Wicklander-Zulawski (WZ) Online Investigative Interviewing Course

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01 Jan

Wicklander-Zulawski (WZ) Online Investigative Interviewing Course

Wicklander-Zulawski (WZ) Online Investigative Interviewing Course

Thursday, January 1, 2026 (12:00 AM) to Thursday, December 31, 2026 (11:59 PM)
10 PDCs
Provider: Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates, Inc.
Course Name: Wicklander-Zulawski (WZ) Online Investigative Interviewing Course

Speaker: David R. Thompson, CFI
Program Type: Videoconferences, webcasts, audiocasts, podcasts, eBooks, self-directed E-Learning
Registration URL: https://www.wzacademy.com/index.php

Email Details

After completing this course of instruction, the participant will be able to: • Understand the WZ Method and its application across various industries to obtain truthful, reliable information. • Prepare strategically for interviews by organizing information, setting objectives, and creating an environment conducive to cooperation. • Build rapport effectively to establish trust and reduce resistance while maintaining control of the conversation. • Recognize and respond to acceptance and resistance behaviors that may influence interview outcomes. • Apply empathy-based communication techniques to enhance understanding and engagement with subjects. • Elicit detailed and accurate statements through structured questioning and active listening. • Evaluate and refine interview performance through interactive exercises, video demonstrations, and feedback-based review. • Demonstrate proficiency by achieving a passing score on the final exam, confirming comprehension of key interviewing principles and practices.

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COURSE TOPICS Legal and Ethical Considerations • This section provides insights into the legal framework and globally accepted guidelines for interviewers to comply. Topics include avoiding false confessions. as well as introducing the Mendez Principles on effective interviewing, and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Every interviewer must understand the legal restrictions that govern their efforts. Understanding the Interviewee • The purpose of this section is to allow investigators to understand the cautions of interpreting behavior while providing them guidance on how to utilize behavioral cues in the interview process in managing the dialogue. Rapport • Establishing rapport is essential to effective interviewing, as it builds an atmosphere of trust and openness. This evidence-based module explores how interviewers can demonstrate empathy and grant autonomy while maintaining control of the conversation. Participants will understand how to foster cooperation and engagement during the interview process. Showing Empathy • Showing empathy and understanding has been proven as a necessary and effective tool in developing rapport. This concept is critical in non-confrontational interviewing, as it contributes to the goal of creating an atmosphere of trust, transparency, and mutual understanding. This dramatically reduces resistance and provides the subject with the opportunity to disclose the truth in a cooperative environment. Managing Resistance • This section will provide the participant with non-confrontational strategies to overcome elements of resistance. The types of denials, how to recognize them and proper responses will be explored. This section will also cover how to manage uncooperative or hostile subjects. WZ Method • Participants will learn the importance of the Introductory Statement as a part of the non- confrontational approach in the WZ Method. In addition to understanding the flexibility of the Introductory Statement and the importance of credibility during the interview, participants will be introduced to other concepts that encourage accurate disclosure during the interview. Topics like changing perspective, addressing concerns, creating timeliness and how to safely protect evidence will be reviewed. Topics included in this module include how to: • Professional Engagement • Develop Rapport • Who We Are and What We Do • Types of Cases Investigated • How Investigations are Conducted • Summary of Motives • Empathy Stories • Change of Perspective • Statement of Transparency • Address Timeliness • Protect Evidence • Test for Acceptance • Assessment Question • Follow-up Question • Support the Disclosure • Develop Details • Obtain Statement Develop Details • Developing the interviewee’s disclosure is the process of expanding their acknowledgement of involvement into an actionable account of the events under investigation. The scope of development includes elements of the act, identification of co-conspirators and other details that are required in the pursuit of the investigative objectives. Participants will learn how to apply fact-gathering techniques to extract details to substantiate any disclosure made by the subject. Obtain Statement • This section covers the principles of obtaining a written or recorded statement from the subject at the conclusion of the interview. Common mishaps, logistics of the statement, and necessary elements will be covered.