Interview Prep
Walk in with a plan for this person, this situation
Investigative interviewing built on Teach to Talk® and the Adaptive Strategies Compass™, for public and private sector investigators. Sixty lessons in twelve modules follow the interview from its purpose and planning through rapport, the initial account, questioning and listening, memory and the Cognitive Interview, Barrier Mapping and reluctance, sensitive interviews, Strategic Use of Evidence, and interviewing the person under investigation, to closing, follow-up, and reviewing your own interview. Follow the sequence to build the skill, or pick the lesson for the interview in front of you.
In production now; lessons are released in teaching order.
Module 1: The Purpose and Responsibilities of an Investigative Interview
Top ↑- 1
What an Investigative Interview Is For
Developing an accurate account; identifying information that can be checked; defining success beyond an admission.
Free sample - 2
Know Your Role, Authority, and Boundaries Before You Begin
Criminal, administrative, workplace, and private investigations; applicable rights and representation requirements; identifying when guidance is needed.
- 3
Teach to Talk®: Making It Easier to Give a Useful Account
Explaining what you need; encouraging detail without supplying answers; helping the person understand their role.
- 4
ACCESS: Where the Interview Fits in the Investigation
Assess, Collect, Collate, Evaluate, Survey, and Summarize; connecting the interview to the wider inquiry; reassessing as information changes.
- 5
Keeping Your Own Assumptions Out of the Interview
Facts versus working theories; alternative explanations; questions that could challenge your preferred account.
Module 2: Planning the Interview
Top ↑- 6
Turn the Investigative Question Into Interview Objectives
What must be established; what this person may know; prioritizing essential questions.
- 7
Organize What You Know, What You Think, and What Is Missing
Reviewing records; separating verified information from allegations; building an information-gap list.
- 8
Deciding Whom to Interview and in What Order
Sources of firsthand information; dependencies between interviews; balancing urgency with preparation.
- 9
Route Map: Plan the Branches of the Conversation
Likely answers; possible resistance; follow-up routes for agreement, denial, uncertainty, and new information.
- 10
Prepare Your Questions Without Becoming Trapped by a Script
Topic outlines; flexible prompts; deciding what to pursue now and what to park for later.
Module 3: Communication Adaptation and the Interview Setting
Top ↑- 11
Communication Adaptation: Notice What the Person Needs
Pace, vocabulary, and processing time; checking understanding; adapting without assigning personality labels.
- 12
Choose a Setting That Supports the Conversation
Privacy; interruptions; seating and accessibility; the effect of other people in the room.
- 13
The First Two Minutes
Introductions; explaining purpose and process; setting a professional tone.
- 14
Explain Recording, Note-Taking, and Information Use
Applicable permission requirements; who may receive the information; avoiding promises you cannot keep.
- 15
Remote Interviews: Preserve the Quality of the Conversation
Privacy and who else is present; connection problems; handling documents and interruptions.
Module 4: Building and Maintaining Rapport
Top ↑- 16
What Professional Rapport Looks Like
Respect, attention, and predictability; establishing a working relationship; keeping appropriate boundaries.
- 17
Explain the Process to Reduce Uncertainty
What happens during the interview; breaks and questions; what you can and cannot say about next steps.
- 18
Show Empathy Without Endorsing an Account
Acknowledging difficulty; neutral responses; avoiding premature statements about accuracy or blame.
- 19
Maintain Rapport When the Questions Become Difficult
Transitions to sensitive topics; explaining the need for detail; preserving a steady tone.
- 20
Repair Rapport After a Misstep
Recognizing misunderstanding; correcting an interruption or assumption; resetting the conversation.
Module 5: Obtaining the Initial Account
Top ↑- 21
Open the Interview With an Invitation to Explain
Choosing an opening prompt; setting a useful scope; avoiding assumptions embedded in the question.
- 22
Let the Free Narrative Develop
Giving the person room to speak; resisting premature clarification; identifying topics to revisit.
- 23
Use Silence Without Turning It Into Pressure
Allowing thinking time; distinguishing a pause from a finished answer; avoiding repeated demands.
- 24
Help a Person Who Says Very Little
Neutral encouragement; smaller topic boundaries; checking whether the question was understood.
- 25
Guide a Person Who Gives Too Much Unrelated Detail
Respectful redirection; identifying potentially relevant information; returning to the original topic.
Module 6: Questions, Listening, and Clarification
Top ↑- 26
Move From Open Questions to Focused Questions
Broad invitations; targeted clarification; using closed questions to confirm specific information.
- 27
Remove Leading, Loaded, and Compound Questions
Recognizing embedded assumptions; asking one question at a time; rewriting weak questions.
- 28
Listen for What Needs a Follow-Up
Ambiguous words; unexplained transitions; incomplete descriptions; avoiding mental preparation of the next question.
- 29
Take Notes Without Losing the Conversation
Capturing key words and follow-up points; preserving important quotations; explaining pauses to write.
- 30
Clarify Who, What, When, Where, and How They Know
Names and pronouns; dates and sequence; personal observation versus information received from someone else.
Module 7: Memory and the Cognitive Interview
Top ↑- 31
What Memory Can and Cannot Give You
Recall versus inference; uncertainty; the limits of treating an interview like a recording of an event.
- 32
Help the Person Reconstruct the Context
Appropriate contextual prompts; allowing self-generated detail; avoiding suggestions about what should be remembered.
- 33
Use Retrieval Prompts Without Supplying the Answer
Prompts based on the person's own account; sensory and situational detail; allowing “I don't remember.”
- 34
Build a Timeline Without Inventing Precision
Event anchors; estimated times; separating when something happened from when it was reported.
- 35
Protect the Account From Contamination
Prior conversations; media and shared documents; identifying where a detail originated; avoiding feedback that shapes later answers.
Module 8: Barrier Mapping and Reluctance
Top ↑- 36
Barrier Mapping: Identify What Is Making Disclosure Difficult
Fear, shame, loyalty, distrust, and reactance; testing your understanding; avoiding assumptions about motive.
- 37
Fear: “What Happens to Me if I Talk?”
Concerns about retaliation and consequences; explaining available processes; avoiding unsupported assurances.
- 38
Shame: Making Sensitive Topics Discussable
Nonjudgmental language; pacing; inviting detail without minimizing the conduct or experience.
- 39
Loyalty: When Talking Feels Like Betrayal
Family, colleagues, organizations, and groups; acknowledging competing concerns; exploring firsthand knowledge.
- 40
Distrust and Reactance: When the Process Itself Is the Barrier
Concerns about fairness; resistance to being controlled; explaining choices and limits accurately.
Module 9: Sensitive Interviews and Communication Support
Top ↑- 41
Trauma-Exposed People: Prepare Before You Begin
Immediate needs; setting and pacing; avoiding assumptions about how a person should present.
- 42
Respond to Distress During the Interview
Recognizing difficulty continuing; offering appropriate breaks; deciding whether to proceed, pause, or seek support.
- 43
Explore Gaps and Fragmented Accounts Carefully
Separating remembered events from uncertain sequence; neutral clarification; avoiding conclusions based on presentation alone.
- 44
Interview Across Language and Communication Differences
Interpreter preparation; plain language; comprehension checks; accurate handling of translated statements.
- 45
Recognize When the Interview Needs Specialist Support
Children; significant cognitive or communication needs; role limits; referral and coordination.
Module 10: Strategic Use of Evidence and Inconsistencies
Top ↑- 46
Strategic Use of Evidence: Define What You Need to Learn
Questions the evidence raises; competing explanations; planning disclosure around investigative objectives.
- 47
Obtain the Account Before Introducing Relevant Evidence
Establishing the person's version; identifying details to test; avoiding questions that reveal more than intended.
- 48
Present Evidence Clearly and Accurately
Explaining what a record establishes; acknowledging its limits; allowing an explanation.
- 49
Alignment Method: Address a Discrepancy Fairly
Identifying the specific mismatch; inviting clarification; checking whether new information resolves it.
- 50
When the Discrepancy Remains
Further questions; recording competing explanations; identifying follow-up evidence; avoiding an argument.
Module 11: Interviewing the Person Under Investigation
Top ↑- 51
Prepare to Interview the Person Whose Conduct Is in Question
Allegations and evidence; alternative explanations; the different requirements of criminal and organizational settings.
- 52
Introduce the Concern Without Announcing a Conclusion
Accurate descriptions; appropriate disclosure; creating an opportunity to respond.
- 53
Explore a Denial Productively
Obtaining an alternative account; identifying checkable details; avoiding repetitive demands for agreement.
- 54
Explore Partial Acknowledgments and Explanations
Separating admitted conduct from disputed intent; clarifying ambiguous language; preserving the person's actual words.
- 55
Respond to Anger, Counter-Allegations, and Challenges to Fairness
Maintaining boundaries; identifying new investigative information; deciding when to pause or end the interview.
Module 12: Closing, Following Up, and Improving
Top ↑- 56
Summarize the Account and Invite Corrections
Checking accuracy; preserving uncertainty; distinguishing a correction from a new detail.
- 57
Ask the Questions That Reveal What You Missed
Other witnesses; records and communications; alternative explanations; information that may challenge the allegation.
- 58
Close the Interview and Keep the Door Open
Explaining next steps within your role; contact arrangements; appropriate follow-up expectations.
- 59
Conduct a Follow-Up Interview Without Starting Over
Defining its purpose; addressing new evidence; documenting changes to the account.
- 60
Review Your Own Interview Before the Next One
Assessing question quality and interruptions; checking unresolved objectives; identifying missed opportunities and the next investigative steps.
Planned at $15 a month or $125 a year. Leave your email and you will hear when it opens.