Investigators need more than just acute analytical skills and organizational acumen, but also deft interpersonal competencies. The ability to gather and collect data from multiple sources often depends on interviews, frequently with hostile audiences. Even interviews with cooperative subjects would require sensitivity to the situation, the ability to establish rapport, and the knowledge of what questions to ask in order to elicit the necessary information. Investigators also need to understand nonverbal communication and cross-cultural communication cues, to avoid biases and misperceptions, which could not only stymie an investigation but also lead to ethical and even legal conundrums. Establishing a reliable network of credible informants and allies, leveraging support, planning for interviews, asking the right questions, analyzing and communicating the answers to colleagues: these are only a few of the interpersonal skills that an investigator can possess. While it is impossible to narrow down the gamut of interpersonal skills required for effective investigations down to three, there are a few skills that will be globally important no matter what the area of specialization including situational awareness, the establishment of rapport and empathy, and self-control.
Situational awareness is critical for investigators, who need to establish appropriate times and places for interviews...
The investigator needs to take into account all aspects of the subject, including factors like age, gender, and ethnic or linguistic background. Therefore, situational awareness includes cross-cultural awareness: the knowledge that not all cultures read body language the same way, understand the same idiomatic expressions or humor, or conceptualize ethics in the same way. Knowing gender differences also helps the investigator remain sensitive to different communication styles. Investigators need to empower the subject, rather than antagonize, in order to elicit as much credible and useful information as possible.
Another important skill for the investigator is the establishment of both rapport and empathy. To establish rapport and empathy, the investigator will rely on situational and contextual cues, including the demographics of the subject, the time and place of the meeting, and the background story of the subject too. The investigator needs to create a harmonious environment that is conducive to bilateral communication, helping the subject to open up willingly to share information according to mutual goals. Therefore, the investigator would do well to establish common ground with the subject at first before launching into specific topics of discussion. As Thompson (2007) points out, the investigator also establishes rapport by minimizing…
