Introduction to Detecting Lies

Some of the following techniques to telling if someone is lying are often used by police, and security experts.

This knowledge is also useful for Successful managers, employers, and for anyone to use in everyday situations where telling the truth from a lie can help prevent you from being a victim of fraud/scams and other deceptions.

Warning: this is not an ‘exact science’! Sometimes the ‘feeling’ is more important than ‘the signs’. Using these techniques, you can guess if something is wrong or you can be aware that someone might tell a lie. But any of the signs below are not ‘signaling’ a lie for sure. Somebody might do something because it felt natural…not necessarily to hide something or to tell a lie. DO not mistake a ‘personal style’ or a ‘natural personal characteristic behavior’ with a ‘lie sign’. Be aware, but open-minded.

So, act natural, and do not get paranoid. If you recognize just one sign…wait to see if other signs of telling a lie appear.

Detecting lies may be a gift or a curse for you! Take care!

Signs of Deception:

Body Language of Lies:
• A person who is lying to you will avoid making eye contact.
• Physical expression will be limited and stiff, with few arm and hand movements. Hand, arm and leg movement are toward their own body the liar takes up less space.
• Hands touching their face, throat & mouth. Touching or scratching the nose or behind their ear. Not likely to touch his chest/heart with an open hand.

Emotional Gestures & Contradiction
• Timing and duration of emotional gestures and emotions are off a normal pace. The display of emotion is delayed, stays longer it would naturally and then stops suddenly.
• Timing is off between emotions gestures/expressions and words. Example: Someone says "I love it!" when receiving a gift, and then smile after making that statement, rather then at the same time the statement is made.
• Gestures/expressions don’t match the verbal statement, such as frowning when saying “I love you.”
Expressions are limited to mouth movements when someone is faking emotions (like happy, surprised, sad, awe, ) instead of the whole face. For example; when someone smiles naturally their whole face is involved: jaw/cheek movement, eyes and forehead push down, etc.

Interactions and Reactions
• A guilty person gets defensive. An innocent person will often go on the offensive. (it depends what’s the natural style and personality of the person)
• A liar is uncomfortable facing his questioner/accuser and may turn his head or body away. (it depends what’s the natural style and personality of the person)
• A liar might unconsciously place objects (book, coffee cup, etc.) between themselves and you.

Verbal Context and Content
• A liar will use your words to make answer a question. When asked, “Did you eat the last cookie?” The liar answers, “No, I did not eat the last cookie.”
•A statement with a contraction is more likely to be truthful: “ I didn't do it” instead of “I did not do it”
• Liars sometimes avoid "lying" by not making direct statements. They imply answers instead of denying something directly.
• The guilty may speak more than natural, adding unnecessary details to convince you... they are not comfortable with silence or pauses in the conversation. (it depends what’s the natural style and personality of the person. It is also possible that knowing that he/she is Innocent – the person will try to convince you with many enthusiastic arguments…)
• A liar may leave out pronouns and speak in a monotonous tone. When a truthful statement, is made the pronoun is emphasized as much or more than the rest of the words in a statement.
• Words may be garbled and spoken softly, and syntax and grammar may be off. In other words, his sentences will likely be muddled rather than emphasized.

Other signs of a lie:
• If you believe someone is lying, then change subject of a conversation quickly, a liar follows along willingly and becomes more relaxed. The guilty wants the subject changed; an innocent person may be confused by the sudden change in topics and will want to back to the previous subject.
• Using humor or sarcasm to avoid a subject.

NLP will give you more interesting signs about face and eye movement, body language etc. NLP helps you both understand and influence yourself and the others.

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