SE3R: WHAT AND WHY - 1

Eric Shepherd
 Welcome to SE3R
• SE3R (pronounced as written – S, E, three, R) is a method designed
for any professional required to dominate the fine-grain detail (FGD)
of narratives – stories - communicated in any form (spoken;
documentary; digital/electronic).
• The design of SE3R reflects key facts of life about:
• Narrative is the fundamental form of communication.
• Narratives are the core source of information in investigations.
• The behaviours of the narrator (the teller) and the listener/reader.
 Narrative
• Narrative is a fundamental form of communication involving:
• A sender - the teller with a story to tell that stretches across a period of time.
• A message - the story progressively disclosed by the sender.
• A receiver - the listener or reader following and making sense of the story.
• Every narrative involves a text (from Latin: textere – to weave) - a rolled out “carpet”
of communication (spoken or written):
• into which the teller weaves – both intentionally and unconsciously - many
forms of information
• the listener/reader to register (mentally capture), remember (hold in
memory) and respond to (do something with) the content and how its
delivered.
• A narrative is like a “magic carpet” – the story – transports both
parties to a potentially shared destination! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_carpet )
 The narrative core of investigations
• Investigations generate a wide range of multiple narratives.
• Accounts - given by witnesses/suspects in interview: disclosed in
real time; digitally/electronically recorded; recorded as a document
(contemporaneous notes; transcript of the recording).
• Written witness statements: each a reduced representation of the
witness’s account created by the interviewer/monitoring colleague:
• at the time of the interview (on the basis of the creator’s memory and notes
taken) -
• (less common) after the interview (on the basis of the creator’s memory,
notes taken, and – very rarely – digital/electronic recording of the interview).
• Written personal (witness) statements: created by the individual,
based on the individual’s remembrance of ”what happened”.
• Written statements from suspects: created by the individual’s legal
adviser during consultation and disclosed in interview.
• Oral briefings: delivered in real time.
• Briefing documents: e.g. notes made at the scene, handover notes,
MG5, written briefings.
 Problems with narrative
• Narrative presents tellers, listeners and readers with challenges.
• The complexity of narrative: the multiple kinds of information woven –
deliberately and unconsciously - into the “carpet”.
• The pervasive problem of editing.
• Tellers edit – both deliberately and unconsciously - what they disclose.
• Listeners and readers - deliberately and unconsciously - further edit the teller’s
disclosure.
• These problems represent significant barriers to effective
investigation and interviewing.
• These problems were the rationale for designing SE3R.
• Any investigator/investigative interviewer needs a method:
• to master the complexity of detail
• to identify and deal with editing by the narrator
• to overcome the practice of further editing when listening to/reading the
narrative.
• By looking at the problems in a little detail you will understand why
SE3R incorporates particular procedures and techniques that:
• will enhance your performance in listening/observing, reading, capturing,
analysing, and responding to the FGD in any narrative
• are new skills - like your existing skills learned through practice.
 The complexity of narrative
• As the narrative unfolds the teller creates a complex interweaving of
different kinds of material within the “carpet” of information.
• Knowledge detail
• The teller cumulatively ‘drip feeds’ detail on key topics, e.g. people
(“characters”), physical locations, objects and things (“props”), routines,
plans, intentions.
• This background knowledge – distributed across the narrative – is essential to
understanding the storyline of ’what happened’.
• Event detail
• The teller progressively discloses the storyline - comprising different kinds of
event describing ‘what happened’, ‘what was going on’, ‘where’, ‘when’ and
‘for how long’.
• Actual events (instances of something happening), e.g. actions, reactions,
conversations.
• Episodes - instances of continuing or extended activity, e.g. driving between
locations; arguing.
• Continuous states (of affairs) - circumstances lasting for a period, e.g. an
upturned vehicle against a tree with the driver hanging inside.
• Time and place detail – the setting – in which an event occurs.
• Duration
• Commentary
• The teller may weave in a comment, e.g. a remark, opinion, explanation,
justification.
• Irrelevant detail
• The teller may include detail that has – or appears to have - no bearing upon
the unfolding story.
 Time to read!
• Please read pages 1 to 6.
• Stop at the heading Communicating narrative: the sender’s
perspective on page 6.
• Then open Power Point SE3R: What and why - 2.