The purpose of conducting an interview

The purpose of conducting any type of interview is to elicit information. Sometimes we are unaware of the role a claimant or other person may have played in an incident / claim. Occasionally the witness may become liable and provide cause for subrogation. By asking the right questions and knowing how to decipher verbal and non-verbal signs of deception Spectrum Advantage Group investigators enhance your defense strategies.

An interview is often the most integral part of an investigation. Although scientific, medical or forensic evidence provides an investigator with valuable clues, the circumstances under which they were caused to be collected remain in question. It was once said; a confession is a good start to an investigation. Have you ever wondered why some people would admit to wrongdoing and others don’t? The answer is skilled Spectrum Advantage Group investigators know how to establish a rapport and elicit the information sought.

By having a structured and methodical approach to interviewing we are able to uncover information that may not have previously been known. If a person is relating a truthful event, they rely on their memory for detail. If they are being deceptive, they are unable to rely on their memory of events and spontaneously create flawed responses.  For every deceptive response, they have to invent another to protect themselves from the previous.

Subsequent to an interview, Spectrum Advantage Group applies Statement Analysis (see Statement Analysis on our home page) techniques to further evaluate and determine relevant facts / accurate recollection of a claim.

Behavioral Interviewing

Behavioral interviewing is a technique that uses a structured set of accusatory or provoking questions designed to determine truth or deception. When a person makes a conscious effort to be deceitful, they often experience internal conflicts that create increased tension and anxiety. The very question they are deceitful about becomes a very threatening stimulus to them. By identifying when such verbal and non-verbal signs of deception are present we are able to recognize deception with a high level of accuracy. This type of interviewing technique is particularly useful when determining if a person is engaging in “Lack of Conviction”, “Extraneous Information” or Lack of “Balance” as described in Statement Analysis (see Statement Analysis on our home page).

Recognizing non-verbal behaviors

It’s believed that 80% of all human communication is non-verbal, yet we often tend to overlook the importance of analyzing body language in context. One example of body language is the avoidance of eye contact from the person being interviewed and that it suggests deception. Professionally conducted interviews should, however, include a variety of body languages assessments in determining probable deception. If a person’s spoken word is inconsistent with our body language at the time of the response or immediately after, it is significant to the interviewer.