by Stan B. Walters
An interviewer can keep asking questions long after they have stopped listening. A difficult subject, a contradictory account, or a disrespectful remark can shift your attention from obtaining information to proving a point. Three warning signs deserve attention: preparing your rebuttal while the person is still speaking, correcting their attitude instead of exploring their account, and asking questions designed to secure agreement with your position. Recognizing these habits gives you an opportunity to redirect the interview before useful dialogue becomes an argument.
You’re Preparing Your Rebuttal
The person says something that conflicts with the evidence. You immediately begin constructing your challenge—but they are still talking. While you prepare your response, you may miss a name, a change in sequence, or an explanation that deserves follow-up. Your attention has moved from their account to your answer. Let the person finish. Note the point you need to revisit, then ask them to explain it more fully. An inconsistency deserves examination, but challenging it before you understand it can leave you arguing against an assumption of your own. Ask yourself: could you accurately summarize what they just said, including the part that followed the statement you disputed?
You’re Correcting Their Attitude
A subject’s sarcasm, hostility, or disrespect can become the center of your attention. You begin explaining how they should behave, why they should respect your position, or why their attitude is unacceptable. Necessary boundaries matter, but a prolonged effort to obtain respect or an apology can replace the investigative purpose. The person starts defending their behavior instead of explaining the event. State any necessary boundary clearly, then return to the account. Before delivering another correction, ask yourself what information it is likely to produce. You may have every reason to dislike the person’s conduct. That does not make correcting it the most useful next step in the interview.
You’re Asking for Agreement
“So you agree that…?” can sound like clarification while supplying the conclusion you want confirmed. Agreement may tell you little about what the person actually remembers, understands, or can support. You also lose an opportunity to hear an explanation you did not anticipate. Before presenting your interpretation, invite theirs: “Walk me through what happened at that point.” Then ask focused questions about actions, timing, people, and details that can be checked. You can still introduce evidence and challenge discrepancies. First, obtain enough of the person’s account to know what you are testing. A quick agreement should not become a substitute for a detailed explanation.
Return to the Purpose
Listening does not require accepting an account or avoiding difficult questions. It helps you identify which questions need asking. When an interview begins to stall, examine your own behavior: are you following the account, managing a necessary boundary, or defending your position? Return to an unexplored detail, let the person explain, and evaluate what they provide. The objective is information you can examine and test. Winning an argument does not necessarily move an investigation forward.
© Copyright 2026 by Stan B. Walters All Rights Reserved
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