In the world of strategic communication, business, and interpersonal relationships, getting honest information out of the other party is often a challenge. Our approach tactics frequently push people away instead of building trust. However, mentalist Javier Botía reveals surprising strategies used by professional interrogators that can completely transform the way we interact.
Below, we’ll break down the psychological secrets for getting others to share information naturally — without feeling put on the spot.
1. The Initial Greeting: The Eyebrow “Hack”
Every successful approach starts from the very first second of eye contact. When you greet someone, the first thing you should do is raise your eyebrows.
As minor as it sounds, this small facial movement psychologically causes the other person to let their guard down by 60%. The explanation behind this reaction is deep yet simple: by raising your eyebrows and opening your eyes fully, you’re sending the other person an unconscious, direct signal of approval. This is the best first impression you can make to establish a foundation of trust.
2. The Danger of Direct Questions
Once you’ve broken the ice and want to find out something specific, you need to resist the most common instinct: asking a direct question. Asking puts your conversation partner on guard immediately.
Take a casual chat where you want to find out how much an Uber driver makes. Asking the obvious question — “Hey, so how much do you earn?” — is the fastest way to kill the interaction. The conversation either ends abruptly, or the person gets defensive and starts questioning your motives (“Why do you want to know that?”).
3. Elicitation: The Art of Getting People to Correct You
If direct questions don’t work, how do you extract the information? The answer is an advanced tactic used by professional interrogators called “elicitation.”
Elicitation means not asking questions at all — instead, you throw out a false statement delivered with a certain air of authority. This technique exploits a fascinating psychological vulnerability: it’s almost irresistible for people to correct someone who is wrong.
Real-life example: Going back to the Uber driver scenario, instead of interrogating him, you apply elicitation by dropping a confident-sounding comment:
“You must be happy, right? I just saw in the news that the government approved a $300 bonus for Uber drivers who make more than $15.”
Faced with this apparently authoritative claim, the driver will feel an overwhelming urge to set you straight — and will give you the exact information you were looking for without even realizing it. His automatic response will be something like: “Where did you hear that? Man, I don’t know about any bonus — I make $900.” They tell you the truth simply because they want to correct you.
Conclusion
Mastering communication isn’t always about knowing what to ask — it’s about knowing how to trigger the other person’s mind. By implementing the subtle eyebrow raise to signal approval, and replacing uncomfortable interrogation with the elicitation technique, you can get even the most guarded information to flow toward you completely voluntarily.