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

by Philip Houston, Michael Floyd, Susan Carnicero, Peter Romary (Commentaries by)

Overview

An instant New York Times bestseller!

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 of lying, 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 detecting 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250080592
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/26/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	494,240
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

PHILIP HOUSTON's twenty-five-year career with the CIA included thousands of interviews and interrogations for the CIA and other federal agencies, both as an investigator and as a polygraph examiner. He, along with former CIA agents MICHAEL FLOYD and SUSAN CARNICERO, founded Qverity, a provider of behavioral analysis and screening services for private- and public-sector clients worldwide. Houston is also the author of Spy the Lie.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 Of Espionage and Infomercials: The Extraordinary Power of Short-Term Thinking 1

2 The Best-Case/Worst-Case Continuum 11

3 Transitioning to Interrogation Mode: The DOC and the DOG 23

4 Uncovering a Spy: The Art of Creating the Monologue 32

5 How to Deliver Your Monologue 42

6 How to Tailor Your Monologue 51

7 How to Handle Resistance During Your Monologue 71

8 Going for the Gold: Collecting Nuggets of Information 82

9 Crafting a Sincere, Empathetic Monologue: Fiction As an Option 93

10 Do No Harm 100

11 An Elicitation Case Study 110

12 If O. J, Simpson Did It: The Interrogation That Might Have Been 127

13 The Elephant in the Room 149

Appendix I Elaboration on Applying the Elicitation Model in Business, in Law, and in Everyday Life: Chapter Commentary by Peter Romary 155

Appendix II It All Begins with Preparation by Peter Romary 214

Appendix III Transcript of the Actual Initial Interview of O.J. Simpson 220

Glossary 244

Acknowledgments 253

Index 261

Editorial Reviews

"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

From the Publisher

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

Library Journal