How to Spot a Liar...The Lie
by Kevin Hogan
Detecting Deception is no easy task.
There are different kinds of deception and there are different
degrees of deception.
Some kinds of deception, like omission, occur when someone
doesn't tell you something that is important. They leave it out.
"I was at the bar last night, honey."
Vs.
"I was at the bar last night, honey and then I met this woman
who…."
There are also errors of commission.
"This car has never been in a car accident."
(It actually has…twice.)
Not All Lies Can Be Detected
The first key point you need to understand is that not all lies
are evident in nonverbal behavior. There are ZERO clues or cues
for many lies.
Some people are good liars. Some people are pathological liars.
Some people rehearse what their "story" will be over and over so
it comes naturally.
Other times when people lie there ARE cues and clues.
There are a number of things I look for when I think someone
might be deceiving me.
Deception Detection Clues
1. Look at their feet. The most important cue is usually expressed by their feet.
People generally have no trouble controlling their torso, even
their hand gestures and sometimes facial changes. But one thing
that is hard to pay attention to for the "liar" is their feet!
When communicating with someone I gain a sense for how their
feet normally move in conversation. When someone deceives, their
feet "behave" differently. That's my best and probably most
reliable cue.
2. Look at their pupils. Next up I watch pupil changes. Some people's pupils get bigger some people's get smaller. I'm not so concerned about the
direction of the size (bigger vs. smaller). I'm interested that
there is or is NOT a change.
3. Check their attitude. The third thing I look for are expressions of boredom, indifference, and unconcern. These are tough states to fake for
most people because they are typically unaware of their
behavior. In young people this collection of vocal and nonverbal
cues is even more obvious to the reader.
The "liar" will try and look indifferent, but because they
aren't used to behaving indifferent they are trying to guess
what they are acting like. Unfortunately for them, it's usually a dead
giveaway.
4. HOW are they speaking? If people stumble over their words, repeat phrases or words, when this is not their normal behavior, this is a pretty useful "tell" as well.
What about some "Innocence" Detection Clues?
Continue: Page | 1 | 2 | 3 | 
Kevin Hogan
Network 3000 Publishing
3432 Denmark #108
Eagan, MN 55123
(612) 616-0732
