The Art and Science of Elicitation

http://www.scip.org/Training/EventsDetail.cfm?itemnumber=6875

There is numerous skill sets required to be a successful competitive intelligence professional in today's environment. Among these skills, and possibly the most important is the ability to gain valuable information from human sources in a non-threatening form, without directly asking for it. The technique for this is known as elicitation. Definitely one of the more difficult intelligence skills to master, elicitation is more of an art than science. It is a skill that needs to be learned, practiced and honed. Elicitation techniques can be used to improve all primary research activities to get maximum value from telephone and in-person interviews as well as collection at trade, industry and professional events.

Ms. Foley will provide an overview of what elicitation is; what it is not; and how to use it in everyday intelligence collection.

Beginning with planning, she will cover the basic models of elicitation and several of the primary techniques to get the source to "open up". The program will cover the most common psychological tendencies of human sources and how to best apply elicitation techniques that are effective with them.

About the Speaker

Catherine L. Foley, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of CM2 Limited

With twelve years of investment banking experience and fifteen years of intelligence experience, Ms. Foley has significant expertise in both disciplines. As the founding Director of the Competitive Intelligence Group of a privately held investment bank in Washington, DC, she designed intelligence collection and analysis methodologies that supported mergers and acquisitions for more than 80 projects. She also led intelligence and risk assessments for deals ranging from $10 million to $5 billion. She served four years as a member of the bank's Board of Management. Additionally, Ms. Foley has extensive experience in senior executive search and recruitment.

Previously, Ms. Foley was employed by the United States Department of Defense for eighteen years in a number of human intelligence and counterintelligence positions, with a focus on strategic debriefing and collections. Her international experience includes operations in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and Latin America. In her free time, Ms. Foley enjoys sea kayaking and volunteers her time on the Board of Directors of North Shore Paddler's Network, a non-profit group that promotes kayak safety and training.