Common Human Gestures C = Conscious (less reliable, possible to fake) S = Subconscious (more reliable, difficult or impossible to fake) Physical Gestures Truthful Indicators Deceptive Indicators Gestures in general Tilting of the head (c/s) Nodding or shaking head (c/s) Eyebrows and forehead (c/s) Blushing (s) Bites, chews or teethsucking (s) Swollen arteries (s) Sweating (s) Adams apple (s) Smile (c/s) Free Flowing Easy Natural Consistent with other actions To the side, exposing neck Toward the interviewer, showing attention and involvement Fluent and natural to the conversation Symmetrical Consistent with expressions on the rest of the face Some gestures are difficult to fake Shows embarrassment or a sensitive topic of discussion Genuine Eyes also smile: the lower eyelids raise, and crows feet appear The smile is temporary Cramped Jerky Tight Closed Conflicts with other actions None / frozen Backward Jerking back in response to something the interviewer said Dramatic Timing is off from words Contradicts words Changes from one motion to the other in the middle of a gesture (e.g., starts nodding yes, then switches to no). Asymmetrical (one eyebrow raised for effect) Inconsistent with the rest of the face or spoken words Shows high anxiety False Only the mouth moves Inappropriate to topic Timing is off May have a smirk too
Physical Gestures Truthful Indicators Deceptive Indicators Eyes (c/s) Shoulders (c/s) Normal contact in a conversation is 30 to 60% Attentive Open Unchallenging Eye contact maintained after the witness verified that you understood and believed them. Tears when accompanied by consistent behaviors, such as rocking and chest heaves Symmetrical Square to your shoulders Appropriately timed Consistent with message (e.g. shrugging when the witness does not know an answer) Cold stares Eye contact lasting less than 30 seconds Diverted, particularly after answering a question or making a statement Inappropriate loss of eye contact while making a statement Rapid or extended blinking Tears can be faked Blink rate increases Asymmetrical (the oneshoulder shrug) Angled from your shoulders Timing is off Inconsistent with message (e.g. saying yes or no while shrugging) Chest (s) Normal breathing Rapid breathing or sudden breath shows anxiety. Chest heaves show high anxiety Inappropriate yawning, laughing or coughing Elbows (s) Held away from body Held close to body (shows fear and defensiveness) Arms (c/s) Hands (c/s) Loose, flowing, in harmony with rest of body, properly timed Crossed low and loose Relaxed Open Visible Finger pointing May touch you Staged movements Poor timing Crossed high and tight may mean defiance or confidence Inappropriate stretching Tight Clenched (white knuckles) Hidden The hand shrug (e.g. showing he has nothing to hide) No finger pointing Won t touch you
Physical Gestures Truthful Indicators Deceptive Indicators Hand to head contact (s) Hand to body contact (s) Rubbing the chin while actually engaged in deep thought Nothing significant Most hand to head contact Covering or partially covering the eyes, ears or mouth ( Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil ) Covering or pinching nose Scratching the head Resting the head in or on the hands for support Putting objects in mouth Wiping hands on clothes Smoothing wrinkles or picking lint while talking Clutching the groin Knees (s) Still Moving in and out Bouncing Feet (s) Spatial (s) A woman slipping her foot out of her show Facing you or moving towards you Tapping or swinging that seems out of place Facing or turning away from you or moving away from you Creating a symbolic barrier or wall by arranging objects between you and them on a table or desktop
Verbal Gestures Truthful Indicators Deceptive Indicators Words in general Timing Clear Makes sense Spontaneous Direct answers Direct denials Mumbles Misuses or mispronounces common words Avoids judgmental terms Broken or incomplete sentences Appears to forget what they are talking about Stops and starts over Stalls and micro-stalls Pace of responses Normal and consistent Speeds up when lying Slows down when telling truth Pitch and response Normal Changes in pitch and volume that are inconsistent with normal conversation Monotone Manner Normal Overly friendly Overly cooperative Overly thankful Flattery Forgetful Repeats your words back Answers that sound like questions Answers question directly. May use contraction Answers question directly with a definitive answer Repeats the words of your question as part of the answer. Will not use a contraction Answer sounds repeating the question back. Although it may have a no, voice, head and eyes lift at end of response. Pronouns Pronouns used normally Pronouns avoided, especially personal pronouns like I, me or my. Silence Comfortable with silence after giving truthful answer Uncomfortable with silence Will continue to add information
Verbal Gestures Truthful Indicators Deceptive Indicators Smoke screens Tone of voice Direct answers to questions. No extraneous detail Direct or surprised, depending on question Abundant information in the answer, but nothing on point. Good memory for insignificant details, but not significant ones. Use of sarcasm
Verbal Red Flags A pre-announcement that a liar is about to tell the truth. Truthful people never feel a need to remind you they are telling the truth because they assume their credibility is not an issue. Liars announce when they are telling the truth because they know they are lying. A pre-announcement, in legal sounding formal language, that the liar has a qualified memory. This gives them room to change their stories later. A truthful person says he doesn t remember or doesn t know. Explosions of anger and threats of a lawsuit. This lets the liar burn off energy. It may also intimidate the interviewer to stop questioning. Responses that are meant to imply an answer where none has really been given. Deflecting your question by pointing suspicion to someone else Hijacking your question and substituting their own. Truthful Indicators Honestly.... To be perfectly honest with you.... To tell you the truth.... Quite frankly.... Believe me when I say this.... I wouldn t lie to you.... Why would I lie to you.... Really.... I swear to [fill in].... May I be struck dead.... As best as I can recall.... To the best of my recollection.... I have no recollection.... What do you mean, am I sure? Are you calling me a liar? I have a lawyer, and I am going to call him. And when he gets done, boy will you be sorry! Now would I do something like that and risk my job, my family and my reputation? I m not that kind of person. Instead of harassing me about my performance, you should really be spending your time talking to Bob. He s the one you should be looking into. Q: What did you do after dinner when everyone else went to bed? A: I think what you re really trying to say is what did I eat for breakfast? And I m going to be quite honest and tell you....