Basic Interviewing Learn to Be Your Own Detective
The basics of interviewing - what do you really need to know to be your own detective?
Well, first you may need to know what you want to find out. What is the purpose of your interview? Is it a witness or suspect you are interviewing? Is it a pre-employment interview? What facts are you looking for? - Those are all things you should consider when conducting an interview.
I often get asked - how can I tell if they are telling a lie? The real life answer is - you can't. What you can look for are indicators of deception, but these indicators are not universal across all cultures. So I will give you a brief, and very incomplete quick lesson on looking for indicators of deception. I say deception, because sometimes the stress of the answer is not because the person is lying, but simply that they are under stress of the question, or fear that you will not believe them. People often display exactly the same behavior when they fear they will not be believed as when they know they are lying.
First, start the interview with some basic open ended questions. Ask the person to tell you about themselves, or even speak about a past incident that is non threatening. Observe the person's behavior as they speak.
When you start to get to the nitty-gritty part of the interview, be sure and ask some non-threatening questions. Do this off and on throughout the interview as a chance to pause and for you to observe more "normal" behavior.
Here are some common indicators:
Licking lips, touching nose (ever wonder where the growing nose idea came from in Pinocchio?), blinking, eyes darting, looking down and to the right are all common indicators of deception. If a person looks up and left, it is usually just an indication of thinking about an answer - not necessarily a sign of deception. The eyes are a window to the soul, but you need to learn to read them. There are also indicators like the three whites of the eyes (the "Buckwheat" look, or deer caught in the headlights).
Now some people do these things normally and just because their nose itches it doesn't mean they are lying. Look for these behaviors as a change from normal behavior when they are speaking.
If a person over emphasizes and answer - like "no, no, no, no!!" or saying "I swear on my mother's grave!" or anything similar - chances are they are lying. Once again, look for these answers outside of a normal answer.
What about voice stress analyzers? Apparently, voice stress analyzers are the poorest tool used to determine deceptiveness. In blind studies they are less than 50% effective.
What about lie detectors? Use of the polygraph can be better described as an art form than any kind of science. While polygraph examiners will argue that they are quite effective, the National Academy of Science studied the process and determined that they are pretty much totally ineffective. They are a useful tool to get suspect to confess, but that doesn't mean they work.
Put your own interview skills to the test and see how effective you can be. Maybe good enough to Be Your Own Detective.
Well, first you may need to know what you want to find out. What is the purpose of your interview? Is it a witness or suspect you are interviewing? Is it a pre-employment interview? What facts are you looking for? - Those are all things you should consider when conducting an interview.
I often get asked - how can I tell if they are telling a lie? The real life answer is - you can't. What you can look for are indicators of deception, but these indicators are not universal across all cultures. So I will give you a brief, and very incomplete quick lesson on looking for indicators of deception. I say deception, because sometimes the stress of the answer is not because the person is lying, but simply that they are under stress of the question, or fear that you will not believe them. People often display exactly the same behavior when they fear they will not be believed as when they know they are lying.
First, start the interview with some basic open ended questions. Ask the person to tell you about themselves, or even speak about a past incident that is non threatening. Observe the person's behavior as they speak.
When you start to get to the nitty-gritty part of the interview, be sure and ask some non-threatening questions. Do this off and on throughout the interview as a chance to pause and for you to observe more "normal" behavior.
Here are some common indicators:
Licking lips, touching nose (ever wonder where the growing nose idea came from in Pinocchio?), blinking, eyes darting, looking down and to the right are all common indicators of deception. If a person looks up and left, it is usually just an indication of thinking about an answer - not necessarily a sign of deception. The eyes are a window to the soul, but you need to learn to read them. There are also indicators like the three whites of the eyes (the "Buckwheat" look, or deer caught in the headlights).
Now some people do these things normally and just because their nose itches it doesn't mean they are lying. Look for these behaviors as a change from normal behavior when they are speaking.
If a person over emphasizes and answer - like "no, no, no, no!!" or saying "I swear on my mother's grave!" or anything similar - chances are they are lying. Once again, look for these answers outside of a normal answer.
What about voice stress analyzers? Apparently, voice stress analyzers are the poorest tool used to determine deceptiveness. In blind studies they are less than 50% effective.
What about lie detectors? Use of the polygraph can be better described as an art form than any kind of science. While polygraph examiners will argue that they are quite effective, the National Academy of Science studied the process and determined that they are pretty much totally ineffective. They are a useful tool to get suspect to confess, but that doesn't mean they work.
Put your own interview skills to the test and see how effective you can be. Maybe good enough to Be Your Own Detective.
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