Interviewing, Detecting Deception, Persuasion, and Discourse Analysis

I sincerely appreciate your comments and contributions. It's gratifying to know that this column is a useful resource and could be making a difference. Here I'll share feedback from three readers and explore the topics they raise: admission-seeking interviews (often labeled interrogations by law enforcement), recording, and anxiety.

This contributor hit upon an interesting point that often comes up in the ACFE's professional and advanced interviewing classes. Let's explore the differences between an interview and an admission-seeking interview. (Labeling the admission-seeking process an interrogation might not be prudent because the term can carry negative connotations.) An interview is a meeting among two or more people to talk about a specific matter and an admission-seeking interview consists of the mechanics and art of questioning for the purposes of exploring or resolving issues.

We can further simplify the matter. If there are no issues to explore or resolve with the interviewee, then we only have to meet and talk in the interview process. However, if the communication necessitates exploration and resolution, it's an admission-seeking interview by definition. We must transform the mechanical questioning process into an art by arduous practice, study, and application. (I teach this process at length in ACFE's "Interviewing for Auditors" course.)