Get them to share hidden information

Want to get someone talking? Here’s a strategy they teach undercover operatives to elicit hidden information: Make a statement they disagree with.

When people hear a direct question, their brain raises a little door and out walks a security guard that says, “Be careful what you say,” but when you make a statement, that security guard stays behind the closed door, and the conversation flows more naturally.

Imagine you’re in an Uber, and you say, “I just read that Uber drivers have the highest job satisfaction in the country.”

The driver immediately responds, “What? No way. This job sucks. Where did you read that?”

Now, you can lean in with mild disbelief, “Really? I can’t believe they’d treat you like that.”

Something has shifted.

Instead of giving a guarded or surface-level response to a question, the driver now feels the need to clarify and share more.

“Oh yeah, you wouldn’t believe what happened to me just a couple of weeks ago…”

And just like that, he’s telling you a deep, personal story, one he likely wouldn’t have shared if you had asked a direct question like, “Do you like your job?”

His brain has switched into friend mode, not interrogation mode because you didn’t trigger his instinct to be cautious.

This is the power of elicitation. It’s not about manipulation—it’s about creating a comfortable space where people feel inclined to share more than they normally would.

People open up when they feel like they’re sharing—not being pressed.