewing requires knowledge, skill and experience on the part of the interviewer.

Investigation

Interview

Preparation

03 | inTeRVieW PRePaRaTion

Investigation interviews should be conducted in a place that is private, quiet and comfortable.

An interviewee who feels comfortable is more willing to talk freely. An interviewee who feels threatened or exposed may be less than forthcoming.

The interview room should contain as few distractions as possible.

The investigator should have a full view of the interviewee. This means that there should not be a table or other furniture between the two.

The investigator should also leave the impression that the interviewee is free to leave the room, so locking the door or sitting in a position that blocks the exit is always a bad idea.

Preparing

the Venue

04 | inTeRVieW PRePaRaTion

Every organization should have a policy and procedure that outlines the acceptable conduct of an interviewer. Interviewers brought in from outside the organization should read and familiarize themselves with the policy before the first investigation interview proceeds.

Interviewer Conduct

06 | inTeRVieW PRePaRaTion

A policy might cover issues related to:

• Disclosing information to the interviewee
• Respectful treatment of interviewees
• Lying to elicit information in interviews
• Threatening or accusatory language
• Explaining the purpose of the interview

The first set of questions an investigator asks in an interview are basic, non-threatening questions to which the investigator knows the correct answers. This establishes a baseline for how the interviewee responds when telling the truth.

Establishing

a Baseline

07 | eSTabliSHinG a baSeline

09 | bUilDinG RaPPoRT

How the investigator comes across to the interviewee is the most important dynamic in the investigation interview process. Even when the approach is appropriate, if the relationship between the investigator and interviewee isn’t ideal, the investigator has a limited chance of success. On the other hand, if a good relationship is established early on, even the wrong approach doesn’t necessarily sink the investigator’s chances of success.

Building

Rapport

Establishing rapport in an investigation interview

achieves three objectives:

Engenders trust

When the interviewee trusts the investigator, information

is more likely to flow freely.

Elicits desire to help

If the interviewee believes the investigator will help them

(get their story told, save face, etc.) there’s incentive

to help the investigator.

Nurtures understanding

An interviewee is far more likely to share information with an

investigator who understands him or her and can relate to the

situation or motives for the actions being discussed.

3 Benefits of

Establishing Rapport

10 | bUilDinG RaPPoRT

An investigator who can find some common ground with the interviewee is in a good position to establish a relationship that leads to open communication. This often begins in the baseline phase of the interview when the investigator is asking questions about the subject’s home, family and job. Finding some common experiences to discuss, such as a child who plays baseball or a home undergoing renovations, is a great way to identify with the subject and establish rapport.

Another method for building rapport is through shared experiences.

Shared

Experiences

12 | bUilDinG RaPPoRT

There are as many theories about detecting deception as there are deceivers, so it’s important to read widely and apply the strategies wisely when attempting to spot lies in investigation interviews. The many possible signs of deception can be misinterpreted when taken on their own, when considered without considering the surrounding circumstances, or without taking cultural norms and individual baselines into account. But one thing is clear when it comes to detecting deception: the investigator needs to pay careful attention to the subject’s verbal and non-verbal behavior and look for changes in both.

Detecting

Deception

13 | DeTeCTinG DeCePTion

Clues to deception Clues to deception are just that: clues. They should be seen as indications of where the investigator needs to probe further, rather than as outright evidence of deception. Signs of deception should also be considered more telling when they occur in clusters. One deception “tell” does not mean a person is lying. A cluster of them, on the other hand, may be a good indicator of an area that the investigator should question in more detail.

Of the three types of deception, concealment and equivocation have little anxiety associated with them, but when someone is making false statements their anxiety level increases.

Since clues to deception in investigation interviews revolve around anxiety, it’s the easiest way to detect falsification, but anxiety is not always a clear clue to deception. A person could simply be anxious because they are being interviewed.

Deception

Clues

15 | DeTeCTinG DeCePTion

Some signs of anxiety include:

• Use of modifiers (usually, sort of, normally)
• Few factual statements
• Few details (because they have to remember the details of a lie)
• Moving from specificity to generalizations
• Use of passive voice
• Use of second-person pronouns
• Referring to past events less often (historical present)
• Change from longer answers to shorter ones
• Increased use of adaptors (such as hand gestures)
• Speech errors
• Increased response time

Mistakes reveal the truth. The next best thing to an admission is a mistake on the part of the interviewee.

There are five basic types of questions used in

investigation interviews:

• Introductory questions are used to provide an introduction and

get the interviewee to agree to cooperate in the interview.

• Informational questions are used for fact-gathering, and are either

open, closed or leading.

• Closing questions are used to reconfirm facts, get additional

information and gather any information the investigator may have missed.

• Assessment questions are generally hypothetical questions that

the investigator can use to assess the interviewee’s credibility.

• Admission-seeking questions are asked when an investigator is

reasonably certain of the interviewee’s guilt and are designed to elicit a confession or clear an innocent person of wrongdoing.

Question Types and

When to Use Them

16 | QUeSTion TYPeS anD WHen To USe THeM

Questions fall into three categories: open, closed and leading. There are good reasons to use each of these question types in the investigation interview.

Open, Closed

and Leading

18 | QUeSTion TYPeS anD WHen To USe THeM

Open questions cannot be answered with a “yes” or “no” answer. An example is “Tell me about the process you use to record outgoing payments.” Open questions are used during the information gathering phase of the interview and at times when the investigator needs to open the conversation.

Closed questions require a “yes” or “no” answer. They are used to nail down the specific facts, often amounts or dates. They are rarely, if ever, used in the information gathering phase of the interview, and most often used in the closing questions phase of the interview.

Leading questions are used to confirm the facts that you already know. The answer is commonly contained as part of the question. A leading question makes an assumption that is not confirmed and normally produces the most honest answer because it is an unguarded response. An example is “You work in the accounting department, don’t you?... Ok, then tell me about the process you use for payables.”

Telephone interviews can be tricky, but sometimes they are necessary. The subject may be in a different country, or it may be impossible to physically meet. In these cases, a telephone interview is better than no interview.

Telephone Interviews

19 | TelePHone inTeRVieWS

One of the biggest challenges for investigators when they can’t conduct interviews face-to-face is establishing rapport. You may have to adjust your expectations for what you will get out of the interview. You are more likely to be successful at gathering information and confirming facts than detecting deception or gaining compliance.