Good interviewers certainly must ask the right questions, but they also must think about the answers in terms of what is said, what is not said and what they observe. If you follow this approach, you will have a much better chance in detecting deceptive responses and getting to the truth of the matter. When the trained interviewer is ill prepared and / or in a hurry, however, it is much easier to accept that which sounds right even when there are nonverbal signs to the contrary. In these instances, deceptive responses can be missed.
Some of the more obvious nonverbal behaviors that could be signals of deception include:
- Shifting away from direct eye contact and looking downward is usually an indication of increased anxiety.
- Interviews, depositions, exams under oath, etc. are usually conducted when the parties are seated. If, however, questioning is conducted with the parties standing, an indication of increased anxiety and possible deception is when the interviewee starts to back away and create more distance from the interviewer and even puts an object in between.
- The way an individual dresses can have relevance. Further, the way one smells and / or touches / does not touch can be signals about the impression one wants to create.
There are many different nonverbal signals which could be insignificant if viewed alone. To determine whether these behaviors have relevance, they must be evaluated with verbal responses and also prior acts and statements. The key is to determine what is normal / abnormal for this particular individual.
Whenever possible, police interrogators start their witness / suspect evaluations even before a first contact. They listen to what others have to say, and, if possible, they observe a subject’s behavior at a distance. Watching how someone interacts with others (even if brief and in an office setting prior to an interview) and listening to what others have to say about an individual all should be factored into your judgment about truthfulness.
The 19th Century American Transcendentalist, essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson suggested that one’s eyes were able to express their innermost thoughts. In your own experiences, you have heard someone’s eye behavior described as “if looks could kill” or “he looked right through me.” What about behaviors involving other senses? For instance, when someone does not answer a question, what is really going on? Does not paying attention have relevance?
Most people are not professional liars, and, as a student of human behavior, you can evaluate truth vs. deception better when you have an opportunity to evaluate someone’s verbal and nonverbal behaviors. You increase chances of success when you gather as much information beforehand, take time and prepare, take your time when conducting the interview and then evaluate everything you heard and observed after the encounter. And, the more you do, the better you get!
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.
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