It not often that you go to a training that you really, really want to pay attention to. Because of the high quality information and style of presentation, I knew that if I looked away I was going to miss out.
Each of us wears a role playing mask all year long–we have to. We keep our hopes, needs, hang-ups, our fears, prides, prejudices, our irrationalities, and our weaknesses from hanging out for everyone to stare at–or step on.
We wear these masks to work, to lunch, to meetings, and to church. We always keep them handy for when friends drop in. We adjust them constantly.
The secret to communicating is to crack the mask. Simple it is; easy it is not. It takes an uncommon understanding of people, great sensitivity and skill; and the discipline to use these traits in every communication.
It means the difference between a message that is simply heard and a message that is understood and believed. Whether interviewing a victim, witness or suspect, cracking the mask is key.
Paul & Enrique have been team teaching Interviewing & Interrogation together since 1997. They are the principals of Third Degree Communications, Inc.