Inspire Truth With Elicitation
Leaders Inspire Truth:
For much of my career in the FBI as well as post FBI, I have been reluctant to share the skills, tools, and techniques of elicitation. This reluctance has stemmed from the fact that elicitation is probably the most powerful communication tool available and can seriously compromise folks from malicious individuals. That's until my friend and mentor Jack Schafer recently published his book, "The Truth Detector." Jack’s objective is to inspire truth before a person has time to lie and be deceptive. That is how elicitation is used for good. The language and communication skills in this book focuses on extracting truth free of manipulation. Meanwhile, the person you are speaking with leaves feeling better for having met you.
Elicitation:
Setting off on your voyage of veracity.
It’s much easier and more reliable to elicit truth than detecting deception. Elicitation is the communication skill required to get people to reveal the truth before they can be deceptive, that’s why it is a truth detector. Humans have been trying to detect lies for thousands of years without consistent repeatable results. Therefore, the communication masters rely upon elicitation. The first step is to create the right environment for elicitation. This is where we strategize organic, sincere trust. We accomplish this by utilizing empathy and rapport.
Building rapport: The foundation of elicitation.
“When you lose your ego, you win.”
You need to establish rapport if you seek to elicit the veracity you desire. Rapport is a bridge that links two people in a positive manner that builds that bridge. There are three behavioral approaches to building the rapport you seek:
- Nonverbal signs of openness
- Make people feel good about themselves
- Become an active listener
Here are a few additional active listening techniques that will make a big difference in building your connection:
- When someone is talking, concentrate on what they are saying.
- Once a person has finished speaking, wait a second or two before responding.
- Show nonverbal cues to show the speaker you are interested in what they are saying.
- Make a concentrated effort not to interrupt when speakers are speaking.
- Use empathetic statements to demonstrate you are listening to the speaker.
Utilizing natural human behavior: The quickest and easiest way to elicit truth.
The elicitation masters use a “presumptive statement.” People have a natural desire to correct others. Leaders and communication masters use this proactively to entice an ego provoking response. When someone makes a statement that is perceived to be incorrect our ego jumps in to correct the individual. The information provided tends to be the truth. This technique is exceptionally effective when rapport and trust have been established. In tough situations where a person’s guard is likely to be up, to get the truth, don’t ask questions, make statements. Once a presumptive statement is made, people have three choices:
- Confirm
- Deny
- Discount it
The challenge of using a presumptive statement is you must be able to get over your own ego and intentionally lower your perceived social status, something our brain rebels against. A master of communication can suspend their ego and elicit truth before deception takes root.
Truth can be an elusive art form: A master truth detector will use their understanding of people when seeking veracity.
Consider the following when seeking the truth:
- People have a need for recognition. It is an indicator that we are special, and people will often reveal more, proving they are worthy. Others may share more demonstrating that they are deserving.
- People have a natural need to gossip and tend to focus on the negative in others.
- People are naturally curious. This is the void between what they know and what they want to know.
- People have a natural need to reciprocate. When given a gift, either tangible or intangible, we have a great desire to reciprocate. It is stronger between strangers, and stronger after the gesture of good will is made.
- People have a hard time keeping secrets.
- Most people take pride in what they do to bolster their self-image, they talk freely about their professional accomplishments.
- People tend to undervalue the information they possess.
Your elicitation toolbox: How to perform a basic elicitation.
- Don’t ask questions. They are alerting, possibly producing a lie and have the person assess what the person will do with the information.
- Be clear on what information you seek.
- Create the right elicitation environment.
- Use the big three behavioral approaches to rapport.
- Create the elicitation sandwich. People tend to remember the first and the last thing discussed. Use non-threatening social rapport building topics bracketed on the ends of the information being sought.
- After initial rapport, begin with small talk not related to the information being sought.
- Utilize a presumptive statement. It is based upon the need to correct others. Once a statement is made people have three choices:
o Confirm
o Deny
o Discount it
Build healthy relationships and guard yourself:
I have found that the need for elicitation in my life has declined as I have focused more on trust and building healthy strong relationships. A bedrock to healthy strong relationships is open, honest communication, and transparency. When you have this type of relationship the need to elicit truth before deception can take root is rare. However, there are those individuals in the world that will use elicitation against you to compromise you and your personal information. Be on guard for these individuals and recognize them by the most obvious of elicitation techniques, the presumptive statement.
