This week’s International Association of Interviewers interview and interrogation training tip provided by Wicklander-Zulawski, has Dave Thompson, CFI, discussing the importance of taking notes during an interview or interrogation.
Obviously, recording what happens during an interview or interrogation is extremely important to make sure you can substantiate what was said and also refer back to it when you’re writing reports.
However, sometimes when you take a note or write something down, you might have an adverse reaction from the subject. Imagine sitting across from somebody, and after you said something, they immediately took a note or wrote something down. That might prevent you from saying anything further, or it might make you feel like you said something wrong.
If you are going to take notes during the interview or interrogation, it might be best to allow the subject to know ahead of time. Let them know that your taking notes doesn’t mean they said anything wrong, and it doesn’t mean that they said anything that is of any importance, but that the only reason you’re taking notes is to make sure you don’t misinterpret or misremember anything that was said during the conversation.
Notes are extremely important, but they can also be a reason and cause of denial. So if you take them, make sure you do it in the right way.
Every loss prevention investigator should continuously 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 about interview and interrogation training and how you can further develop your professional skill sets, please visit www.w-z.com or www.certifiedinterviewer.com for additional information.
