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230 Deception at Work

Closed questions normally increase the pace of an interview and, if you change rapidly
from one topic to another, the suspect may have great difficulty planning his responses and
become anxious. You can tell a lot by how a subject answers binary questions (Table 7.4).

Table 7.4 Answers to binary questions

Reactions indicating innocence Reactions indicating guilt
Committed ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers
Avoidance of a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer
Denial of a specific point, often in first person Prevarication before saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or
singular, past tense superfluous words following their use. For
example, ‘I would like to assure you the answer is yes’
or ‘Yes, in truth it is’
Lack of commitment to the answer usually by
words such as ‘to the best of my recollection’

No denial, limited denial or objection

Closed questions based on what is referred to as the ‘7WH mnemonic’ of who, why, what,
where, which, when and how are always useful. Closed questions do not usually result in a free-
flowing dialogue, but should be used in Phases B and C to pin down detail on the mechanics
of the suspected transgression. However, if the interview results in criminal proceedings, the
suggestion may be made that responses to rapid-fire, closed questions were put into the mouth
of the accused. Thus closed questions should be used carefully and corroborated by detail.

Closed questions increase anxiety especially when you jump from topic to topic

COMPLEX QUESTIONS

Normally questions should be simply constructed, so that there can be no misunderstanding
about the answer. Complex questions have more than one element and cannot usually be
answered by a single response.

THE ULTIMATE QUESTION it, the subject said, ‘Would you please repeat
the question?’
In the transcript of an interview, one
question covered nearly eight pages of text
and consisted of 1,200 words. At the end of

You must try to ask simple questions so that misunderstanding is minimized and the sub-
ject is committed to his answers.

Avoid complex questions

But before you get on to this, think about the themes you plan to concentrate on in the
interview and how you will lead the suspect to the pivotal point. Planning an interview is
again like a jigsaw puzzle, so make sure all of the pieces fit. Also remember that to get to the