Truth is the foundation of trust and security in government. Agencies need reliable information to conduct their operations, enforce the law, maintain public safety, and safeguard their own people and resources. Wicklander-Zulawski trains government personnel to improve their investigative interviewing techniques with evidence-based methods that produce timely, trustworthy, and actionable information.
WZ teaches investigators and inspectors to plan for different types of encounters, to stay in control, and to make every question they ask as effective as possible.
During the WZ Seminar on Investigative Interviewing Techniques, our expert instructors cover proven techniques for detecting deception, overcoming resistance, offering empathy, and evaluating truthfulness. The non-confrontational WZ Method and other tools taught in WZ seminars have been recognized worldwide for producing faster and more accurate results. These techniques enable interviewers to expand admissions into other areas of unknown activity and better identify avenues for further exploration.
The participants will learn a broad range of research-based methods and proprietary tools to conduct more effective interviews, resulting in identifying the truth more efficiently and with less resistance.
Instruction includes a comprehensive overview of a variety of non-confrontational investigative interview techniques to obtain actionable information from witnesses, suspects, and victims. The student will learn to project empathy, manage resistance, and assess credibility. Videos of actual interviews will be presented, analyzed, and discussed.
Application/Renewal of contract in progress. Previous WZ GSA Contract #GS-02F-0058M 07/06/02-07/07/22.
PROVEN EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES
- Elements of an Investigative Interview
- Choosing an Interview Approach
- The Importance of Rapport and How to Establish It
- How to Prevent False Confessions
- The Right Way to Think About Behavior Cues
- Establishing Credibility
- The Importance of Showing Empathy
- Understanding and Handling Resistance
- Developing Details
- Obtaining the Written or Recorded Statement
- Legal Considerations
Wicklander-Zulawski’s methods allow trainees to effectively carry out investigative interviews in a wide variety of settings, adaptable to any agency’s needs.
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Social Security Administration
- U.S. Army National Guard
- Nigerian State Security Services
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- National Security Agency (NSA)
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Office of the Inspector General
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives
- Federal Air Marshal Service
- U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command
- Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
WZ’s courses equip federal investigators with the skills and techniques they need to rapidly uncover the evidence that leads to truth and accountability.
All WZ training seminars focus on evidence-based investigative interview techniques built on proven results. WZ training aims to identify the truth and obtain reliable information through ethical, moral, and legally acceptable techniques. Our non-confrontational methodologies are structured, conversational approaches that eliminate the conflict between interviewer and subject. By eliciting truthful, actionable information rather than seeking a confession, a WZ interview often yields greater overall results and avoids the most common causes of false confessions.
WZ conducts over 500 standard and customized training seminars each year. Over 200,000 investigators have been trained by WZ in multiple methods of interview strategy, offering the seminar participant with a wide flexibility of approaches, permitting them to alter strategies depending on the level of evidence, subject considerations, and type of interview. As a world leader in non-confrontational interview practices, WZ continues to stay current and forward-thinking, building relationships with private, public, and academic partners to further evolve the educational offerings provided to our clients.
For the interviewer, attending the WZ seminar is an investment in your success and the safety of your community. You will receive the skills you need to gain the trust and cooperation of subjects, get better results through developing information, and close cases ethically and confidently. You will be at the forefront of the evolution of investigative interviewing as the field turns towards evidence-based methods and professional standards. And most importantly, you will be using your skills to find positive outcomes for the people who depend on you.
For a training coordinator or other decision-maker, coming to WZ for your department’s interview training needs is the easy choice. The non-confrontational methods used by WZ-trained interviewers allow departments to close cases more efficiently and with more positive results, the rapport-enabled development process often yields a far greater amount of information for active investigations, and the focus on gaining the truth over confessions helps your department avoid costly mistakes.
We know your time is valuable, and that fitting training into your schedule isn’t always easy. So WZ has a variety of options for you to take advantage of. You can contract an onsite-training for your department, attend an open-registration or co-sponsored course, or even take advantage of our convenient virtual classroom for remote learning.
Investigations require adaptability and the WZ course provides interviewers with multiple approaches and flexibility for the types of conversations they are tasked with. These non-confrontational approaches rely on the development of rapport and the strategic use of evidence creating a more positive interaction with interviewees
Research has shown that one of the best ways to learn is to do. Our philosophy for retention is three-pronged: teach, watch, execute. We build enough time into this training program to ensure we cover strategies in detail, demonstrate them through real case videos conducted by WZ investigators, and then guide attendees in the practice and application of those techniques.
Not necessarily. The concept of universal body language indicating deception is, unfortunately, a bit of an old wive’s tale. Guilt, anxiety, shame, fear of disbelief could all be triggers for the same behavior. What you will learn is how to recognize changes to a subject’s baseline behavior that may indicate sources of tension, and the best ways to explore those topics and determine their importance.
The FlexPlan allows you to transfer your paid registration(s) to another in-person or virtual training course of your choice, completely free of charge. FlexPlan was created to provide you with alternative options should an in-person training program be canceled due to COVID-19 or other related government action. If you cannot attend, delegate substitutions are permitted at any time up to and including the first day of the seminar.
