Whether taking a statement under oath, conducting a non-accusatory interview, a job related screening or engaging in a business related or casual conversation, recognize that a significant percentage of those being questioned will intentionally edit, exaggerate, minimize and / or misrepresent something. One of the best ways to identify deceptive statements is to recognize body language that is incongruous with verbal remarks.
A study at UCLA found that over 75 percent of communication effectiveness is determined by nonverbal cues from all parties to a conversation. A companion study confirmed that the impact of any type of presentation was determined 7 percent by the words used, 38 percent by voice quality, and 55 percent by the nonverbal communication.
You can build a model of verbal and nonverbal behavioral symptoms during the course of an encounter, and this model will help you recognize deception. In this regard, pay attention to the following:
- How does the individual stand or sit, and move their arms and legs? What movements are subtle? During the course of these physical maneuvers, what is being said?
- How do facial expressions tie in with other physical movements and what is being said? See my previous Newsletter on facial movements and their connections with other behaviors.
- If the interview or conversation is being conducted in that person’s office, home, etc., check out the décor, how they dress, what they drive and their overall appearance. This is their statement about themselves.
- How do physical gestures coincide with verbal communications, and how does verbal emphasis, inflection and pausing tie in with the body movements?
- Is the person a toucher? What is their physical space preference? Does the touching / spacing change in relation to statements? Does a subject initiate physical contact, do they choose to invade your space or do they choose to increase that space? These movements could be as subtle as sitting forward or back in a chair, sitting with hands on a table or desk or placing hands closer to themselves or in their lap.
Understanding body language is an essential tool in an effective interviewer’s toolbox. The key to identifying deceptive statements is the ability to recognize mismatches between the physical and the verbal. For example, when an individual discusses a happy event and fails to smile or describes a sad event and smiles, you should suspect that something is not right.
Finally, you can have an impact on a witness / applicant being truthful by the way that you demonstrate your own body language. Most subjects are not professional liers, and the way that you control the interview event can encourage many persons not to deceive. If you are a practiced communicator who conveys messages effectively and who presents as organized, knowledgable and trustworthy, most of your subjects will not lie. You can actually make them feel more comfortable to tell the truth. Why not use nonverbal communication to your own advantage?
Research North, Inc. (RNI), is a professional private detective service providing support to the business community, the insurance industry and individuals in Michigan and Wisconsin since 1981. The company also offers pre-employment background checks to small and medium sized businesses through a subsidiary called Backgroundcheckswork.com that is fully staffed by professional investigators who are retired from law enforcement.
Delivering Information That Works For You
INSURED • QUALIFIED • THOROUGH • RELIABLE • CONFIDENTIAL • FAST