Mastering the Art of the Investigative Interview: Essential Questions and Techniques

Conducting effective investigative interviews is a pivotal skill for law enforcement officers, private investigators, journalists, and human resources professionals. The ability to extract accurate information through targeted questioning can make or break a criminal case, workplace investigation, or in-depth news story.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the art and science behind investigative interviews. Whether you are a seasoned investigator or just starting out in your career, mastering these techniques and strategies will prepare you to handle even the most complex and high-stakes interviews

Setting the Stage with Complainants and Witnesses

The complainant interview lays the vital groundwork for any investigation, This is your opportunity to gain a detailed understanding of the allegations or incident from the perspective of the reporting party,

Here are some best-practice questions to ask complainants and witnesses:

• What occurred in as much detail as possible?
• Who was involved and in what way?
• How many times did the incident occur and is it ongoing?
• What was the date, time and location of the incident?
• Were there any witnesses or bystanders who saw what happened?

Approaching the complainant interview with care and empathy is crucial. The goal is to establish trust while gathering comprehensive information about the sequence of events. Allow the complainant to provide their account without interruption initially. Follow up with clarifying questions only after they have finished their narrative. Document the conversation thoroughly while maintaining eye contact and an understanding tone.

The complainant interview sets the trajectory of the investigation. Mastering the art of active listening and strategic questioning during this pivotal stage will lay a solid factual foundation.

Planning Your Approach: Themes and Objectives

Meticulous preparation is the hallmark of a skilled investigator. Before diving into the interview, take time to determine your themes and objectives.

Your themes represent the core topics and lines of inquiry you aim to pursue. For instance, in an employment investigation into absenteeism, your themes might include the employee’s perception of their attendance record, the reasons behind their absences, and their ability to correct the issue moving forward.

Your objectives are the specific pieces of information you want to uncover related to each theme. In the absenteeism example, objectives could include determining exactly how many days the employee missed over a certain period, what they were doing on those days, and whether they notified their supervisor.

Mapping out themes and objectives frames the landscape you want to explore through questioning. It also helps identify gaps in the evidence you’ve collected so far, allowing you to prepare targeted questions to fill them. This strategic planning prevents meandering exchanges and maintains your control over the interview’s direction.

Questioning Styles and Techniques

Your approach to questioning can encourage cooperation or compromise it. Mastering different techniques is key to remaining adaptable across diverse interview scenarios.

Open vs. Closed Questions

Open questions promote free narration, beginning with “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why” or “how.” For example, “What were the circumstances that led to you being late for your shift?”

Closed questions elicit specific facts or brief responses. For instance, “Did you notify your supervisor that you would be late?”

Open questions are useful for allowing interviewees to provide their perspective without inhibition. Closed questions are more appropriate for gathering precise details once the background context is established.

Funneling

This technique progressively narrows the focus through each sequence of questioning. You begin with open questions to encourage the subject to speak freely about the general topic. As the interview progresses, the questions become more closed and targeted.

Funneling enables you to gradually guide the conversation towards eliciting the specific information you need without disengaging the interviewee.

Clarification

It is essential to ask clarifying questions when you require elaboration on vague or confusing statements. Avoid moving on when there is ambiguity that could compromise your understanding.

Phrases like “Tell me more about…” or “Can you clarify what you meant when you said…” get the additional details you need while demonstrating active listening.

Communication Mirroring

Matching aspects of the interviewee’s communication style, also known as mirroring, can accelerate rapport building. If they speak slowly and deliberately, adjust your pace to match. Adopting similar body language and speech patterns signals that you are engaged and receptive.

However, beware of mimicking negative behaviors like fidgeting or avoidance. The aim is to make them comfortable opening up to you, not reinforce problematic manners.

10 Top Investigative Interview Questions

Now let’s examine some of the most indispensable questions to have in your investigative interview toolkit:

1. Walk me through what happened leading up to the incident.

   This open-ended request allows the interviewee to provide their narrative without interruption. You gain insight into their thought process and perspective. Take notes on details requiring further probing.

2. Who else was involved, and what were their roles?

   Determine additional parties present and the actions they took. Cross-check against other accounts to assess consistency.

3. What were you feeling at the time of the incident?

   Emotions can influence behaviors and memory. This builds context around state of mind and motivations.

4. What happened immediately afterward? Walk me through it chronologically.

   Get a complete picture of the sequence of events following the primary incident. This may reveal attempts to conceal misconduct.

5. Is there any evidence that could help establish facts about what occurred?

   Pursue leads on documents, communications, photos, videos, or other records that can corroborate accounts.

6. Is there anything you recall now that you did not mention initially?

   Returning to key moments may jog the interviewee’s memory about overlooked details.

7. What would have needed to happen differently to prevent this outcome?

   This reveals perceived root causes and accountability. Responses can also indicate willingness to change.

8. Did you discuss the incident with anyone afterward? What was said?

   Identify potential additional witnesses and evidence. Assess whether stories align.

9. If I were to ask the other people involved about this, what do you think they would say?

   Gauges awareness of others’ perspectives. See if they downplay conduct or preempt divergent accounts.

10. Is there anything I haven’t asked about that you feel is relevant to understanding what occurred?

    Open invitation to volunteer overlooked information. May lead to illuminating details.

Preparing incisive questions aligned with your investigative themes and objectives is the only way to skillfully guide an interview and extract the complete story.

These examples demonstrate how critical your questioning approach is to either facilitating or inhibiting the flow of information.

Diffusing Defensiveness: Handling Uncooperative Interviewees

Even if you ask impeccable questions, you may still encounter resistance. The following tactics can help diffuse defensiveness:

• Active listening – Give them your complete focus. Nodding and maintaining eye contact shows you are engaged. Take written notes to emphasize importance.

• Empathy – Validating their perspective makes them more receptive, even if you disagree. “I understand this may be difficult to discuss” demonstrates sensitivity.

• Non-judgmental tone – Ask genuinely open questions without implications of guilt. Let conclusions emerge objectively from facts.

• Find common ground – When appropriate, share a brief relatable experience to humanize yourself. But keep it about them.

• Give breathing room – After tense exchanges, shift to neutral questions briefly before circling back. Don’t force issues.

• Clarify intentions – Reiterate you are seeking a complete understanding, not pinning blame preemptively.

With these techniques for promoting openness, you can gain cooperation while upholding objectivity.

Turning Information into Actionable Intelligence

The hallmark of investigation excellence is translating raw information into high-value intelligence that drives action. Here are tips for making this crucial leap:

• Double check facts – Verify and corroborate information through documentation, other interviews, and hard evidence.

• Assess inconsistencies – Cross-compare accounts from all parties. Take note of contradictions, omissions, or attempts to conceal.

• Observe behavior – Apply your perception skills. What is revealed through body language, speech patterns, and other cues?

• Conduct risk analysis – Determine vulnerabilities and likelihoods based on the facts to prioritize response.

• Map relationships – Use data to illustrate connections between people, events, timelines, and evidence.

• Summarize judiciously – Condense massive amounts of data into meaningful insights without distorting or editorializing.

Convert even subtle clues identified through meticulous interviews into the catalysts for solving your case. Sharpen your ability to filter signal from noise.

Putting it All Together

Like playing high-stakes chess, investigative interviewing requires strategic thinking, adaptability, insight into human behaviors, and uncompromising attention to detail.

Prepare diligently before entering the room. Build rapport while maintaining control. Ask purposeful questions aligned to your objectives. Handle resistance professionally. Corroborate all information thoroughly. Synthesize facts into meaningful findings.

While the artistry of reading people matters tremendously