Last week, the International Association of Interviewers (IAI) Southeast Chapter Spring Meeting took place in Atlanta, Georgia, with the primary focus being collaboration, partnership building with retail/law enforcement, industry networking, and continued education.
The meeting kicked off with a free lunch for attendees and networking opportunity sponsored by Flock Safety. The Georgia Retailer Organized Crime Alliance (GROC) shared their March intel sharing meeting live with the group, allowing law enforcement partners to network with area retailers.
This presentation gave exposure to both retailers and law enforcement agents on the value that GROC offers in building cases against the bad actors who are plaguing our industry.
The meeting then featured an all-star lineup of industry leaders who shared their wealth of knowledge and experience. Ken Morrow, a 30-year loss prevention investigator and current director of investigations for the Georgia Medical Board, shared some of his more challenging interviews and how he was able to use rapport building to land the admissions (how many of us have gotten to interview a drug-dealing psychiatrist?)
President of InQuasive and industry leading author and podcaster, Mike Reddington, enlightened the group on principles from his book “The Disciplined Listener”—a great reminder on the importance of good listening skills in interviews. Reddington stuck around to sign copies of his book for the adoring fans in the audience.
The meeting ended with Senior Partner of WZ and IAI Advisory Board Chair Wayne Hoover sharing invaluable advice on how to re-interview a suspect who has already been interviewed before focusing on how to breakdown barriers with that suspect in the interview room.
The meeting offered great content and resulted in the largest attendance for this young IAI chapter. Stay tuned for later in the year as the IAI Southeast chapter rolls into Nashville in August and Orlando in November.