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50 Deception at Work

non-threatening, and monitor his eye movement. This will set the baseline standard against
which you can monitor his response to relevant questions.

When you are watching people in live interviews on television, determine their primary method
of communication and observe their eye movements – it will soon become a habit

HOW INFORMATION IS CONSCIOUSLY ABSORBED

People become consciously aware of information through their sensory receptors (eyes, ears
etc.) and process it through their primary channel of communication: some people learn best
by listening, others by reading or watching and others by touching, feeling or through emo-
tional stimuli. Experience shows that visual inputs have a very powerful effect on all people
and for this reason, your appearance, the way you present documentary and other evidence
and the layout of the room in which the interview is held are all very important.

VISUAL INPUT when they are presented into the subject’s
left field of vision because they hit his
Images sensed by the right visual field emotional right hemisphere. We will come
of both eyes are processed by the left back to this important point later on (see
hemisphere of the brain and vice versa. page [xref]).
Thus, documents and other visual prompts
will have the greatest emotional impact

Impact is enhanced when all channels are used together

UNIQUE COMMUNICATION CODES

Everyone uses reasonably consistent protocols for communication, both linguistic and non-
linguistic. For example, some people use hand movements a lot and others don’t; others use
big words8 and complex syntax, some speak slowly and others quickly. Deviations to a person’s
baseline communications code – in response to a specific question or stimulus – are normally
a strong sign of deception.

Generally highly educated or intelligent people use non-verbal communication less than
dummies.9 But please remember everyone has his own baseline communications code.

Communication codes are disturbed by anxiety caused by being deceptive

Our communication codes are mainly determined at an unconscious level, except when
we try to impress others by using big words or by ‘dumbing down’, for example in the mistaken
belief that we can establish rapport with a rapper by talking rap10 or by trying to get on the
same wavelength as teenage kids by doing moonies. Artificial changes to your communication
codes can make you look a plonker and destroy, rather than create, rapport.

8 Their lexicon or dictionary
9 Possibly because dummies are further down the evolutionary chain
10 Never try doing this: it will make you appear a condescending nerd and will destroy rapport (no pun intended)