As someone who conducts interviews for a living, you are a student of human behavior, and you know that interviewing is an art not a science. Since each interviewing event is unique, how do you know when to change your own approach in an effort to dig down for the truth? Well, nothing is absolute, but more often than not, the following tactic usually produce subtle worthwhile signals:
- During the course of an interview, deposition, formal or casual contact, your own non-verbal actions, i.e., body movements, eye contact, hand gestures, head nodding, facial expression and tone of voice must convey sincerity. When the interviewee is certain that you are genuinely interested in what is being said and that you are interested in them as a person, you have established a subtle control about which they may not even be aware. An especially convincing way to show your interest would be to lean towards that person (just slightly) since it physically demonstrates an enthusiasm about the information being provided. This gesture allows them to feel more at ease, and it opens the door for them to relax and provide more information and potentially inconsistent information.
- So how do you know that you have successfully put the interviewee at ease? You will notice that they will start to smile, breathe deeper, and drop their shoulders a bit. It is at this point that they will begin to display their true feelings. You will also know that you have been successful when they begin to offer information that is not necessarily on point.
Test these suggestions in casual encounters to determine what best works for you. Also, practice your questioning to understand what you can verbalize in conjunction with the non-verbal physical moves that will uncover information that they had not intended to provide.
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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