Get the Truth: Former CIA Officers Teach You How to Persuade Anyone to Tell All

by Philip Houston, Michael Floyd, Susan Carnicero Narrated by Jeff Gurner

Overview

Getting someone to tell the truth is an essential skill that very few people possess. In the boardroom, classroom, or our own homes, every day we interact with others and try to get the truth from them.

People are often untruthful out of fear of negative consequences associated with divulging information. But if a person is made to forget the long-term outcomes, he or she can be influenced to disclose sensitive information that's being withheld. The aim is to encourage the person to remain in short-term thinking mode, shifting focus away from the long-term ramifications of telling the truth.

As former CIA agents and bestselling authors of Spy the Lie, Philip Houston, Mike Floyd, and Susan Carnicero are among the world's best at recognizing deceptive behavior and eliciting the truth from even the most accomplished liars. Get the Truth is a step-by-step guide that empowers readers to elicit the truth from others. It also chronicles the fascinating story of how the authors used a methodology Houston developed to elicit the truth in the counterterrorism and criminal investigation realms, and how these techniques can be applied to our daily lives. Using thrilling anecdotes from their careers in counterintelligence, and with easy-to-follow instructions, the authors provide a foolproof means of getting absolutely anybody to give an honest answer.

Get the Truth is the easy and effective way to learn how to get the truth every time.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"The book teaches readers the simple methods they used in the CIA to get the truth out of absolutely anyone—without resorting to torture. Whether it's speaking with your teenager about how that dent suddenly appeared in the car, or your spouse about a mysteriously deleted browser history, or your business partner about a discrepancy in the books, their step-by-step guide lays out how to apply these principles to all aspects of our lives."—Forbes

"A new guide from some former intelligence agents promises to train you to elicit the truth from 'targets' such as the plumber or your own children."—The Guardian

"Here's a business communications book with a difference."—The Financial Times

"Ever wanted to know the best way of extracting a confession? This unexpectedly fascinating book shows just how to do it."—The Daily Mail

"Your target will fold in no time...But, don't run around trying to manipulate the world - use it when it counts."—Men's Fitness

Library Journal - Audio

07/01/2015
Houston, Michal Floyd, and Susan Carnicero (coauthors, Spy the Lie) here provide an overview of interview and interrogation techniques used by the CIA, FBI, and other law enforcement agencies and explain how to apply them to business and personal situations. The goal of any interrogation is to obtain the truth, rather than a confession. An understanding of human psychology and soft treatment of people proves more productive than hardball tactics. Body language and word choice serve as key elements when approaching a subject. The interviewer's own words are also important tools in finding the truth of a particular occurrence. The authors present fictional examples of actual scenarios to illustrate their points, along with a fictionalized account of the questioning of OJ Simpson in which he confesses to the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. The transcript of the actual Simpson interrogation appears in the work. Reader Jeff Gurner does an excellent job. VERDICT This audiobook is recommended to individuals involved in personnel matters and law enforcement. ["A concise, entertaining description of humane methods for getting the truth from those reluctant to admit it": LJ 10/15/14 review of the St. Martin's hc.]—Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Parkersburg Lib.

Library Journal

10/15/2014
Former CIA officers Houston, Michael Floyd, and Susan Carnicero (coauthors, Spy the Lie) reunite to illustrate their process for obtaining the truth, drawing upon a range of examples from decades of experience in the field. The book brims with vignettes that are sure to entertain a popular audience. Though the authors distinguish their elicitation techniques from those portrayed on TV, each example is worthy of a prime time slot: an agent for the KGB comes clean about his plans to become a double agent, a police officer confesses to inappropriate conduct with a minor, and a CIA officer admits to selling secrets to a suave foreign spy. Even the O.J. Simpson case makes an appearance or two. Beyond their entertainment value, the cases prove that the authors' methods—such as keeping interviewees in short-term thinking mode, giving an empathetic monolog, and handling denials and emotional outbursts—are humane and effective. Perhaps the only downside of the accounts is that the person at the other end of every elicitation is always lying. The authors don't cover situations in which the interrogator doesn't know (or presume to know) the whole truth. VERDICT A concise, entertaining description of humane methods for getting the truth from those reluctant to admit it.—Paul Stenis, Pepperdine Univ. Lib., Malibu, CA

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169399035
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	03/24/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,148,775

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