Blog•Apr 10, 2026
The Secret Art of Elicitation
The blog spotlights John Nolan’s out‑of‑print 1999 book *Confidential*, which codifies the art of elicitation—extracting information through casual conversation rather than direct questioning. It recounts WWII interrogator Hanns Scharff’s misdirection technique that coaxed a pilot into revealing classified details, illustrating the method’s power. Nolan, a former spy, applied these tactics in corporate espionage and now offers them to business leaders for sales, negotiations, and protecting sensitive data. The piece argues that mastering elicitation is essential for founders and executives in today’s information‑driven markets.
