Getting the Real Message
June 3, 2018
As children, we learn how to tell partial truths, “white lies,” in misguided attempts to avoid punishment. A white lie is defined by Dictionary.com as a “minor, polite, or harmless lie; fib.” We rationalize that it is not a real lie when there is some truth to it, and we excuse ourselves. We may tell partial truths to further our agendas. We may do it to keep pain from someone we love. Or we may do it to avoid receiving pain. There are many reasons and excuses. So, when is a lie, a lie?
A lie is a lie when we say, “I did not do it,” when we did “it,” and everyone knows what “it” is. If the statement has some degree of truth in it, we have convinced ourselves that partial truths are not lies. So, how do we recognize when there is more to the truth than what we are told?
RECOGNIZING THE TRUTH
For fact-finding and decision-making, you need to gather all relevant facts to help get the truth. These facts are essential in our efforts to understand what happened or is about to happen. People may tell partial truths, eliminating relevant facts, to deceive. Deceptive people use obfuscation, vague language, or too much information that lacks precision and simplicity. These are tracks you need to sense. Your approach and questions should eliminate or minimize the possibility of partial truths.
One approach is to make sure you and the subject have a mutual understanding of what you are asking. For example, you could ask the question, “What did you mean when you said you then talked to your supervisor?” to force a mutual understanding of what your subject means by “talked” and “supervisor.” Also, “then” means something happened just before–find out what happened just before, if you do not already know it.
There is a very complex relationship between facts and the truth. Truth is relative; facts are not. The truth reflects bias; facts don’t. Facts are past tense; truth is present tense. Facts are timetested; truths can change over time. Facts can be true; not all truths are facts. What each of us perceives as truth may not be what others see as truth. Personal bias and perspective may bend the truth.
Sometimes the strategy should be to simply allow the truth to surface. However, it is important to be aware that anything you do or say, or even the environment in which you are conducting the interview, could affect the subject’s responses.
MINIMIZE CONTAMINATION
In all cases, minimizing contamination will help you to get the truth. In this context, contamination is defined as anything that affects the subject’s responses. Unintentional contamination can occur as you walk into the interview room, as you begin the questioning process, and in the type of interview room itself (e.g., noises inside and outside the room).
Factors to consider when attempting to minimize contamination are the way you present yourself, your choice of interview rooms, your questioning strategy or question structure, how and when you ask your questions, as well as your question presentation. Consider how each of these variables may affect the subject’s responses and include these considerations in our communication strategy.
One preferred technique to use is handwritten statements. Handwrite the question(s) and request the subject to handwrite his/her response(s). Provide plenty of plain, unlined paper to encourage thorough and unstructured responses. This powerful handwriting technique is an excellent way to help you see stress, through any spelling errors or mistakes, as well as other variables that will assist you in determining the truthfulness of the respondent. It also provides sound evidence, a personally handwritten statement, that cannot be improved upon because it records the interview in the subject’s own handwriting and the subject’s own words and thoughts.
PROPER QUESTION STRUCTURE
A poorly-structured question can also contaminate your efforts, closing the door on getting the truth. For example, the following may dramatically diminish your ability to get the truth:
“What can you tell me about …”
“What do you know …”
“Would you say …”
“To the best of your knowledge …”
Questions such as these, with introductions, will contaminate the response by allowing the deceiver to wiggle out of telling the truth. The deceiver will take advantage of poorly-worded questions and provide misleading answers. The compliance officer who asks, “Did you follow procedures?” or the auditor who asks, “What are the risks in your operation?” is just asking for a misleading answer. The words “procedures” and “risks” first need to be defined and mutually understood before using them in questions. The deceiver will seize the opportunity to respond to poorly-defined questions with partial truths. If cornered on an answer, they can always use the excuse, “I took the question to mean …” Even truthful people may unintentionally provide misleading answers. The old adage, “garbage in, garbage out,” applies. So, what is a well-constructed question?
SIMPLIFY QUESTIONS
Well-constructed questions (i.e., commands) contain mutually understood words constructed simply and
precisely. Consider these examples:
“Were you ever at 765 Moross?”
Better: Show picture of 765 Moross and ask, “Were you ever inside that building?”
(“At” is not precise; “inside” is better. Also, the subject may not know the address.)
“Did you kill your wife?”
Better: “What happened to your wife?”
“She was killed.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone shot her.”
“Did you shoot her?” (“Kill” needs to be defined.)
“What do you think happened?”
Better: “What happened?”
DETECTING DECEPTION
Telling lies is stressful and a body under stress seeks peace. Use that force to your advantage. The focus, then, needs to be on structuring questions to allow truthful people to tell the complete truth, and make it very difficult for deceptive people to tell partial truths.
It is very difficult to detect skillfully-worded deceptive statements. Deceptive people are wordsmiths, and we, as interviewers, need to use that to our advantage.
Calibrate the subject’s communication pattern during the introductory phase of the interview. Ask non-threatening questions such as, “How long have you been with the company?” or “Where do you live?” Take note of how the subject communicates. Sense their eye, eyebrow, lip, and body movements; their breathing, word, and blinking rates; the hand movements they use to explain; their vocabulary and eye contact. All of these observations constitute the subject’s unique communication pattern. This pattern provides you with his or her communication standard and allows you to compare the pattern while responding to critical or threatening questions. If the pattern changes, you need to find out why. The cause(s) could be deception, contamination, or a poorly-worded question.
It is very difficult to detect skillfully-worded deceptive statements. Deceptive people are wordsmiths, and we, as interviewers, need to use that to our advantage. Force subjects to give you precise responses by using mutually understood words that cannot be misinterpreted. Precision is the enemy of deceptive people. Keep in mind that truthful people will not intentionally provide partial truths. Typically, truthful responses are simple, precise, and direct. Truthful people want us to know the complete truth. Deceptive people do not. Use that to detect deception.
The response, “I did not do it,” when it stands alone without explanation, contains the components of a truthful response. But you can rely on it only when there is no doubt about what “it” is, and “it” is consistent with the evidence and circumstances. Also, the context matters. Was it blurted out? Was it in response to a question? Is it consistent with the subject’s calibrated communication pattern? The responses “I could not do it,” “I would not do it,” “I am telling you I did not do it,” and “I can tell you there is no way I did it” all suggest deception.
CONCLUSION
There is much to learn about developing the skills necessary to conduct good fact-finding interviews. Minimize contamination, knowing that everything you do (and do not do) could contaminate. Prevent deception by asking properly-constructed questions, aware that deceptive people use the words in your questions to provide deceptive responses. Remember that deceptive people rationalize that a partial truth is not a lie. Finally, know what kinds of responses to expect from truthful people so that you know when you are being told the truth. Know truth. Know deception.
About the Author
Joe Koenig
Joe Koening is the owner of KMI Investigations LLC in Grandville, MI and the author of the awardwinning book “Getting the Truth,” Principia Media 2014. www.kmiinvestigatons.com
Read Full Author Bio
Joe Koenig
Joe Koening is the owner of KMI Investigations LLC in Grandville, MI and the author of the awardwinning book “Getting the Truth,” Principia Media 2014. www.kmiinvestigatons.com
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Getting the Real Message