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The Columbo Method
On the back of this summer’s ‘Feedback & Effective Questioning Skills’, I thought I’d share with you, why this particular workshop did so well!!
Have you ever had the feeling someone was lying to you? Or wasn’t being entirely truthful? Worse still, did you find yourself afraid to confront that person for fear of negative repercussions?
As a teenager in the 1970s, I used to love watching the US Mystery Movie, TV series. Shows like McMillan & Wife, McCloud and Banacek, to name a few, kept my curious mind highly entertained, but my absolute favourite back then was (and to this day, still is) Columbo!!
Remember the adorable Peter Falk who played him?! Even today, my guilty pleasure on a Sunday is watching those back to back re-runs on 5USA!!…..but, anyway, I digress…….
For those of you who don’t know, the fictional character, Columbo, was a detective who solved murder mysteries. He was a really humble soul, and a most unassuming individual, who had the ability to get anyone to tell him anything, despite their initial resistance. When someone said something to Columbo that was conflicting or inconsistent, he would rub his head and say, “I noticed yesterday you said one thing, and now you are saying something else. I’m confused.” He would say things like, “Could you clarify this?” or “Help me understand.” Columbo did not accuse those he was questioning. By taking the responsibility for his confusion, he disarmed the other person – who then would slowly feel comfortable telling him the things he needed to know in order to solve the crime.
…..and so, we see emerging, the genius creation that we now know as The Columbo Method, where the detective presented facts that appeared to be in conflict, giving the other person the benefit of the doubt, and then asked questions for clarification. The Columbo Method is a simple and ingenious way to handle any potentially precarious problem!
In a business situation, Columbo might say, “I noticed you said you wanted that report right away, but I haven’t heard from you since I gave you the report. Is everything ok?” Or, “Is there something else you need from me?”
By choosing not to blame or accuse the other person, we reduce the likelihood that they will be defensive or resistant and, in turn, we increase the probability that they will reveal what is truly going on. Like a mystery, remember that things are not always as they appear. What may appear to be a lie may not be.
For example, suppose you asked a colleague to help you with a particular project at 12 o’clock, but he declined because of a conflicting meeting. You then see him leave the building at 12?!? Does this mean he was lying? Of course not. Perhaps his meeting was moved off-site, cancelled, or delayed? Perhaps he just simply forgot about helping you. Perhaps he had a family emergency??
There are a hundred reasons why he could have been leaving the building when he did. There is the possibility that he did have a meeting when you talked that morning, but then, things later changed. The bottom line is that we just don’t know the real reason……not until we ask!
And this is where the Columbo Method can be used. You might say, “You told me you couldn’t help on the project because you had a meeting, but then I noticed you left for the day. I am confused. Is everything ok?” Or, “Am I missing something?”
The key to the Columbo Method is to remember that all you really know is that the various facts in front of you are conflicting. You don’t know for sure what else might be going on. If you approach a situation with an accusatory tone, assuming that the person is lying, then they will probably become defensive, just as you might in a similar situation! They will either leave, physically, or mentally check out from the conversation, and you will be left none the wiser, having learnt nothing at all.
The practical use of The Columbo Method proved to be great fun when we ran the workshop! A stroke of utter genius, (even if I say so, myself!) to introduce this tried and tested technique into the design of a brand-new development programme! …..one quiet, Sunday afternoon, with Peter Falk doing his stuff in the background, like a flash, I knew what I had to do to bring this one to life!!
Doesn’t matter where your inspiration comes from as along it comes, eh??!!
On the day, just as predicted, people opened up freely, questions were answered honestly, mystery solved perfectly, and all relationships remained intact! Nice job, Columbo!!