Beneath every evidence disclosure strategy and cognitive load technique sits a foundation that’s rarely taught and never optional: communication itself.
Over the past few months, our focus has been on procedural justice and science-based interviewing practices. We’ve dug into specific issues, but the key is getting these practices into the able hands of interviewers. Today, I’m diving into essential communication skills and their inextricable connection to effective interviewing. This is another issue that, if addressed, will improve your interviewing performance — and will have an equal, if not larger, effect on your entire life.
This topic again requires some honest self-reflection: an evaluation of your approach to executing the most productive interview possible, and of how you evaluate situations across the landscape of your life.
As always, there are a couple of foundational concepts to consider. What is your organizational mission? Are you in the interview to get the greatest quantity and quality of truthful information? If the number one reason interviewees tell us the truth is the confidence and credibility of the interviewer, what does using legacy and outdated practices with no evidential support actually produce? The result is the antithesis of our organizational mission and goals. Stop stepping on progress, and implement the best practices available.
When we talk about science-based investigative interviewing, we often spotlight evidence disclosure strategies, cognitive load techniques, and procedural fairness. But beneath all these structured methods lies a foundation that is often overlooked and notoriously difficult to teach — communication skills. These so-called “soft skills” aren’t just helpful; they are indispensable. They make the difference between compliance and cooperation, between resistance and rapport, and ultimately between an interview that extracts facts and one that builds understanding and credibility.
Research has long shown that the success of investigative interviews — especially those grounded in ethical, science-based frameworks — rests on rapport, credibility, and interpersonal connection. These outcomes are not byproducts of asking the right questions alone; they are built through how those questions are asked, and more importantly, how the conversation is managed moment to moment.
Let’s examine how twelve high-performance communication skills play a role in the science-based interview process.
Many of these skills fall into the category of “you know it when you see it.” That makes them hard to measure and even harder to teach. Yet their absence is always felt. A mechanically correct interview with no warmth, curiosity, or interpersonal dexterity fails in the field. The subject shuts down. The data dries up. The interview fails.
That’s why science-based interviewing programs must go beyond scripts and models. They must immerse interviewers in reflective practice, structured feedback, and scenario-based training that fosters the soft skills at the heart of human communication.
The future of investigative interviewing lies not just in knowing what works, but in becoming the kind of communicator who can make it work.
And when done right, it transforms an interview into an ethical, effective pursuit of truth.
These science-based practices must be fully implemented in your interview approach. Please reflect: are you employing these practices? If not, why not? Ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing. Do you have any proof that supports your legacy practices and the outcomes they produce? Is your approach maximizing the quality and quantity of truthful information obtained? It is time to change — and the changes needed are fundamental, but they can be accomplished in a timely and effective manner.
Training is essential. It is what moved me beyond my blind spots, at least some of them. I can provide the training or recommend providers teaching science-based practices. Do your research, find the right provider, and maximize your training dollar investment. If you are a practitioner or a leader, don’t settle for the same old legacy-based methods that have no empirical evidence supporting them. If you are in leadership, you carry an even greater responsibility to know and apply these standards and to find training content that maximizes your team’s effectiveness and accomplishes your mission.
Anderson Investigative Associates is positioned to custom-tailor training to your specific needs. If you have any questions or would like to discuss communication skills and their connection to effective interviewing, please reach out. Additional issues pertaining to interviewing, auditing, and investigations can be found in other blogs and videos that I have produced and that are contained in most blocks of instruction our company presents.
If you have additional questions, comments, or an interview topic you’d like me to address, just let me know. In the meantime, be well, stay safe out there, and master your communication skills — and their connection to effective interviewing — in your interview preparation and in every area of your life. It’s time to improve your interviewing and communication skills, not just in interviews, but throughout your life. If you need help getting ready, I know who could help.