Newsletter: Yes/No Questions, Deflection and Spotting The Truth

Here’s a quick round up of some interesting statements and words I’ve noticed over the past few weeks.

YES/NO QUESTIONS

There’s a simple rule to remember. When you ask a question that can be answered with “yes”, “no” (or “I don’t know”) AND the answer doesn’t contain “yes” or “no” within the first few words then you learn a lot.

The answer is either deceptive or deflective. There’s no yes or no because the person answering can’t truthfully say yes or no, or they want to avoid answering the question to move on to something they’re more comfortable talking about.

The first two minutes of this video are an extreme example of yes/no avoidance.

TALKING OF QUESTIONS

When you’re asking a question, or watching someone else answer a question, how often do you stop and check the answer matches the question.

I asked someone the other day “Now you know how much the insurance has gone up because of your accident, what will you do differently next week?”

They replied “Next week will be different because I’m not driving”. You can be sure I went back and checked if they’d learned any lessons because their answer did not match the question.

There’s a great example of the answer not matching the question in this video. Watch the last question and ask, what do you think is going on there?

bbcsport

A post shared by @bbcsport

DETECTING TRUTH

Often when the loved ones of a missing person go missing, certain “fans” of true crime will conclude that those loved ones must be involved in the disappearance because… well because it happens sometimes.

Here’s an article where the family of a missing boy talk about him. It’s an example of all the things we’d expect if the relative is truthful and not involved in the disappearance. The words are straight-forward, in the present tense and there’s a focus on a resolution.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-68335281

OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS

I say it a lot, some of the best content I produce comes from audience suggestions. If there are any cases, statements or interviews you’d like to see analysed then let me know in the comments here or on social media.

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