3 Areas of Focus To Build Rapport With an Interview Subject
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GUEST BLOGGER
John Hutson, CFE, MBA
Senior Manager - Global Investigations, Walmart
Conducting an effective interview is a key activity during a fraud examination, and an interview is simply a conversation with a specific purpose. A common thread to all interviews is the need to build rapport with the interviewee. Merriam-Webster defines rapport as, “A relationship characterized by agreement, mutual understanding, or empathy that makes communication possible or easy.” An inexperienced interviewer may believe that rapport can be achieved by simply researching the interview subject online and trying to learn something about the person in terms of their interests, hobbies or family, attempting to build a personal connection during the interview. And yes, I research almost everyone I interview in this manner simply to better understand the person sitting across from me. But there are three specific areas I focus on to build real rapport with an interview subject, foster open communication and achieve my interview goals. These three areas of focus are trust, respect and empathy.
Trust
Trust is critical. From my first interaction with an interview subject, I gain trust by being open and honest, whether it’s a phone call, email or meeting at the interview. I tell the interviewee who I am, what my role is, what we are going to discuss and roughly how long we are going to talk. At the outset of the interview, I directly tell the person that I plan on being honest with them and I ask if I can plan for the interviewee to reciprocate. So far, the people I’ve interviewed have always answered “yes” to this question. As an interview proceeds, I may need to remind an interviewee that we agreed to be honest with each other. I also tell the interviewee what I will do with information I gather during the interview and who will see any report I will write. By communicating this information directly and openly, it sets the table for expectations on both sides. I rarely go into detail about what we are going to discuss at the outset, but I assure them I will explain everything before we finish, and I will also give the interviewee a chance to ask me questions if they have any.
Respect
I try to show respect to my interview subject in a number of ways. I first thank the person for coming to the interview. I make sure that I’m on time for the interview. I arrive prepared for the interview. And finally, I conduct the interview in a place where the interviewee can be confident that they won’t be overheard. At the beginning of the interview, I tell the interviewee that they are my guest. I tell the interviewee that they can take a restroom or water break if necessary, and always allow them to sit nearest the door. I never, under any circumstances, lock or obstruct the door. I want the interviewee to be as comfortable as possible during what can be a stressful situation. When I ask my questions, I listen to the answer. I don’t write, type, look at my phone or shuffle my papers. I look the interviewee in the eye and pay attention to what they say and do. I show respect by ensuring my undivided attention. No matter what the interviewee says or does, I remain nonjudgmental. My job is to gather facts; I am not there to judge the words or actions of the interviewee.
Empathy
I find empathy to be especially important when dealing with the main subject of the investigation. The interviewee may be very stressed because they may have done something they know is wrong and are not proud of. To help me empathize, I try to understand the underlying situation. Most of the people I interview are not sociopathic career criminals. They are often people who made bad decisions when faced with stressful situations. I try to connect and understand the situation and their reasoning at the time the events in question occurred. I also remind myself of the difficulty and stress of the current interview from the interviewee’s perspective. While I interview people weekly, this may be the first time the interviewee has ever been in a small room with an investigator asking pointed and difficult questions. The people I talk to are often scared and conflicted about what they did and what they want to tell me. Finally, I understand that confessing is difficult. Telling me they did something wrong often conflicts with an interviewee’s view of who they are as a person. Hopefully, the honesty, respect and empathy I demonstrate helps the interviewee know it is safe to tell me something difficult and probably embarrassing.
The people I talk to are often scared and conflicted about what they did and what they want to tell me.
Rapport building is an ongoing process that takes place from the first contact and doesn’t end until the subject departs the interview. As fraud examiners, we should aim to conduct our investigations with integrity. To do this while interviewing, I consciously focus on trust, respect and empathy. When I stay focused on these three areas, people tend to trust me more, provide more truthful answers and reveal valuable facts and details related to my case. Ultimately, we should always see our interviewees as people.
Interested in learning more about how to conduct effective interviews during your fraud investigations? In the upcoming Professional Interviewing Skills event in Baltimore, Maryland, you can learn how to ask direct and follow-up questions, while evaluating both verbal and nonverbal responses, so you can uncover the truth during interviews.