interviewing & elicitation techniques
DESCRIPTION
Learn how to improve your primary collection skills especially interviewing and elicitation techniques. Presented by Ellen Naylor of Business Intelligence Source, Sep 2012 @DC SCIP meeting. @EllenNaylor www.linkedin.com/in/ellennaylorcoloradoTRANSCRIPT
Primary Intelligence Collection:
Interviewing & Elicitation
Ellen Naylor
Business Intelligence Source
+1-303-838-4545 (USA)
www.thebisource.com
http://cooperativeintelligenceblog.com
Interviewing
“The next best thing to knowing all about
your own business is to know all about the
other fellow’s business.”
John D. Rockefeller
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Interviewing
Obtain what you want from someone who probably
has the answer,
Who knows WHO you are and probably WHY you
want it
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Planning
• Formulate Relevant Questions
• What’s Your Relationship with the Target?
• Re-word Questions to Motivate Sharing
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Relationship with Target
• Attitude about information sharing?
• What have they shared before?
• Where comfortable sharing?
• Why share more?
• Cold Call?
• What will you share?
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Practical Motivators
• Profession
• Politics
• Personal Issues
• Personal
• Predisposition
• Emotional Intelligence
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Dominant
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Influencer
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Steady/Amicable
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Conscientious
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Re-word Questions to Motivate
Minimize Ego Threat
• Start with broad/open ended questions
• Hypothetical questions
• Indirect questions/statements
• Narrow questions
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Listen for the Hints or Cues
• Be patient, alert
• Judge target’s emotional state
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Lay Aside Pre-Conceived Notions
• Failure to Listen
– Biased expectations
– Desire for self-expression
– Performance anxiety
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Observe Target’s Visual Response
Visual cues indicate emotions
– Intentional body language
– Involuntary body language
Involuntary Validity of response
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Leakage
• When words & visual cues don’t match up
• When Visual cues don’t match up
Change the subject
Probe more deeply
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Elicitation: Definition
• Conversation that compels people to
voluntarily tell you things without you
asking
• Involves planned, conversational
interaction to gather the data needed.
• Conversation flows without raising that
person’s concern about what he told you.
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Remember Questions Better
• Who is s/he?
• Why are they asking?
• What’s in it for me to share x, y or z?
• How shall I respond?
• How will s/he use what I say?
• How much should I share?
• Or should I share at all?
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Elicitor Skills
• Natural gift for making friends
• Good listener
• Establish rapport well
• Practical psychological insight
• Broad general knowledge
• Good memory
• Two level listener
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Elicitation: “Planned Conversation”
• Your personality
• Your target’s personality
• Desired outcomes?
• What steps to take?
• Builds on what you know
• The right conversational points: timely
• Conversation is interesting to target
• Builds on human tendencies
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Human Characteristics in Elicitation
• Desire to be recognized, appreciated
• Curiosity, Gossip, Complain
• Show off/share confidences w/other professionals
• Occupational hazards: advising, teaching, correcting challenging
• Self-effacement – downplay accomplishments
• Habit to correct others
• Prove someone else wrong
• Over-talking when overly emotional
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
The Conversational Hourglass
Customer Knowledge
Personal, profession
What’s worked before
Expertise, knowledge
Intended
Outcome
Your favorite
Techniques
Elements StylePre-selected Questions
about general topics
Innocuous and
non-threatening
Stacking of Elicitation TechniquesTest generalizations and
presumptions about human
factors in elicitation
Attention on details of
information being provided
Pre-selected questions
on other general topics
Note signals from Target
e.g. discomfort or comfort
Pleasant and
Non-confrontational
Macro Topics
Macro Topics
Micro
Topic
Paraphrased from Confidential by John Nolan, p. 28
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Expression of Mutual Interest
• Often lowers defenses, and opens up
conversation
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Provocative Statement
• Used to engender a question in response,
and usually sets up another elicitation
technique
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Simple Flattery
Often coaxes a person into conversation
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Naïve Mentality
• Causes knowledgeable people to instruct
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Opposing Stand
• Purposely take the opposite stand
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Unbelieving Attitude
Denial of the obvious leads to enlightenment!
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Quid pro Quo
• I’ll share if you’ll share
• Gesture of good faith and openness
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Purposefully Erroneous Statement
• Deliberate false statements cause the
knowledgeable person to correct you
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Oblique References
• Comments made indirectly, in either a
positive or negative light, which generate
either defense or criticism
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Exploit the Instinct to Complain
• Indirectly criticize an individual or an
institution or industry expert
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Bracketing Techniques
• Start broader, and get narrower
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
Silence
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
“I've learned that people will
forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget
how you made them feel.”
Dr. Maya Angelou
Sep 2012 ©The Business Intelligence Source Inc
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Ellen Naylor
+1.303.838.4545
www.thebisource.com
http://cooperativeintelligenceblog.comhttp://twitter.com/EllenNaylorwww.linkedin.com/in/ellennaylorcolorado