look at protest statements such as “I’d love
to tell you but...” or “That’s a ridiculous
question to ask.” Some liars will try to
change the focus with detour statements
like, “Well the announcement stated...”
Others will minimize the issue and say,
“It’s no big deal…”
If someone becomes defensive, Meyer
said it is important to get them out of
that mode because they are unlikely to
share more information. When someone
speaks illogically, she said it is possible to
weave with their faulty logic and get them
to answer more questions.
Another key to whether or not someone is lying can involve the actual structure of the story. Liars have a tendency to
frontload their stories with truthful details. Meyer calls this the prologue, then
the details become lighter, the main event
might have some appropriate detail and
they may end with an emotional epilogue
or they rush to the end of their story, providing little to no additional information.
Meyer explained that 80 percent of
communication is non-verbal, so it’s
important to have a view of a person’s
body in order to tell if he or she is lying.
“You can tell largely by the tone of their
voice and you want to be able to find a
fake smile. Passive-aggressive people will
fake smile. A real smile can be seen in the
eyes,” she added.
Some body language that could indi-
cate a person is lying includes:
• Lip smacking
• Grooming gestures
• Hand wringing
• Excessive sweating
• Closed eyes
• Slumped posture
• Lowered voice
It is important to create a baseline
of an individual in order to determine
whether he or she is lying later on in the
conversation. This involves talking to
someone for a few minutes to see what
their norm is so you can see the changes
for the harder questions.
When determining someone’s baseline,
look for these determiners:
• Blink rate
• Fidget patterns
• Hand and leg gestures
Meyer said it is possible to read a per-
son incorrectly by not baselining them.
It is also possible to experience first im-
pression bias, which can really affect your
ability to assess someone. Positive bias ac-
tions may include: smiling, being glib or
confident, or how attractive someone is.
It may also be easier to dismiss condemn-
ing data because of these traits.
If there is a negative bias with an individual, the interviewer may be more likely to ignore any positive data about the
person, ask loaded questions, amplify any
existing weaknesses or even stop listening
altogether. “Make sure to pursue facts and
not people,” cautioned Meyer.
Getting to know you
Meyer stressed the value of developing a
rapport with people when interviewing
them. “It’s never about lavishing praise
on someone, it’s about a point of connec-
tion and finding a way to connect with
them. Often it’s the little things that cre-
ate a rapport.”
To build rapport she recommended
looking at body language, speech pat-
terns and excitement levels. However, she
warned that it is easy for someone you’re
working with to create a false rapport. She
recommended giving them psychological
bridges and entering into their delirium.
“Throw these things out like you’re on a
fishing trip — only you’re fishing for in-
formation. Say something like ‘I’m over-
worked’ or ‘I’m underpaid.’ Once you cre-
ate the psychological bridge, you’ll get the
person to open up and talk to you more.”
Good questions to ask to get people to
open up include:
• What’s the pettiest thing
that’s bothering you?
• How can I be useful to you?
• Is there anything else
you want to tell me?
• Are there any words of wisdom
you would like to give me?
The eyes have it
Meyer said there are seven emotions you
can see in someone’s face — happiness,
sadness, surprise, anger, fear, disgust and
contempt — and that the eyes and eyelids
can help determine whether or not a person is lying.
She said that sneers are highly associated with deception and to watch a person’s
mouth and eyes.
“Look at the facial expressions while
they’re are describing something. Horrific expressions should match what they’re
saying,” she added.
The keys to determining whether or not
someone is lying involve understanding the
lie of deception, baselining their responses,
developing a rapport with the person, possibly entering their “delirium” and looking
for verbal and non-verbal indicators.
She said when people are emotional, be
careful not to roll your eyes or minimize
what they are experiencing. If the person
has been wronged, he will be very angry
and you will be able to see it in his body
language and hear it in his voice.
When speaking to someone over the
phone, Meyer suggested engaging with the
person when he or she has enough time to
talk and not reaching out just before lunch
or at the end of the day. She also advised
investigators to use a person’s name to
keep him or her engaged, and to use the
speaker phone strategically. “You can start
on a speaker phone and then take it off of
speaker as a way to lean into the person.”
Signs of voice deception over the phone
could include a person who pauses inappropriately, speaks more slowly or lowers
his or her voice. Meyer said there is a lot
of research on voice tone and cadence
that can be used to help flag individuals
who aren’t being truthful.
Despite the advances in today’s technology and the fact that many insureds
prefer communicating through e-mail,
texts and portals, as Meyer illustrated,
there is still quite a lot that can be learned
through an old-fashioned, face-to-face