Summary: Identifying Deception Through Nonverbal Communication
Identifying Deception through Nonverbal Communication
General Purpose: To inform
Specific Purpose: To describe to my audience an overview of research-proven changes in nonverbal communication that indicate a person is being dishonest.
Central Idea: Many studies from both the Communication field as well as law enforcement have proven that a person’s nonverbal communication changes in a predictable way when they are being dishonest
Introduction
I. Attention-Getter: Have you ever spoken with someone and not been sure whether or not they were telling you the truth?
II. Other: “We live by information, not by sight. We exist by faith in others. The ear is the area-gate of truth but the front-door of lies. The truth is generally seen, …show more content…
rarely heard (Gracian, 1600 's)"
III. Thesis Statement: According to an article in CSNBC News, much of our understanding of the behavior of others is learned through nonverbal communication, which has several different avenues to convey meaning. Often when a person is being untruthful or does not agree with what they are saying, their nonverbal cues indicate as much. Identifying these inconsistencies can help indicate whether or not a person is being upfront.
IV. Credibility: In order to prepare for this speech, I have read numerous articles on nonverbal communication, articles on determining when verbal and nonverbal message do not coincide, and information from the FBI and other law enforcement agencies on the tactics they use to determine truthfulness during interrogation. Chapter 4 on nonverbal communication spurred my interest in this topic.
V. Preview Points: There is no set nonverbal cue or universal behavior that everyone uses when they are being dishonest. There are, however a number of things to which a person can pay attention to determine another’s truthfulness. A person’s gestures and body language, eye behavior, and consistency between verbal and nonverbal behavior point to a person’s truthfulness.
Transition: Let us look at some of the nonverbal cues that can signify a person is not telling the truth.
Body
VI. A person often alters their gestures and body language when they are not being honest.
A. An individual will frequently have a body language other than their norm when they are being deceitful. From having a stiff and rigid posture, to an increase in their body movements, to having a defensive posture, each indicates that a person could be less than honest. The important point is to compare a person’s body language to their normal mannerisms.
B. People emphasize when speaking both verbally and nonverbally. When being deceptive, emphasis is either largely absent or very weak. By pointing or punctuating remarks with hand gestures, changing voice pitch and tone, raising eyebrows and widening eyes, or leaning forward, all emphasize statements they are making. People being deceptive often de-emphasize statements by, for instance, show no facial expressions, or make gestures that show they’re thinking rather than emphasize.
C. When perpetuating a deception, people can have nervous or anxious movements. In her article “Interpreting nonverbal communication for use in detecting deception,” Lydia Pozzato describes this behavior as an attempt to burn off the tension of the situation by moving in automatic, unconscious, or absentminded ways.
Internal Transition: Next let us look at common eye behavior.
VII. An individual’s eye behavior often changes when he or she is not being truthful.
A. Often the number of times a person blinks increases when they are being dishonest. In an article released by the FBI ‘A Four-Domain Model for Detecting Deception,” investigators noted that during some questions, the interviewee’s blink rate increased from 27 times per minute to 84 times per minute.
B. Many people believe that a person who is being dishonest will not look people in the eye. This has proven untrue. In most cases, there is little difference between the amounts of eye contact when a person is lying in comparison to when they are telling the truth.
Internal Transition: Lastly, we will review synchrony, or consistency between verbal and nonverbal signals.
VIII. According to a report released by the FBI called “Evaluating Truthfulness and Detecting Deception,” it is the number of inconsistencies between the verbal and nonverbal that matter when trying to determine if a person is being honest.
A. Microexpressions can be very telling and indicate an individual’s truthfulness. Microexpressions are a brief expression that contradicts a verbal statement.
1. They are most often displayed as facial expressions but can also be changes in voice tone.
2. A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology showed that 90% of people lying displayed negative microexpressions.
B. Differences in body language and what is said can also point to duplicity. For instance, a person might briefly shake their head ‘no’ before answering in the affirmative, or he/she might have hunched shoulders and crossed arms while saying that they are open to an idea. This person’s verbal and nonverbal statements do not match. In these instances, it is typically the nonverbal communication that reflects his or her true feelings.
C. It is important to note that just because a person is exhibiting some unusual nonverbal behavior does not necessarily mean that they are being dishonest. An article in New Science by Laura Spinney, “Hoodwinked!” observes some discrepancies between verbal and nonverbal can occur because of anxiety or stress over a situation and not be due to deception.
Transition: Let us review the signals to detecting deception.
Conclusion
IX. Summary
A. In conclusion, a person exhibiting gestures and body language unusual from his or her normal conduct can indicate that they are being untruthful.
B. Additionally, attention to a person’s eye behavior can expose whether or not a person is being honest.
C. Lastly, consistency between someone’s verbal and nonverbal behavior is a signal as to a person’s truthfulness.
X. Thesis Re-statement: People use nonverbal cues in tandem with their verbal responses as a matter of course. Dishonest behavior is often revealed through changes in their nonverbal communication.
XI. Clincher: By paying attention to an individual’s nonverbal cues and the way in which those behaviors relate to verbal cues and their normal behavior, you will no longer have to wonder if someone is being honest.
List of Visual Aides
1. Power Point
2. Dress Attire
3. Handout on exercises to recognize nonverbal cues
New vocabulary word:
Microexpression - A brief, involuntary facial expression shown on the face of humans according to emotions experienced. They usually occur in high-stakes situations, where people have something to lose or gain and occur when a person is consciously trying to conceal all signs of how he or she is feeling.
Synchrony - Simultaneous occurrence.
References
Understanding Nonverbal Communication.
(2007, November). Retrieved December 2012, from CSNBCNews.com: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-51095607/understanding-nonverbal-communication/
David Matsumoto, H. S. (2011). Evaluating Truthfulness and Detecting Deception. Federal Bureau of Investigation: http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcement-bulletin/june_2011/school_violence.
Decaire, M. W. (2000). The detection of deception via non-verbal deception cues. Lakehead University.
Frank, M. G. & Ekman, P. (1997). The ability to detect deceit generalizes across different types of high-stake lies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(6), pp.1429-1439.
Goman, C. K. (212, June). Good Liars and Good Lies. The Magazine of Team Leadership, pp. 1-3.
Gracian, B. (1600 's). The Art of Worldly Wisdom.
Hargrave, J. (2008, Fall). Do You Speak Body Language? Mastering the Art of Nonverbal Communication Key in Interrogations. Retrieved December 2012, from The Forensic Examiner: http://www.theforensicexaminer.com/archive/fall08/2/
Navarro, J. (2003). A Four-Domain Model for Detecting Deception. EBSCO Publishing.
Navarro, J. (2012, August). Detecting Deception. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, pp. 7-11.
Spinney, L. (2011). Hoodwinked! New Scientist,
June.
General Purpose: To inform
Specific Purpose: To describe to my audience an overview of research-proven changes in nonverbal communication that indicate a person is being dishonest.
Central Idea: Many studies from both the Communication field as well as law enforcement have proven that a person’s nonverbal communication changes in a predictable way when they are being dishonest
Introduction
I. Attention-Getter: Have you ever spoken with someone and not been sure whether or not they were telling you the truth?
II. Other: “We live by information, not by sight. We exist by faith in others. The ear is the area-gate of truth but the front-door of lies. The truth is generally seen, …show more content…
rarely heard (Gracian, 1600 's)"
III. Thesis Statement: According to an article in CSNBC News, much of our understanding of the behavior of others is learned through nonverbal communication, which has several different avenues to convey meaning. Often when a person is being untruthful or does not agree with what they are saying, their nonverbal cues indicate as much. Identifying these inconsistencies can help indicate whether or not a person is being upfront.
IV. Credibility: In order to prepare for this speech, I have read numerous articles on nonverbal communication, articles on determining when verbal and nonverbal message do not coincide, and information from the FBI and other law enforcement agencies on the tactics they use to determine truthfulness during interrogation. Chapter 4 on nonverbal communication spurred my interest in this topic.
V. Preview Points: There is no set nonverbal cue or universal behavior that everyone uses when they are being dishonest. There are, however a number of things to which a person can pay attention to determine another’s truthfulness. A person’s gestures and body language, eye behavior, and consistency between verbal and nonverbal behavior point to a person’s truthfulness.
Transition: Let us look at some of the nonverbal cues that can signify a person is not telling the truth.
Body
VI. A person often alters their gestures and body language when they are not being honest.
A. An individual will frequently have a body language other than their norm when they are being deceitful. From having a stiff and rigid posture, to an increase in their body movements, to having a defensive posture, each indicates that a person could be less than honest. The important point is to compare a person’s body language to their normal mannerisms.
B. People emphasize when speaking both verbally and nonverbally. When being deceptive, emphasis is either largely absent or very weak. By pointing or punctuating remarks with hand gestures, changing voice pitch and tone, raising eyebrows and widening eyes, or leaning forward, all emphasize statements they are making. People being deceptive often de-emphasize statements by, for instance, show no facial expressions, or make gestures that show they’re thinking rather than emphasize.
C. When perpetuating a deception, people can have nervous or anxious movements. In her article “Interpreting nonverbal communication for use in detecting deception,” Lydia Pozzato describes this behavior as an attempt to burn off the tension of the situation by moving in automatic, unconscious, or absentminded ways.
Internal Transition: Next let us look at common eye behavior.
VII. An individual’s eye behavior often changes when he or she is not being truthful.
A. Often the number of times a person blinks increases when they are being dishonest. In an article released by the FBI ‘A Four-Domain Model for Detecting Deception,” investigators noted that during some questions, the interviewee’s blink rate increased from 27 times per minute to 84 times per minute.
B. Many people believe that a person who is being dishonest will not look people in the eye. This has proven untrue. In most cases, there is little difference between the amounts of eye contact when a person is lying in comparison to when they are telling the truth.
Internal Transition: Lastly, we will review synchrony, or consistency between verbal and nonverbal signals.
VIII. According to a report released by the FBI called “Evaluating Truthfulness and Detecting Deception,” it is the number of inconsistencies between the verbal and nonverbal that matter when trying to determine if a person is being honest.
A. Microexpressions can be very telling and indicate an individual’s truthfulness. Microexpressions are a brief expression that contradicts a verbal statement.
1. They are most often displayed as facial expressions but can also be changes in voice tone.
2. A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology showed that 90% of people lying displayed negative microexpressions.
B. Differences in body language and what is said can also point to duplicity. For instance, a person might briefly shake their head ‘no’ before answering in the affirmative, or he/she might have hunched shoulders and crossed arms while saying that they are open to an idea. This person’s verbal and nonverbal statements do not match. In these instances, it is typically the nonverbal communication that reflects his or her true feelings.
C. It is important to note that just because a person is exhibiting some unusual nonverbal behavior does not necessarily mean that they are being dishonest. An article in New Science by Laura Spinney, “Hoodwinked!” observes some discrepancies between verbal and nonverbal can occur because of anxiety or stress over a situation and not be due to deception.
Transition: Let us review the signals to detecting deception.
Conclusion
IX. Summary
A. In conclusion, a person exhibiting gestures and body language unusual from his or her normal conduct can indicate that they are being untruthful.
B. Additionally, attention to a person’s eye behavior can expose whether or not a person is being honest.
C. Lastly, consistency between someone’s verbal and nonverbal behavior is a signal as to a person’s truthfulness.
X. Thesis Re-statement: People use nonverbal cues in tandem with their verbal responses as a matter of course. Dishonest behavior is often revealed through changes in their nonverbal communication.
XI. Clincher: By paying attention to an individual’s nonverbal cues and the way in which those behaviors relate to verbal cues and their normal behavior, you will no longer have to wonder if someone is being honest.
List of Visual Aides
1. Power Point
2. Dress Attire
3. Handout on exercises to recognize nonverbal cues
New vocabulary word:
Microexpression - A brief, involuntary facial expression shown on the face of humans according to emotions experienced. They usually occur in high-stakes situations, where people have something to lose or gain and occur when a person is consciously trying to conceal all signs of how he or she is feeling.
Synchrony - Simultaneous occurrence.
References
Understanding Nonverbal Communication.
(2007, November). Retrieved December 2012, from CSNBCNews.com: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-51095607/understanding-nonverbal-communication/
David Matsumoto, H. S. (2011). Evaluating Truthfulness and Detecting Deception. Federal Bureau of Investigation: http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcement-bulletin/june_2011/school_violence.
Decaire, M. W. (2000). The detection of deception via non-verbal deception cues. Lakehead University.
Frank, M. G. & Ekman, P. (1997). The ability to detect deceit generalizes across different types of high-stake lies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(6), pp.1429-1439.
Goman, C. K. (212, June). Good Liars and Good Lies. The Magazine of Team Leadership, pp. 1-3.
Gracian, B. (1600 's). The Art of Worldly Wisdom.
Hargrave, J. (2008, Fall). Do You Speak Body Language? Mastering the Art of Nonverbal Communication Key in Interrogations. Retrieved December 2012, from The Forensic Examiner: http://www.theforensicexaminer.com/archive/fall08/2/
Navarro, J. (2003). A Four-Domain Model for Detecting Deception. EBSCO Publishing.
Navarro, J. (2012, August). Detecting Deception. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, pp. 7-11.
Spinney, L. (2011). Hoodwinked! New Scientist,
June.