Today we’re discussing communication strategies to help you get someone to speak honestly and candidly with  you. 

These tips will work in a personal setting or a business setting. Let’s get into it:

Interrogate:

Ask the question that you hope will reveal something

Gap:

Follow up that question with silence. That silence will make them uncomfortable to the point where they’ll divulge something

Come in closer:

You can either lean in or take a step closer to the person you’re talking to.

Invade their personal space! In western culture, we’re generally most comfortable interacting at a arm’s length distance. So, by encroaching on someone’s personal space you are making them uncomfortable.

This discomfort will also cause them to divulge – get them to confess – spill the beans!

Cops use this as an interrogation tactic. You’ve probably seen this on television!

Triple nod:        

So now that they’re confessing you want to encourage them to keep talking.

How do you do that?

Through a triple nod.

As I’ve said before, a triple nod is strategy we use in active listening and emphatic listening because the speaker will talk 3 to 4 times more than if you hadn’t done the triple nod.

What if none of this seems to be working?

If they’re not budging here are 2 strategies to use to get them to tell the truth:

Try non-chronological retelling

This is another cop trick which you’ve probably seen in cop shows when they’re ask someone to tell a story out of order.

Typically, we tell a story chronologically start to finish.

The good liars have that memorize; the better liars have the story memorized backwards.

But if you want to catch a liar, have them tell you the story completely out of order so that you’re asking questions about specific actions and what came before and after. For example, “what did you do after getting coffee at Starbucks?” or “what did you do before going to the movies with Jake?”

Say it’s not a big deal but…

If you’re going for a more laissez-faire approach then you can start with “it’d not a big deal but”….

For example, you say in a team meeting “it’s not a big deal but I really should know what happened to that report?” / “it’s not a huge deal but I need to know what happened to those orders we placed last week.”

Doing this will set the listener at ease knowing that there might not be significant repercussions, but you still want them to confess so that you can help them, get into problem solving mode, and resolve the issue.

Try out these strategies Explearners the next time you’re trying to get the truth out of someone. Add them to your communication toolkit so you’re ready to meet any communication challenge that comes your way.

If you enjoyed this lesson like, comment and share, it really helps support the Explearning community and all the hard work that goes into these lessons!

Also, subscribe to join our tribe of Explearners on YouTube!

I’ll see you in the next lesson. 😊

Happy Explearning ⚡

About the Author and the Explearning Academy:

Meet Mary Daphne, the founder of the Explearning Academy. She specializes in helping professionals build strong communication habits, refine their executive presence, and achieve personal growth. The Explearning Academy is designed for those looking to boost their social fluency, advance their careers, and confidently navigate any social setting. Through a flexible blend of self-study materials and supportive monthly live coaching, participants develop sought-after social skills and find pathways to significant career advancement. Ready to elevate your negotiation prowess and network with driven individuals? Head over to academy.explearning.co to see how. Become part of the Explearning Academy community and start transforming your potential into reality.

Thank you for reading! If you found this blog post valuable, share with friends and don't forget subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow our podcast!

✨

🎁5-DAY FREE CHALLENGE 🎁
🎤 Sign up for my group coaching program🎤
🤩 Join our community 🤩 for a self-guided fully-supported journey
✨ Learn more about Explearning Academy ✨
🏆 Sign up for our 33-Day Executive Excellence Challenge 🏆