INTERVIEWS
Every word matters
During an investigative interview, you want to avoid any harsh descriptive words that can induce unnecessary amounts of fear or concern in the person you’re interviewing. Avoiding words like “arrest”, “prosecution” and “restitution” during the course of conversation may allow the person to continue to feel comfortable talking to you.
You should also be aware of how some other words can impact your subject. For example, if you use the word “thief,” to describe the person in the rationalization, not the person sitting across from you directly, you still don’t know how they’re going to perceive the label of "thief". Hearing the word “thief” or “theft,” they could all of a sudden feel more embarrassed for what they’ve done or even judged, which means they may no longer feel comfortable talking to you.
Additionally, you should avoid any type of word that may promote the perspective of leniency and take away from the seriousness of the act. You should avoid words like “accident” and “mistake” because there could be a question as to was there actual intent behind their actions. Even avoiding the word “help” and being aware of how you use that during the interview. They may focus on one word, "help", and now they may think, “Oh they want to help me. Maybe I’ll keep my job. Maybe it won’t be as bad as I thought it was going to.”
Plan appropriately and make sure you’re using words that don’t impact your subject and the result of your interview in a negative way.
By Chris Norris, CFI
Wicklander-Zulawski Europe
