Getting the truth: What is your insured really saying?
With social distancing and masks, insurance adjusters need to ‘read between the lines’ when it comes to discerning what an insured is or isn’t sharing.
Everyone shares information both verbally and non-verbally whether we realize it or not. “When you enter a room, you are communicating,” said Joseph Koenig, owner of KMI Investigations, during a session on communication as part of the recent IASIU virtual conference. “Everything we communicate is the result of a decision. Hesitations and indecisions are the results of decisions, as are words and actions.”
For insurance adjusters, learning to recognize when a policyholder or claimant may not be completely truthful is an important aspect of the investigation. “The deceptive are slippery,” shared Koenig. “They consistently use imprecise, wiggly, and hard-to-pin-down language. Honest people want to make sure you understand them and will use clear concise language.”
How someone speaks, the words they use, their facial expressions and tone are all indicators of whether or not they are being truthful. Koenig finds that every word carries its own percentage of truth. “When you try to interpret a statement, you’re interpreting a symphony. Eye blinking, where they look, the facial expressions are all part of the ‘soup’.”
Liars tend to hide the truth, will speak in a passive voice, are inclined to use more words than they would if they were speaking in an active voice. “If someone moves from active to passive voice, that’s a problem,” he pointed out. “It’s harder to lie than to tell the truth.”
The use of pronouns in speech can also be an indicator of truth. Someone speaking in an active voice is probably telling the truth while someone who uses more formal speech, doesn’t use pronouns and speaks in a passive voice could be lying.
Having a claimant write out a statement in longhand can also provide important indicators of truthfulness. A change in writing style can signify that perhaps the individual is not being completely honest in the account of an incident.
Some liars will be very specific in their denials on something. President Bill Clinton said, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky,” and wagged his finger for emphasis. Sometimes, people will use aggression to hide a false response. Other red flag statements include, “let me say this” and “I can tell you this.” Both are phrases that an investigator should not take at face value.
When it comes to denials, Koenig says to look for “short, precise statements without any wiggle.”
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