The importance of listening in interviews

A fundamental component of an investigation is interviewing. In fact, it is arguably the most important part, where crucial information can be gathered about the issue under inquiry.

In an interview we ask questions to get answers about the issue being investigated. But what is more important, the answer or the question? They are at least of equal importance but in many interviews I have seen, reviewed or analysed, there seems to be more emphasis on the questions rather than the answers.

Stephen Covey once said: “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply”.

How often in everyday life do people fail to actively listen to an answer? They might start to listen, but reply before the question has been answered. While this can be very annoying, in the trauma informed interview process, it is a fundamental failure.

The skilled interviewer will listen to the answer to understand the response and, typically, the answer to the question will inform the next and following questions until the issue has been fully explored.

In 1998, Jim Lehrer interviewed then President Bill Clinton regarding his alleged affair with Monica Lewinsky:

Lehrer: “The news of this day is that Kenneth Starr, independent counsel, is investigating allegations that you suborned perjury by encouraging a 24-year-old woman, former White House intern, to lie under oath in a civil deposition about her having had an affair with you. Mr President, is that true?"

Clinton: “That is not true. That is not true. I did not ask anyone to tell anything other than the truth. There is no improper relationship and I intend to cooperate with this inquiry, but that is not true."

Lehrer: “No improper relationship, define what you mean by that."

Clinton: “Well I think you know what it means. It means that there is not a sexual relationship, an improper sexual relationship, or any other kind of improper relationship."

Lehrer: “You had no sexual relationship with this young woman?"

Clinton: “There is not a sexual relationship. That is accurate. We are doing our best to cooperate here, but we don't know much yet, and that's all I can say now. What I'm trying to do is to contain my natural impulses and get back to work. It's important that we cooperate. I will cooperate, but I want to focus on the work at hand."

For each response regarding the relationship, Mr Clinton’s responses are in the present tense, when the questions asked are about an event that happened in the past.

Imagine if after President Clinton’s answer to the third question, Lehrer had asked, “Mr President, what I want to know is: was there a sexual or any other form of improper relationship?"

A potentially brilliant question, or is it simply listening to understand?

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