This week’s International Association of Interviewers interview and interrogation training tip provided by Wicklander-Zulawski, has Dave Thompson, CFI, vice president of operations for WZ, talking about the importance of collaboration.
We need to be collaborating with those business partners who are tasked with some of the most difficult investigations. Such investigations could involve sexual harassment, a hostile work environment, or workplace violence.
These types of investigations typically come with a limited amount of evidence. Often, the evidence is comprised of circumstantial evidence and “he-said, she-said” reports of what happened. An investigator is then tasked with sorting through multiple perspectives of one event (or multiple events) and trying to figure out the truth.
An improperly structured interview can significantly tamper with a witness’s recollection of events, make a victim feel like the incident was their fault, or could prevent other victims from coming forward.
It’s important that these interviews are conducted in a strategic, methodical way in an effort to get the most amount of information while allowing a victim or witness to feel comfortable coming forward with the truth.
If you have more experience with these investigations, I challenge you to go back to your organization and partner with those folks who are assigned these types of cases. Partner and share your experience, and collaborate before an interview takes place. One improper interview can significantly impact the future of your organization and the inability to get this type of information going forward.
Every loss prevention investigator should strive to enhance their investigative interviewing skills as part of an ongoing commitment to best-in-class interviewing performance. This includes holding ourselves to an elite standard of interview and interrogation training that is ethical, moral and legal while demanding excellence in the pursuit of the truth. The International Association of Interviewers (IAI) and Wicklander-Zulawski (WZ) provide interview and interrogation training programs and additional guidance to investigators when dealing with dishonest employees, employee theft, sexual harassment, policy violations, building rapport, pre-employment interviewing, lying, denials and obtaining a statement.
By focusing on the latest information and research from experts in the field as well as academia, legal and psychological resources, these video tips provide interview and interrogation training techniques that can enhance the skill sets of professionals with backgrounds in law enforcement, loss prevention, security, asset protection, human resources, auditors, or anyone looking to obtain the truth.
To learn more, visit www.w-z.com or www.certifiedinterviewer.com.
This post was originally published in 2018 and was updated February 2, 2019.