Investigators and witnesses are often at odds when it comes to lengthy or multiple interviews. Interviews can be stressful and witnesses generally desire them to be over sooner rather than later — without offense to the investigator. Investigators, on the other hand, must be diligent in completing their interviews and ensure they gather the necessary material information to complete a thorough investigation regardless of the time it takes.
The good news is lengthy or additional interviews can often be minimized or avoided when the discussion remains focused throughout the interview. At VM Mastered, we are always looking for ways to enhance our interviewing skills. Over the course of multiple investigations, VM Mastered investigators have developed and created techniques for keeping interviews focused.
Here are three tips from a VM investigator to help ensure your interviews stay on track.
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Plan Your Questions Ahead of Time
Planning ahead and identifying the topics you need to address during the interview will help keep your interviews on target. Preparation for an interview can include a wide variety of formats, but should be tailored to what works best for you. Some investigators prefer to have their questions fully written out while others prefer a list of topics. No matter what your style of interview preparation looks like, consider listing the information you need to get from each particular interview. You can check those “must get” points throughout the interview or at the end to make sure you have obtained the information you need. However, do not be too restricted by your topic list. Let the evidence lead you, with well-placed follow-up questions designed to get relevant details.
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Stay Out of the Weeds — Bring the Interview Back Into Focus
For witnesses, it can be difficult to focus on complicated, or even simple questions when they are nervous about an investigation. As a natural response to stress, some individuals may overshare, get confused, or provide additional information that is irrelevant to your investigation. As an investigator, work to strike a delicate balance between developing rapport and ensuring your witness feels heard, while also keeping your interview focused. To attain this delicate balance, consider acknowledging what the witness has said to you, to confirm you are listening and interested in what they have to say, then steer the conversation in the direction you need. It could sound something like this: “I appreciate you sharing your concerns about your co-worker Alice, but I would really like to focus more on Brian’s conduct at work. Could you tell me more about that?” This will reinforce that you are interested in what the person has to say, while re-directing the conversation to the material information you need. Also, develop a standard line to politely interrupt a witness who is speaking at length on an irrelevant topic. For example, “I am so sorry to interrupt you, but I want to make sure I am following something you said earlier. Can we go back for a second?” Then proceed with a follow-up question to get the interview back on track.
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Take a Break
If re-directing the witness does not work, consider taking a short break. A break can help reset the tone of the interview and give you a few minutes to review your notes to decide where to take the interview next. Taking a break also allows for a seamless transition to a more relevant topic once the interview resumes.
Employing one or all three of these tried-and-true techniques is a great way to keep your interviews on track and will benefit investigators and witnesses alike.
Christina Petricca is an Associate Attorney with Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation. Christina has practiced labor and employment law for seven years. In addition to conducting investigations, Christina has also represented employees in disciplinary investigations. Christina’s experience has given her a unique perspective that she brings to each of her interviews.