The Truth Detector

Key Takeaways

1. Elicitation: The Art of Extracting Truth Without Raising Suspicion

Elicitation is the master key in truth detection, but like all interviewing techniques, its value is maximized when certain conditions are met.

What is elicitation? It's a conversational technique designed to extract truthful information from people without them realizing they're being questioned. Unlike traditional interrogation methods, elicitation doesn't raise suspicion or defensiveness in the subject.

Why it works:

• Based on natural human behaviors and psychological tendencies
• Exploits people's inclination to talk freely when they feel comfortable
• Allows information gathering before the subject becomes guarded or defensive

Key benefits:

• Increases likelihood of obtaining truthful information
• Maintains positive rapport with the subject
• Applicable in various personal and professional settings

2. Building Rapport: The Foundation for Effective Elicitation

If you want people to like you, make them feel good about themselves.

The Golden Rule of Friendship: This principle is crucial for successful elicitation. By making others feel good about themselves, you create an environment where they're more likely to open up and share information.

Rapport-building techniques:

• Use the "big three" nonverbal friend signals: eyebrow flash, head tilt, and sincere smile
• Practice active listening
• Use empathetic statements
• Offer genuine compliments
• Find common ground

Benefits of strong rapport:

• Increases trust and comfort
• Encourages open communication
• Makes the subject more receptive to your questions and statements

3. Human Nature: Why People Reveal Information Willingly

People have a natural tendency to correct others.

Key psychological tendencies:

• Need for recognition
• Desire to appear knowledgeable
• Impulse to gossip
• Natural curiosity
• Tendency to reciprocate
• Difficulty keeping secrets

How elicitation exploits these tendencies:

• Creates situations where people feel compelled to correct or clarify information
• Appeals to ego and desire for recognition
• Taps into curiosity to encourage information sharing
• Uses reciprocity to build trust and encourage openness

Understanding these tendencies allows elicitors to create conversational scenarios that naturally lead to information disclosure without raising suspicion.

4. The Presumptive Statement: A Powerful Tool for Truth-Seeking

The presumptive statement presents a fact that can be either right or wrong.

How it works:

• Make a statement (true or false) about a situation or fact
• The subject will either confirm, deny, or provide additional information
• Either response reveals valuable information

Types of presumptive statements:

• Direct presumptions about facts or situations
• Presumptive questions that assume certain information
• Tag questions that turn statements into questions

Benefits:

• Encourages correction of false information
• Often leads to additional, unsolicited information
• Less suspicious than direct questioning

5. Third-Party Perspective: Uncovering True Thoughts on Sensitive Topics

When a person is confronted with a third-party observation, they tend to look inside themselves to find the answer and tell you what they really think.

How it works:

• Frame questions or statements about a third party rather than the subject
• Allows people to express opinions without feeling personally targeted
• Often reveals true thoughts on sensitive topics

Applications:

• Personal relationships (e.g., views on fidelity)
• Professional settings (e.g., opinions on workplace policies)
• Assessing loyalty or ethical standards

Benefits:

• Reduces defensiveness
• Encourages honest responses on sensitive topics
• Provides insight into the subject's true beliefs and values

6. Bracketing: Narrowing Down Numbers and Dates

The goal of bracketing is to get the elicitation target to provide you with a specific number or date within the bracketing range you present.

How it works:

• Provide a range (bracket) for a number or date
• The subject will often correct you if the range is incorrect
• Narrow the range through subsequent statements

Key considerations:

• Use realistic brackets to maintain credibility
• Start with a wide range and narrow it down
• Be prepared to adjust your approach based on responses

Applications:

• Determining prices or financial information
• Uncovering dates of events or personal information
• Negotiating in business settings

7. Status Manipulation: Leveraging Recognition for Information

Simply summarized: By effectively utilizing elicitation, you will be in a better position to gain a greater amount of true information that might otherwise be lost and, at the same time, enhance your interpersonal effectiveness with others, whether they be strangers, casual acquaintances, or those closest to you.

Status elevation:

• Compliment the subject's expertise or achievements
• Encourage them to demonstrate their knowledge
• Creates a desire to prove worthiness of elevated status

Status deflation:

• Subtly challenge the subject's expertise or position
• Provokes a desire to prove their worth or knowledge
• Can lead to oversharing of information to establish credibility

Cautions:

• Use carefully to avoid damaging relationships
• Be prepared for potential negative reactions to status deflation

8. Empathetic Statements: Encouraging Open Communication

Empathetic statements send the message I am listening to you.

How to use empathetic statements:

• Reflect the emotional content of the subject's message
• Use phrases like "So you feel..." or "It sounds like..."
• Avoid repeating word-for-word what the subject said

Benefits:

• Shows active listening and understanding
• Builds trust and rapport
• Encourages the subject to share more information

Applications:

• Personal relationships
• Customer service
• Professional settings (e.g., healthcare, sales)

9. Naïveté: Playing Dumb to Gain Knowledge

Displaying naïveté is an excellent way to get people talking while cloaking your true intentions.

How it works:

• Pretend to be less knowledgeable about a topic
• Encourage the subject to explain or teach you
• Ask seemingly innocent questions to gain information

Benefits:

• Lowers the subject's guard
• Appeals to their desire to demonstrate knowledge
• Can reveal information the subject might otherwise withhold

Cautions:

• Maintain believability in your naïveté
• Be prepared to learn genuinely new information

10. Advanced Elicitation Techniques: Expanding Your Toolbox

No single elicitation technique works for all situations, but for all situations there is an elicitation technique that will work.

Additional techniques:

• Curiosity: Spark interest to encourage information sharing
• Quid pro quo: Exchange information to build trust
• Feigned disbelief: Encourage further explanation
• Word echo: Repeat key words to prompt elaboration
• Hanging chad: Allow the subject to complete unfinished thoughts

Combining techniques:

• Use multiple techniques in a single conversation
• Adapt your approach based on the subject's responses
• Practice to become more natural and effective

11. Personality Profiling: Tailoring Your Approach for Maximum Effect

Knowing a person's personality type before you meet them for the first time allows you to develop custom-made communication strategies.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) basics:

• Extraversion (E) vs. Introversion (I)
• Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N)
• Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)
• Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P)

Tailoring elicitation techniques:

• Extraverts: Use techniques that encourage talking (e.g., hanging chad)
• Introverts: Give time for reflection, use written communication when possible
• Sensors: Provide concrete examples and details
• Intuitives: Focus on big-picture concepts and possibilities
• Thinkers: Use logical arguments and data
• Feelers: Appeal to emotions and personal values
• Judgers: Be organized and provide structure
• Perceivers: Be flexible and offer options

12. Protecting Yourself: Recognizing and Countering Elicitation Attempts

Falling victim to an elicitation is to be expected. If it didn't work, there would be no reason to write this book.

Recognizing elicitation:

• Be aware of seemingly casual conversations that probe for specific information
• Notice when someone shows unusual interest in your work or personal life
• Be cautious of flattery or appeals to your expertise

Counter-elicitation techniques:

• Use "Bryan's loop": Respond with "Yes plus," "No plus," or "I don't know plus"
• Redirect questions back to the asker
• Provide only publicly available information
• Be aware of the "jigsaw puzzle" effect: seemingly harmless bits of information can be combined to reveal sensitive data

Maintaining vigilance:

• Regularly assess the motives behind questions and conversations
• Be cautious about sharing sensitive information, even in seemingly innocuous situations
• Practice counter-elicitation techniques to make them second nature

Last updated: January 23, 2025

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