In this conversation, Dave Thompson interviews An Gaiser, an expert in nonverbal assessments and intelligence and security screenings. An shares her background and how her personal experiences led her to study behavior and psychopathy. She discusses her work as a probation officer and the challenges of working with individuals who have made poor decisions. An also talks about her role as a security clearance officer and the pressure of making decisions about someone's clearance. She emphasizes the importance of understanding people's drivers and motives in order to elicit information. An addresses the misconceptions about nonverbal behavior and deception, highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach to interpreting behavior. In this conversation, An Gaiser and Dave Thompson discuss the importance of context and self-awareness in investigative interviewing. They emphasize the need for interviewers to understand their own impact on the interviewee's behavior and to be aware of their own non-verbal cues. They also discuss the limitations of body language analysis and the dangers of making judgments without proper contextual information. An Gaiser shares her experiences in training intelligence officers and her approach to combining non-verbal assessment, conversational skills, and understanding behavior in her method. The conversation concludes with the importance of self-reflection and vulnerability in building trust and understanding others.

Learn more about An here: Home - www.angaiser.com

Truths:

• Understanding people's drivers and motives is crucial for eliciting information.
• Misconceptions about nonverbal behavior and deception exist, and there is no single behavior indicative of deception.
• A comprehensive approach that combines scientific knowledge and scenario building is necessary for interpreting behavior.
• The role of an interviewer or investigator is to be aware of their own impact and manage their judgments.
• High-stakes conversations require empathy and understanding, even when dealing with individuals who have made poor decisions. Understanding context is crucial in investigative interviewing
• Interviewers should be aware of their own impact on the interviewee's behavior
• Body language analysis has limitations and should be used with caution
• Combining non-verbal assessment, conversational skills, and understanding behavior is key in effective interviewing
• Self-reflection and vulnerability are important in building trust and understanding others