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Other Applications 361

Raise the pavement
Many people are unclear where the line is drawn between trade puffing and criminal decep-
tion, but the fact is that a criminal offence is committed if anyone tells lies to obtain a pecuni-
ary advantage and this includes retaining his job (see also Chapter [xref]).

If you believe that someone is trying to deceive you over an important matter, you should
consider raising the pavement with a statement along the lines:

Example. ‘Can we stop there a moment, Bill, because I want you to be absolutely sure of your
facts. You realize that if what you have just said is untrue and we rely on it, you could be in
very serious trouble [long pause]. If, on reflection, you are not sure and may have made a
genuine mistake, then we can start over again and no damage has been done.’ [Note the
rationalization statement]

The chances are if his statement was untrue, Bill will soften and you can move on from
there. If he continues with what you believe is a significant lie you should consider delivering
the ultimate statement along the lines:

‘If we find out that what you have said is untrue, the only explanation is that you have told
a barefaced lie that may amount to fraud. Am I correct in this?’

If the reply is a binary ‘Yes’ without any unnecessary words before or after it, you can
assume you are being told the truth. Any deviation from this and you must remain on your
guard.

A single exchange along the above lines is likely to keep people far more honest for the
remainder of the meeting, but it will raise the temperature, so be careful.

Closing the meeting
The way you close any meeting is important and you should summarize the key points and
any proposed actions: make sure that everyone present agrees or that their dissenting view
is recorded.

Follow-up action

Accurate and timely minutes should be prepared and circulated after every important meeting
and you must check them carefully. If you do not agree with anything, suggest amendments
and if these cannot be agreed immediately, prepare a dissenting report, submit it to all of the
participants and put it on the agenda for future meetings. If minutes have not been taken,
make sure you preserve your notes; they may be very important one day.

Never agree to minutes which are not totally accurate

RAISE YOUR CONCERNS IN A LOW-KEY WAY

As soon as you have specific concerns you must raise them in a low-key way, and commit the
conman to more and more detail, which you must document and preserve. However, it is criti-
cal, unless this is part of a planned ambush, that you don’t frighten him off. You can take an
approach much like the fictional detective, Colombo, by saying something along the lines: