Following up on our post ‘How to Spot Deception‘ and the book ‘Spy the Lie: How to spot deception the CIA way‘, a type of very powerful question is emphasized in the book. Powerful questions are always very useful because of the change they can cause. It is a tenet of coaching in particular.
The bait question is of the form: “Is there any chance that anyone could have seen you doing this/being there?”
As the authors explain “You’ve asked a question that, like the previous one, put [the person] in processing mode. This time, your question is what we call a bait question. A bait question is a hypothetical question that operates on a psychological principle called a “mind virus.””
It is a tough question because it might require a lot of explanation and an unclear of hesitant answer can be very revealing.
As a tough question it requires a bit of context and preparation to be the most effective, still, it is extremely powerful. There are instances where this type of question will be very useful.
