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240 Deception at Work

Your aim is to shock the subject on to a sensible course. If the anger proves genuine, this
approach may raise the temperature for a few moments, but will enable you to regain control.
You may also consider taking notes of the subject’s complaints.

Genuine and manufactured anger are totally different

DEALING WITH COUNTER-ATTACKS

This is one of the most difficult areas for the inexperienced interviewer, whose reaction is to
panic when the suspect counter-attacks with statements such as:

Example :
• ‘I am going to sue you.’
• ‘My lawyer will be in touch.’
• ‘Are you calling me a liar?’

If possible, you may pretend you have not heard the statement and carry on with the next ques-
tion, regardless. If this does not work, you must stay cool and say something along the lines:

Example : ‘I am not interested in that, Mr Jones, now what about …’

If this approach fails, you should say:

Example : ‘Let’s leave that until later; I am trying to find the truth. Please tell me why …’

It is vital that you do not get into an argument but ask the next question without hesitat-
ing. To the very common attack:

‘Are you calling me a liar?’

you should respond:

‘No, but it is obvious that you have not told me the truth: now what about …’

Only in exceptional circumstances should you back down or apologize. You must stay in con-
trol and move on to the next question without delay, as though it were the natural thing to do.

Stay cool in the face of counter-attacks

DEALING WITH DEPRESSION

People in a depressive state seldom confess, simply because they are so immersed in their
internal conflicts that they are unprepared to face reality. You must try to find out why the