The KGB stole submarine secrets in 35 seconds

Using an interview technique called elicitation.

This is how it works:

Direct questions can feel like an interrogation, so people raise their guard.

The more sensitive the information, the fewer questions you should ask.

A statement keeps them comfortable, so they tell you more.

Here is how it played out.

Cold War. A KGB officer struck up a conversation with a 19-year-old American sailor and got him talking.

The width of a submarine's propeller is one of the most guarded numbers a navy has. It sets the exact sound the sub makes underwater, and that sound is the difference between staying hidden and getting hunted.

At some point the officer mentioned, almost offhand, that Russian propellers were 19 feet wide.

The sailor couldn't help himself. "No. Ours are 21."

He gave the secret away in one sentence.

Nobody asked him a question, and he never knew he had said anything at all.

Not every statement works. A few kinds do the heavy lifting:

• Restate what they just said, as a plain observation, and they keep going.
• Float a wrong number, and they reach to correct it.
• Say "there is no way that is possible," and they explain until you believe them.

In a customer conversation, the best way to learn is often to stop asking questions.

Source: Chase Hughes on The Joe Rogan Experience #2278

See also: How to Interview Customers: a Field Guide