Why Am I BLUE ?

Blue is not the colour of accusation - It is the colour of examination.

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You are holding a blue highlighter, and you want to know why ~ here is what it is for.

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When we mark a statement in blue, we are not saying someone is lying. We are marking the words that deserve a closer look.

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Blue does not say this person is lying.​ Blue says look here. Pause here. Ask why this language appears here.

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Why blue, and not red ?

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Hand someone a red pen and watch what happens ~ they start hunting for what is wrong.

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Research on colour and cognition has suggested why ~ red carries associations of danger and error, and appears to prime an 'targeting' mindset , narrowing our focus towards 'guilt', instead of analysing a statement with balance and restraint.

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Blue does the opposite, priming a more open, exploratory frame ~ we're now not looking for what is 'wrong' in a statement, but what is there, and it's this distinction which ensures an analyst is working in the correct mindset.​ Instead of being in 'fault-finding mode', we stay balanced whatever we find.

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So we do not mark in red, the colour of correction and accusation: the red pen, the red flag, set our mind  to already being made up, rather than remaining open for anything that presents itself.

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We mark in blue ~ this is the cool colour, the colour of depth and distance. It is what we reach for when we mean look further in, or stand further back. Calm, measured, unhurried: the disposition statement analysis work demands. And blue has long carried one more meaning ~ True blue is steadfast, genuine, unwavering, which is how we train our analysts at Truth Unlocked.

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Convey or Convince

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One of the first things our students learn is the difference between language that conveys and language that convinces.

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A truthful account tends to convey. It moves through the event ~ what happened, when, who was there, what was seen.​ A sensitive account spends its energy convincing. It explains, it justifies, it manages what you think. That does not make every explanation a lie, but it certainly makes it worth noticing.

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Blue is how we see where a statement stops reporting and starts persuading.​

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What B.L.U.E. Stands For

B — Because

Reasons, explanations and justifications. Because, so, as, therefore, that’s why. A reason may explain. It may also persuade.

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L — Language

Stay with the statement, not with assumptions about guilt, innocence, truth or deception. The statement is the evidence.

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U — Unlocks

Let the language show you where a person places importance, where they avoid detail, where they distance themselves.

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E — Evidence

Blue is not proof. It points to where evidence may be ~ areas to examine, questions to ask and patterns to weigh.

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Blue is an 'Attention' System, not a 'Verdict' System​

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A blue highlight is not a conclusion, it is a question. The goal is not to catch people out, it is to understand what a statement is really doing.​

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It also means our reasoning is visible. A statement marked in blue shows where the sensitive parts of the statement are ~ do they cluster together? Do they fall at a crucial point in the account?

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What Our Students Say

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Begin with blue​...

Every Truth Unlocked student begins here ~before the advanced techniques, before the conclusions, before deciding what anything means, you learn how and why to BLUE the statement.

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Get ready to see what people REALLY say, because Every Word Matters...​

 

​Get your complete first course in statement analysis for £299!

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              Learn to spot what others miss!

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Picked this pen up at CrimeCon London? Thank you for stopping by the stand. The prize draw for the Complete Statement Analysis Course is drawn on 5 October, and the winner is notified by email.

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