How To Spot Liars At Work

If you own a business or work at a startup or are the founder of a startup, you will meet many people from all walks of life on a regular basis. While you want to develop your business, the person opposite to you might have other ideas. It is imperative at such times to recognize who is lying to you and who is genuinely interested in what you have to offer.

We’ve compiled a list of ‘tells’ that will help you weed out the lies.

1. Move a lot or stand still
A lot of us believe people that when someone is lying they tend to move a lot because of their nervous energy. While that is true to some extent, a lot of people also tend to stand still in order to not give away the lie. It is important to understand whether a person is moving excessively or is forcing themselves to stand still in order to cover up their lie.

2. Superfluous detail and repetitive phrases
People lying through their teeth will tend to give out way too much information than is necessary. It’s like the old saying goes, 100 more lies are needed to hide a single lie. Extravagant details in place of a single word answer is generally a telltale sign that someone is lying to you. They also tend to repeat key phrases in an attempt to make you believe the lie. Repetition is a sign that they are trying to convince you and themselves of something and is also used as a way to buy time and gather their thoughts.

3. Body language and breathing
People who are lying tend to turn their head around quickly when asked a direct question. It’s generally a reflex action and happens when the person is expected respond to a question. The body posture largely tends to stiffen when someone is lying or are attempting to lie. Some people tend to fold their arms, flick their hair, bite nails, or subconsciously move away. Deep breathing is also a reflex action that liars tend to display. They tend to be out of breath because their heart rate increases trying to keep up with the lies.

4. Hiding vulnerable features
Some people also tend to hide their mouth or any other vulnerable part of their body in an attempt to shield themselves from the lie. People both literally and figuratively hide behind their hands in order to escape the question, trying to close off communication completely. They also try to hide other parts of their body like their throats, neck or abdomen.

5. Tone, pitch and pace
Another telltale sign of people lying is they talk fast, talk in a higher or lower pitch and talk in a different tone. It’s the easiest way to hide a lie. Mumbling incoherent sentences or talking rapidly to confuse people with extra information or talking in falsetto are all endeavors to hide lies or cover up sketchy behavior.
 
Noticing when someone is lying will help you clear out your contact list and interact with only those who can help you grow.