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 all-important walk back to the interview room.
The topic at hand is that walk that the store manager, operator, or business partner might have with the subject of an interview as they’re walking them back into the room prior to your conversation.
Sometimes we forget about that all-important time frame and all the things that could go wrong during that two- to five-minute walk. Are we properly preparing our business partners on what to do or say during that conversation?
Are they going to approach one of our subjects and say, “Hey, just so you know, loss prevention wants to talk to you about that missing money from last week”? Then they might give away your evidence. They basically make an accusation on the way back into the office.
On the way back into the office for the interview, are they walking that associate or interview subject past some of their friends, past other coworkers? Are they walking past observers and causing the subject to worry or say in their own mind, “What am I going to tell these people if I no longer have a job? What am I going to tell my friend when they ask why I’m being talked to by loss prevention or security or a private investigator?”
All these different things that happen in that two- to five-minute walk could be the cause of denials. They could be the reasons why someone shows resistance or is uncooperative. They could even just damage the reputation or the level of privacy that the individual perceives about something they’re about to share.
We want to make sure we’re treating our suspects with respect but also providing the optimum opportunity for them to tell the truth without worrying about embarrassment, shame, or other consequences. Next time you have an interview, maybe take a few minutes to prepare your business partner on how to make that walk back to the interview room.
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.
Visit www.w-z.com or www.certifiedinterviewer.com for additional information.