1. Primary Intelligence Collection:
Interviewing & Elicitation
Ellen Naylor
Ellen@EllenNaylor.com
+1 720.480.9499
http://EllenNaylor.com
http://cooperativeintelligenceblog.com

2. 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
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

3. Interviewing
Obtain what you want from someone who probably has
the answer
Knows WHO you are and probably WHY you want it
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

4. Planning
• Formulate Relevant Questions
• Your Relationship with the Target?
• Re-word Questions to Motivate Sharing
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

5. Relationship with Target
• Attitude about sharing information?
• What have they shared before?
• Where comfortable sharing?
• Why share more?
• Cold Call?
• What will you share?
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

6. Practical Motivators
• Profession
• Politics
• Personal Issues
• Personal
• Predisposition
• Emotional Intelligence
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

7. Dominant
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

8. Influencer
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

9. Steady/Amicable
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

10. Conscientious
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

11. Re-word Questions to Motivate
Minimize Ego Threat
1. Start with broad/open ended questions
2. Hypothetical questions
3. Indirect questions/statements
4. Narrow questions
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

12. Listen for the Hints or Cues
• Be patient, alert
• Judge target’s emotional state
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

13. Lay Aside Pre-Conceived Notions
• Failure to Listen
– Biased expectations
– Desire for self-expression
– Performance anxiety
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

14. Observe Target’s Visual Response
Visual cues indicate emotions
– Intentional body language
– Involuntary body language
Involuntary Validity of response
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

15. Leakage
• When words & visual cues don’t match up
• When Visual cues don’t match up
Change the subject
Probe more deeply
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

16. 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.
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

17. 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?
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

18. Elicitor Skills
• Natural gift for making friends
• Good listener
• Establish rapport well
• Practical psychological insight
• Broad general knowledge
• Good memory
• Two level listener
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

19. 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
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

20. Human Characteristics in Elicitation
• Desire to be recognized, appreciated
• Curiosity, Gossip, Complain
• Show off/share confidences w/other professionals
• Occupational hazards: advising and teaching,
• Self-effacement – downplay accomplishments
• Habit to correct others
• Prove someone else wrong
• Over-talking when overly emotional
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

21. The Conversational Hourglass
Knowledge about Target
Personal, profession
What’s worked before
Expertise, knowledge
Intended
Outcome
Your favorite
Techniques
Elements Style
Pre-selected Questions
about general topics
Innocuous and
non-threatening
Stacking of Elicitation Techniques
Test 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
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

22. Expression of Mutual Interest
• Lowers defenses, opens up conversation
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

23. Provocative Statement
• Engenders a question in response
• Usually sets up another elicitation technique
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

24. Simple Flattery
• Often coaxes a person into conversation
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

25. Naïve Mentality
• Causes knowledgeable people to instruct
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

26. Opposing Stand
• Purposely take the opposite stand
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

27. Unbelieving Attitude
• Denial of the obvious leads to enlightenment!
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

28. Quid pro Quo
• I’ll share if you’ll share
• Gesture of good faith and openness
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

29. Purposefully Erroneous Statement
• Deliberate false statements cause the
knowledgeable person to correct you
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

30. Oblique References
• Positive or negative indirect comments
• Generate either defense or criticism
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

31. Exploit the Instinct to Complain
• Indirectly criticize an individual, institution
or industry expert
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

32. Bracketing Techniques
• Start broader: get narrower
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

33. Silence
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

34. “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
July 2016 ©The Business Intelligence Source

35. Ellen Naylor +1.720.480.9499
Ellen@EllenNaylor.com http://EllenNaylor.com
http://cooperativeintelligenceblog.com
Free: 6 page Win/Loss Cheat Sheets
Contact Ellen Naylor