Telephone Interviews

You've got a problem.   You are investigating a serious incident and your key witness is working at a site five hours away.  You need to decide if the trip is worthwhile, especially since you've been informed that the witness has a reputation for being uncooperative.   Consider a telephone interview.   It may be more productive than you think.

Besides the obvious travel time and cost savings there are other advantages.   The use of the telephone allows the investigator most familiar with the incident to conduct the interview.   While someone at the branch office could conduct the interview; without all the background information it would likely produce little benefit.

Research has shown that people are generally more truthful in telephone interviews and on written questionnaires, than they are in face-to-face meetings.   This may be caused in part because the use of the telephone creates the perception that the matter is not all that serious.   We live in a telephone world.   Talking on the phone is part of a daily routine.   It's not a stressful exercise; people are relaxed and less guarded in what they say on the telephone as compared to a face-to-face meeting.   Think about the cell phone conversations of others that you would rather not have heard.

Of course there is a downside as well.   The telephone might be viewed by the witness as being a very impersonal tool.   Your communications are limited to being verbal, giving you no opportunity to observe body language.   You may have a lack of control over the interview location.   The witness could be in their home or another supportive environment and you need to deal with this ahead of time.   Consider asking the witness to move to a more private area or call ahead to schedule an appointment.   Hopefully, this will allow the interview to be conducted when the witness's family or friends will not be a factor.

Use the telephone interview situation to your advantage, and as you would in a face-to-face interview develop a game plan ahead of time.   The difference here is that you can have your written questions, statements and photographs spread out in front of your for easy reference.   The use of a speakerphone frees up your hands to locate evidence in front of you and the witness will be unaware of your actions and any body language.  

Watch people having a very personal conversation on the telephone.   Quite often witnesses while speaking on the phone will place themselves in a submissive head-down position as they focus on the conversation.   With the earpiece held to their ear your voice will appear close and this aids in building rapport.   You can create an even greater sense of intimacy by picking up the handset from the speakerphone when talking about a sensitive question.   The witness will notice a change in the quality of your voice, and it will appear to the witness that you have moved even closer to him.   Secrets are disclosed in moments of intimacy.   You need to create this intimate environment and building rapport with your witness must be part of your game plan.   Use a good quality speakerphone, one that allows both parties to talk at once.  

The ideal interview environment would be for the witness to come to your branch office site to receive your phone call.   If need be, the element of surprise can be used and the witness simply told there is a telephone call for him.   Have the room prepared as you would if you where there in person by having distractions removed from the desktop or walls.   As in a face-to-face interview and as part of your rapport building exercise you should contact the manager or supervisor for background information on the witness.  

If the matter under investigation is significant you may want to ask a management representative to be in the same room as the witness.   This person is not part of the conversation, but rather, is acting as your extended presence in the room.   They should limit any eye contact with the witness and have pen and paper available to make any notes and to take a full statement if required.   The witness needs to be briefed on this person's role and understand this process.

The most critical part of the process is to train yourself to become an active listener.   You need to clear your mind of all distractions and biases and listen to what the witness is saying.   Don't allow yourself to mentally answer the witness's questions and if you find your mind is drifting bring it back to the subject at hand.

To help evaluate what is being said take a piece of paper and divide it into four quadrants.   As the witness speaks make notes for the follow four items:

•  FACTS:   These are the foundation of the story.  

•  ASSUMPTIONS:   These might be true or fit the facts being proposed.  

• JUDGMENTS:   These may or may not be true and are based on the witness's belief in facts and their assumptions.  

•  BIAS:   A witness's bias can cloud the facts creating unjustified assumptions and judgments.  

As part of your evaluation identify key words and phrases spoken by the witness that helped identify assumptions, judgments and biases?   Ask yourself some questions.   Did the witness answer your question? Was additional information volunteered?

Like other investigations skills, this takes practice.   You might begin by interviewing witnesses in less serious situations who are located near your location, but perhaps who are working an off shift.   If you are not satisfied with the initial responses you can always arrange a face-to-face meeting with little inconvenience to yourself or the witness.

Reference:   Practical Aspects of Interview and Interrogation.   David E. Zulawski & Douglas E. Wicklander.   CRC Press.

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