How to Detect Lies

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Watching facial expressions in order to determine whether a person is lying might just save you from being a victim of fraud, or it could help you figure out when somebody’s being genuine. Jury analysts do this when assisting in jury selection. The police do this during an interrogation. You have to learn the little facial and body expressions that can help you distinguish a lie from the truth.

Steps

1. Observe how the person smiles.

• Forced SmileForced smiles are easy to spot since they only involve the muscles around the mouth. The person will appear as being overly relaxed and not really happy. Look at the mouth and see if the teeth are showing. A real smile will usually reveal a bit of teeth but a forced smile may or may not. A real smile will go up to your eyes.
• True SmileIn a real smile, more facial muscles besides the mouth are involved. A dead giveaway is tightening around the eyes, which sometimes causes crows’ feet. While it is not difficult, very few people are conscious enough of this fact to fake a smile and still control their eyes in this manner.

Tips

• Just because someone exhibits one or more of these signs does not mean they are lying. The above behaviors should be compared to a person’s base (normal) behavior whenever possible.
• The more you get to know someone, the better you will become at recognizing their thinking style and the better you will become at knowing when they may be straying from the truth. In the ordinary course of events, you will see a consistent pattern of eye movements. If a person breaks their pattern, this may well suggest that they are deviating from the truth, though they may not be lying deliberately. To test the pattern break, ask more questions to try and clarify whether the pattern break was indeed an attempt to tell a lie.
• Some of the behaviors of a liar listed above also coincide with those of an extremely shy person, who might not be lying at all.
• Some of the behaviors may also occur when somebody is very concentrated on speaking (for example, when the topic is sophisticated or the person is stressed).
• Botox or other plastic surgery may also interfere with ‘tells’ and give false positives.
• Some people may have reputations for lying; keep this in mind, but don’t let it mask your opinions all the time. You have to take it on a case-by-case basis.
• If you are holding the person’s hand (such as with a boyfriend or girlfriend), you can often detect truth or lie by the increase of their pulse.
• Some people are extremely experienced or even professional liars. He or she has told their made up story so many times that they are actually believable, getting all their days, dates and times down perfectly! Sometimes, you may need to simply accept that you can’t catch every lie all the time.
• If it can’t be true, it probably isn’t. For example, if you ask somebody whether they broke your vase, and they say an elephant did it, they probably aren’t telling the truth.

Warnings

• Be careful of how often you appraise others’ truthfulness. If you are always looking for lies, people may avoid you. (See Cope With Having No Friends.)
• Remember that eye contact is considered rude in some cultures, so this may explain why they are reluctant to look at you in the eye consistently.
• Some people with developmental disabilities like Autism or Asperger’s syndrome are very reluctant to make eye contact or do not make eye contact at all. This is a trait of the Autism spectrum and not a sign of dishonesty. Also, some people like to stare at you eye-to-eye.
• Forcing a smile is often just an attempt to be polite; don’t take this personally. If someone fakes a smile for you, it can also mean that they want to make a good impression on you because they value you as a person and are showing respect.
• Someone who is deaf, or hard-of-hearing, may need to watch your mouth instead of your eyes, in order to lipread or better understand what you are saying.

Related wikiHows

• How to Ask a Question Intelligently
• How to Tactfully Ask Emotional Questions
• How to Read Body Language
• How to Communicate with Body Language
• How to Be Honest
• How to Build Trust
• How to Be Sincere

Sources and Citations

• http://www.blifaloo.com/info/lies.php - Original source of article. Used with permission.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Detect Lies. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Today’s success tip comes from Rosie Pekar.

Rosie is a ÔBut-kickerÕ Ð author, motivator and columnist to over 60,000 entrepreneurs globally and she travels regularly delivering seminars and ÔDeliberate CreationÕ workshops in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and the US.

What has been one of the biggest challenges you have had to face in your life and how did you overcome it - how did it shape your life?

The biggest challenge I have had to face, and one that I continually have to overcome, is me! Now, this may sound strange considering that I’ve had to overcome the fiery and violent nature of burly angry men intent on bashing me with baseball bats, tyre levers and bricks; that I had a contract taken out on my life within my first six months of policing; that I had to prepare myself to jump off a third-floor balcony in order to escape from a man with a shotgun; and that I had to face a knife-wielding man who kept reminding me that he was ‘ready to carve me up’. Hmmm…yep, I am definitely my own biggest challenge!

Why? Because of my own mind-set and habitual limiting thoughts. I have met many other people with the same problem or as I like to call it, ‘poor-me-itis’. Essentially it’s when people blame everything on a specific moment in their life.

Unfortunately, we get conditioned to keep on repeating our story - ‘poor me I grew up with’ or ‘I was diagnosed with’ or ‘I was abused by’ The truth is, if you live long enough you’ll always have a story to tell, the challenge is to not hinge the rest of your wellbeing on it. That is, don’t use it to restrict your personal power for a happy life.

It’s the thoughts in our heads that make us prisoners to the past and keep us locked into our ‘feeling bad’ states. Then we wonder why more bad stuff keeps happening to us and lay blame on anything and anyone. Once we understand that it’s not ‘out there’ and that the problem is ‘in here’ (nasty self-talk) then we are at least on the right track to the root of the problem.

I have met some professional victims alongside career criminals. I call them professional because as I see it they have mastered the art of criticising and condemning while holding themselves aloof. (Yep, guilty as charged, your honour! I especially excelled through my teens and early twenties.)

Some will justify the validity of their claims, ‘I have every right to feel bad, mad, tired, or whatever’ and sadly it becomes their way of being in their life. Not only is this sad for them, it’s toxic for all those around them too, and we all know someone like this. I have even watched one die holding onto this attitude.

‘Live a life so that when you die, even the undertaker is sad.’ Since you can’t escape your thoughts I choose to continually challenge myself and believe in more than I dreamed possible. I choose to make my self-talk my friend - not my enemy. Why not make your thoughts something that is exciting and makes you feel good, and in the process attract fabulous results into your life? Makes sense to me!
This website contains even more great tips from Rosie Pekar.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE NOW.

Today’s success tip comes from Geoff Lyons.

Geoff Lyons is the director of Haka New Zealand which specialises in importing a wide range of products. Haka has now also created a top-level clothing brand under the same name.

What are your top five tips for developing a great small business?

1. Honesty - we have always maintained that in order to sleep at night and steer clear of any problems (such as tax liability), we would not entertain any activity that could result in us being caught by the authorities. Three years ago we had a complete tax audit and after three weeks of investigation we were pleased to be informed by the tax department that we did not owe any back taxes after trading for seven years.

2. Staff - we believe that staff is one of the company’s greatest assets. We have a terrific bunch of staff so we reward them well and give them time off for important occasions, for example, a child’s awards ceremony. These actions have been returned tenfold by our staff who are always willing to go that extra yard for us and remain 110 per cent loyal.

3. Communication - in our business, where we are constantly dealing with numerous retailers and buyers within each organisation, it is critical that we maintain close communication at all times. We like to set the example by always returning messages, phone calls and emails and insist that our staff do the same. This may seem like a very small point to make but if our customers know that they will always get an answer, be it good or bad, it enhances their confidence in dealing with us.

4. Budgeting - from the first day of business we set ourselves a sales and expense budget for the financial year and asked our accountant to work out the financial result of each month. We then sit down and analyse the results and go over both the sales and expense details with a fine-tooth comb to see how we can increase profits in the future. I believe that too many businesses fail to have an accurate depiction of their financial position and therefore have an unrealistic perception of how their business is performing.

5. Sense of humour - I would be very surprised if any business I know would have an office that laughs as much as ours. We have always had a very open mind when it comes to what is and isn’t office protocol and do not hold anything back. We do not believe in closed door meetings and try to involve staff in as many matters as possible. Obviously, this may not work for all offices but I have definitely found that it makes it a lot easier to walk into work in the morning knowing that you are going to have some laughs during the day.

This website contains even more great tips from Geoff Lyons.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE NOW.

Today’s success tip comes from Matt Freedman.

Matt co-founded Redback Solutions and has built the business into an e-marketing, web development and digital agency with offices in Sydney and Newcastle. Redback has worked with over 200 clients, helping them market their businesses online. In 2007, Matt and two other entrepreneurs launched Sticky Tickets, an online business that allows anyone to promote an event and sell tickets to it.

What are your top tips for using blogs to generate exposure and traffic?

Blogs are an essential part of the e-marketing mix for most businesses. They allow you to provide more in-depth and valuable information to your market than your website (which should be more commercially focused).

A blog allows you to demonstrate your expertise and differentiate yourself from your competitors. As blogs have a lot of content rich in keywords that relate to your business, they are very search engine-friendly. When creating your blog you should:

* Post articles regularly - once a week is the minimum, but you should try to post something new every couple of days. If your blog is updated regularly people will keep coming back to read the new articles. If it hasn’t changed, they will stop checking it.

* Post articles that have information that is useful and relevant to your target market. While you don’t want to give all your secrets away, share what you can, because people who want to do it themselves are probably the clients you want anyway.

* Get your own domain name for the blog. This will be easier for people to remember and will remain the same if you decide to use a different blog platform in the future. For example, my blog is www.mattfreedman.com.au. However, you could have a domain name that relates to the subject matter, for example, www.makingwidgets.com.au.

* Contact blog authors with complementary topics and cross-link with their blog.

* Submit your blog to blog search engines, such as Technorati.

* Once a fortnight or once a month send an email to your database (friends and customers). The first few lines should contain the beginning of your most recent blog post and should link them back to the blog for more details.

This website contains even more great tips from Matt Freedman.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE NOW.

Today’s success tip comes from Michelle Bowden.

At 28, with a baby and a huge mortgage, Michelle opened her training business, with AMP as her first client. She is an accredited NLP practitioner and master trainer in presentation and influencing skills. She works with CEOs and their teams to help prepare them for presentations at company meetings, conferences and sales pitches.

What are your top tips for influencing others in a positive and empowering way?

Rapport, rapport, rapport! Before you can influence others you must build rapport with them. My advice is to:

* Understand the person’s personality filters - the way they experience, respond to and manage their environment.

* Make a plan - what do you want to achieve?

* Use pacing and leading - pacing involves being like your audience in your dress, body language, eye contact, vocal variety, style, language, interests and attitudes. Some people call this matching or mirroring. Leading is taking the audience where you want them to go. Your audience won’t follow you or give you permission to lead them unless they feel an affiliation with you. You really can’t ask for anything until you have first built rapport.

* Show them what’s in it for them to change - we know this as the WIIFM or ‘what’s in it for me’.

* Cialdini’s influence patterns help you identify the other strategies to use - for more information I recommend you read Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini.

This website contains even more great tips from Michelle Bowden.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE NOW.

Today’s success tip comes from Adam Davis.

At the age of 20, Adam has grown his consultancy into one of the
most recognised traffic generation consulting services in the
world, with over 500 clients in four countries. He has spoken in
front of crowds of over 1,500 people in Singapore, Australia, the
UK, Indonesia and Malaysia on how to effectively send traffic to
any website and make a profit.

What is the most important thing you have learnt about succeeding
on the internet?

As funny as it may sound, the internet itself has very little to
do with whether or not you become a successful internet
entrepreneur! Instead, it is about who you are and the mind-set
with which you approach the concept of the internet. In order to
succeed you need to stay focused and committed to both the
immediate task and the long-term vision.

But perhaps the most important thing I have learnt is that the
internet is nothing more than a medium; one that can distract a
potential entrepreneur to the point of destroying their business.
Let me explain:

The very nature of an internet-based business means that you will
often spend long periods of time in front of a computer screen
(unless you have employees to do this for you). There’s little
interaction with people and it can become distracting if you do
not have good motivation and concentration.

It is not uncommon to have wandering thoughts about random topics
far removed from your business. Your unfocused mind tempts you to
Google irrelevant topics and then you start following links.
Before you know it, you’ve wasted many hours that could have been
spent furthering your online business and increasing your profits.
You then fail to approach your tasks with as much enthusiasm and
vigour as you previously did, thus starting a downward spiral that
can spell the end of a potentially successful internet
entrepreneur.

My work has allowed me to witness people succeed and fail with
their internet businesses. Based on my experience, I have learnt
that the most important ingredients for success are:
* determination

* motivation

* focus

* clarity.

To succeed as an internet entrepreneur you need to be completely
committed to your business and determined to succeed regardless
of the obstacles that befall you.

 This website contains even more great tips from Adam Davis.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE NOW.

Today’s success tip comes from Belinda Yabsley.

In 2005, Belinda was appointed to the role of marketing and customer relationship manager for Mercedes-Benz of Sydney and 2006 saw her become the first female and youngest branch manager of a Mercedes-Benz dealership.

Can you share some of your insider tips for effective networking?

Keep in touch - stay in contact with your network every 60 to 90 days in some way or another. You may want to drop someone a handwritten note, send an article of interest, extend an invitation to a function, send out a regular newsletter, meet for a coffee, facilitate an introduction or visit their business. Remembering special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, Christmases, Chinese New Year’s and job promotions are another great way to stay in touch.

Join a committee - becoming involved in a committee that you are genuinely interested in and are passionate about is a terrific way to meet new people. You may want to consider the arts, the environment, sport, politics or your favourite charity organisation.

Business awards - entering or being nominated for business awards can provide an introduction into the world of some of the country’s most talented and successful businesspeople. There are many ways in which people can stay connected with one another; it just requires time, commitment and effort in doing so.

Find an expert - the godmother of networking in Australia is, without doubt, the wonderful Robyn Henderson. I encourage those with little experience in networking to visit her website, www.networkingtowin.com.au, where you can learn from the master, order her books, download e-books and valuable articles, attend Robyn’s seminars or sign up for her regular e-zine.

There are many ways in which people can stay connected with one another; it just requires time, commitment and effort in doing so.

This website contains even more great tips from Belinda Yabsley.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE NOW.

Today’s success tip comes from Andrew Griffiths.

Describing himself as a “serial entrepreneur”, Andrew has developed an international reputation that has reinforced his six best-selling books. His books are sold in over 40 countries and their popularity has launched him as a keynote speaker and corporate coach.

Can you list ten favourite low-cost marketing strategies?

1. Step outside your business and your comfort zone - spend time getting out and about, networking and attending functions. Be prepared to tell people exactly what you sell and don’t be afraid to ask for business.

2. Ask people to refer business to you - get on the referral bandwagon. Everyone is either a potential customer or they know someone who is a potential customer. Enlist the help of your family, friends, associates and neighbours to help grow your business.  

3. Become a spokesperson - stand in front of a crowd, send letters to the editor, become the head of local organisations, or at least join them. Get yourself and your business name in front of as many people as possible.

4. Donate your time - it is amazing how much business you can have referred to you by being a good corporate citizen and helping out local charities or events. Who has the time? None of us, but those that make time get well rewarded in many ways.

5. Use a blackboard - it still amazes me how much business you can get from simply putting a blackboard outside your business. An oldie but a goodie!

6. Set up strategic partnerships - are there businesses that can refer customers to you and you can refer customers to them? Give them a call and go and see them. Set up a more formal arrangement, exchange brochures, get to know their business and start referring as soon as you can.

7. Ask your customers for ideas - it is very interesting to sit down with a few of your customers and ask them for ideas to help you grow your business. They will generally have some very interesting ideas that you may not have thought of. Smart business owners are always very open to other people’s ideas, and who better to look for ideas than your existing loyal customers? They get to feel good because you asked for their opinion and you get some great advice (hopefully) for free.

8. Use food - I have got more business over the years with chocolates than any other selling tool I know of. I believe if you feed anything enough it will keep coming back. So have some chocolates, lollipops, fruit or whatever takes your fancy and give it to your customers.

9. Free samples - don’t be afraid to give free samples of your product or service to customers or potential customers. It’s a case of putting your money where your mouth is.

10. Do the little things - look for ways to do the little things for your customers that other businesses won’t bother to do - remember names, give them an on-the-spot discount, and always be looking for ways to exceed their expectations. 

Today’s success tip comes from Rob Orriss.

1. Set goals which are truly meaningful to the company: In
order to ensure success for the company, set goals that really
will lead to the companies success. This may sound simple,
but sometimes managers set employee goals which do not clearly
align with companies success.

2. Ensure that the employees goals are reachable: Nothing is more
deflating to an employee than setting goals that can’t be
reached. That doesn’t mean that the goals shouldn’t stretch
employees. Quite the contrary, meaningless goals can be just as bad,
if not worse, than unreachable ones.

3. Measure results on a regular basis: Some companies only look
at employee goals once a year. In order to maximize results,
companies should regularly look at employee goals and reset these
based on business needs as necessary. Goals and results should be
posted in a place for all to see so that all team members know who
is responsible for each task.

4. Give everyone ownership over something: Simply put, each employee should have ownership over his and her goals, and in turn some piece of the company.