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