Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception

3.35 of 5 stars 3.35 · rating details · 292 ratings · 62 reviews

GET TO THE TRUTH

People--friends, family members, work colleagues, salespeople--lie to us all the time. Daily, hourly, constantly. None of us is immune, and all of us are victims. According to studies by several different researchers, most of us encounter nearly 200 lies a day.

Now there’s something we can do about it. Liespotting linksthreedisciplines--facial recogniti

...more

GET TO THE TRUTH

Now there’s something we can do about it. Liespotting links three disciplines--facial recognition training, interrogation training, and a comprehensive survey of research in the field--into a specialized body of information developed specifically to help business leaders detect deception and get the information they need to successfully conduct their most important interactions and transactions.

Some of the nation's leading business executives have learned to use these methods to root out lies in high stakes situations. Liespotting for the first time brings years of knowledge--previously found only in the intelligence community, police training academies, and universities--into the corporate boardroom, the manager's meeting, the job interview, the legal proceeding, and the deal negotiation.

WHAT'S IN THE BOOK?

Learn communication secrets previously known only to a handful of scientists, interrogators and intelligence specialists.

Liespotting reveals what’s hiding in plain sight in every business meeting, job interview and negotiation:

• The single most dangerous facial expression to watch out for in business & personal relationships

• 10 questions that get people to tell you anything

• A simple 5-step method for spotting and stopping the lies told in nearly every high-stakes business negotiation and interview

• Dozens of postures and facial expressions that should instantly put you on Red Alert for deception

• The telltale phrases and verbal responses that separate truthful stories from deceitful ones

• How to create a circle of advisers who will guarantee your success

(less)

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published July 20th 2010 by St. Martin's Press (first published 2010)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Tell-Tale Brain by V.S. Ramachandran

books from TED

19th out of 53 books — 97 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,162)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Sep 03, 2012 Schmacko rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is another that I’m reading in my extended study. It’s a pretty straightforward book about what people do and why the do it when they lie. It gives a clear indication on how to practice lie spotting, but it also brings up a good point:

The average human being lies 60 to 200 times a day. Almost all of these lies are harmless – lying by omission, lying to protect someone’s feeling, lying to aid social interaction. Sometimes we lie by talking; sometimes we lie by keeping our mouths shut. S...more This book is another that I’m reading in my extended study. It’s a pretty straightforward book about what people do and why the do it when they lie. It gives a clear indication on how to practice lie spotting, but it also brings up a good point:

The average human being lies 60 to 200 times a day. Almost all of these lies are harmless – lying by omission, lying to protect someone’s feeling, lying to aid social interaction. Sometimes we lie by talking; sometimes we lie by keeping our mouths shut. Sometimes we tell stories; they don’t harm anyone, but we have a deep need to tell them – to boost esteem, to sort through the truth, the create the plots of our lives in interesting and discernable chunks.

Most of these fibs don’t really matter in the long run, and many of them are subconscious. We can let them go, really. We don’t have to spot every lie. We just need to spot the lies that can adversely affect us. We need to be able to assess a situation, assess our risk in a situation, and then use our new abilities to protect ourselves.

Otherwise, Meyer says, we are complicit in the lie, because we let the person telling the lie (who is not a “liar,” because if he or she is, then we all are) get away with it.

Since I read this book, I’ve become more careful. I’ve spotted two situations where I might be hurt by someone else’s lie. I’ve also been able to ask them the types of questions Meyer suggests, so I could spot their lies easier. (And in both cases, there was some good indication that the truth wasn’t being told.) I’ve also started watching myself more – both the accidental stuff that might be a lie and the situations where I really have to question my selfish motives - so that I am as honest as humanly possible.

I feel like this is a book I’ll read again and again. I admit it could be a little more directive – it’d be awesome if it tied itself to a training video online. It’s also very simple, which is a plus and a minus. Still, I feel like this book has changed my life a little, so I have to give it five stars.
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 04, 2012 Rob Freund rated it 3 of 5 stars

Rating: 3 stars for good content, good references, good ideas. Minus 2 stars for hocking her own services in the book, being "for business only" in many respects.

Pamela Meyer first intrigued me when I saw her TED talk on deception. There were two key concepts that I’d latched on to and that are echoed in her book. Firstly, that deception is a cooperative act; we buy into deception because of a core desire to have filled (greed, vanity, blissful ignorance, absolution, etc. etc.) The second concep...more Rating: 3 stars for good content, good references, good ideas. Minus 2 stars for hocking her own services in the book, being "for business only" in many respects.

Pamela Meyer first intrigued me when I saw her TED talk on deception. There were two key concepts that I’d latched on to and that are echoed in her book. Firstly, that deception is a cooperative act; we buy into deception because of a core desire to have filled (greed, vanity, blissful ignorance, absolution, etc. etc.) The second concept involved striving not to be deception detectors in our daily lives, but truth promoters; a highly optimistic and idealistic concept that I appreciate as a soon-to-be counselor, and one that I think changes the perception of understanding deception. So often people get afraid of me when they learn I’m interested in nonverbal behavior because they think I’m going to scrutinize and “catch” them. However, when you look at it in the terms that Meyer puts it, “truth promoting” it takes on a different tone. There’s a perceptual shift into an attitude of, “I don’t want to withhold truth or have it withheld from me,” that I think we can all appreciate.

If I had to break the book up into categories, I would say it would be three parts:

- the history/recognition of emotions and nonverbals,
- verbal behaviors and conversational techniques (specifically the BASIC method,)
- all of this, applied to business.

Overall, Meyer does a good job of covering the bases of deception and nonverbal communication. I almost despaired when I started reading and did not see references, but thankfully she uses those little footnote numbers that refer you to the end of the book. To her credit, Meyer does a good job of backing up information with sources, and there are some at which I plan on going back to take a closer look. I did not detect anything that hadn’t been covered in other similar texts (work by Joe Navarro and Paul Ekman, specifically) but what does act in the author’s credit is her conversational style and use of examples and statistics. You don’t go more than a page or so without coming across a little text box that has some facts or tips in it; almost like an informational cocktail party in that respect. I do have a slight wrinkle to raise about this portion; Meyer’s descriptions of nonverbal behavior are very conclusive in their descriptions. “This means thus and so, and watch for this because it indicates they’re likely not being honest.” I would have liked to see more emphasis placed on context and comparison of behavior with a baseline (there was some, but diminished); there is no set nonverbal behavior that screams “LIAR!” and anyone hoping to study this needs to have this firmly established. Meyer doesn’t do that, and it bothers me.

The verbal portion was what I found to be the most interesting. Meyer does a spectacular job of walking the reader through different evasion techniques and indicators that an individual might not be communicating honestly. Her BASIC conversation method is both simple and profound; I found myself picturing ways that I could apply it to my job working with the freshman students and I think it’s one of the things I will be trying to carry over into application. I won’t go over the specifics of BASIC, simply because it’s Meyer’s property and if I spilled the beans on the details, you wouldn’t read the book, and I might get in trouble. So, best to avoid both possibilities. To me the best thing about this portion of the book is the clarity and gradation of the material. The author doesn’t dump it on you and you focus on one concept long enough for it to sink in. Let’s face it, deception is a big subject, and to try and recall (then implement) everything you read is a huge task! For that reason I was grateful Meyer treated me like the BASIC neophyte I was/am.

The last portion of the book was, as I mentioned, the previous two parts as applied to business. Meyer discusses how deception comes into play in high stakes work environments, how little lies cause big problems, and how to ferret out whether an employee or candidate is being honest. She also discusses “Deception Audits” and how to select reliable, trustworthy business allies. I’ll be frank; this is the portion of the book I had issues with. Not because I’m anti business, but because there were times (cough, *Deception Audits* cough) when I felt like I was having a product marketed to me. “This is what a deception audit can do for you; this is why you need it; this is what can happen if you don’t use one; have someone come and train your people!” If Meyer were on an infomercial, a random audience member would then ask, “But Pamela, where can I possibly find someone to do a deception audit on my company??” Funny they should ask… I did some research, followed my hunch, and of course her website offers workshops for the very thing she describes. Now, I’m not balking at Meyer’s services (if you are a business leader, I think it would be very effective), I just resent being hocked a product within a product. It’s one thing to discuss a service like this. It’s another to pitch it. (I will now step off my soapbox.) The brain trust chapter was interesting and if I do go into business one day (which is possible, should I enter into private practice or something like that) I will probably try to implement her suggestions.

Granted, this book is designed to be marketed to business leaders; it’s a deception book aimed at a niche market, and I think Meyer does a good job of it. Now, obviously you’re looking for the million-dollar answer: Will I be a deception expert after reading this book? Well, no. However, you will have a good idea of what to look for in some potentially deceptive situations, and I have no doubt that you will notice some things without trying to. The key to remember in deception detection is that it takes incredible effort and practice to master. It’s both easy and difficult, and studying the information in “LieSpotting” won’t get you to that point, but it will help start you off on the journey. And, if you were to give it an additional read-through and made a concerted practice of applying her techniques/advice, I have no doubt you would become a competent interviewer.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 28, 2012 Aaron Michaux rated it 1 of 5 stars

Reading this book, I wondered how many times Pamela Meyer distorted the truth, or made outright fabrications (e.g.: in the mini-biographies). There is a lot of reliance on the experiences of trained interrogators; however, interrogates do no better then armatures at lie-spotting. They just /think/ they are good at it. Also, there is no discussion on the role of delusions in lying. For example, trained interrogators illicit a surprising number of false-confessions (at least 15-25%), probably by i...more

like · see review

Nov 06, 2011 Kathryn Anthony rated it 4 of 5 stars

An interesting book. I use some of the "tells" when I'm being honest (I say things like 'to be honest with you' because I'm a polite Canadian, and so I feel like I need to qualify anything remotely approaching bluntness. Similarly, I often use qualifiers like 'to my knowledge' about things that might potentially have changed since--maybe that's the law student in me). But the book emphasizes establishing a baseline set of behaviors for individuals, to account for such things, as well as for peop...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 24, 2013 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, personal-development

Liespotting is a clear and eloquent discussion of how to detect personal and professional deception.

The first half of the book focuses on individual deceptive "tells;" physical and behavioral cues that indicate the presence of deception. I was interested by the discussion of how word choice and emotional reactions can change based on whether or not the speaker is lying. I was familiar with most of the body language cues she listed, but entirely new to me were the subconscious processes that go...more

like · see review

Mar 29, 2013 Alex Kenjeev rated it 2 of 5 stars

Don't read this book unless you have a lot of time to devote to prioritize learning and practicing what it teaches, both while you're reading the book and afterwards. I didn't, and for that reason I didn't get as much out of this book as I had hoped I would.

I read this book after seeing Ms. Meyer's TED talk on the subject of detecting lies. I was hoping it would help me improve at assessing the underlying realities of business conversations. I read it carefully but quickly - I didn't take the t...more

like · see review

May 02, 2013 Belal Khan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Liespotting by Pamela Meyer - excellent book.

Meyer was a consultant on the show "Lie to Me" and also learned from Paul Ekman's face reading system. However, only part of this book is an intro to what some might call "deception detection" and "face reading"

A lot of this book focuses on the idea of fostering an environment at work and home that would minimize deceptive behavior and encourage actions and behaviors that build trust. There are great tips on implementing this organizationally and in o...more

like · see review

Jul 29, 2012 Allison rated it 1 of 5 stars

I bought this book, but then in the first chapter was subjected to this long process of having the author explain to me -why- i should know more about this subject... DO NOT CARE. (I'm reading this for my reasons - don't give me yours!)

There was definitely some interesting information in the middle, and maybe it deserves 2 stars instead of 1, but... ah, i guess the overall "business" approach to spotting lies (like putting it in a professional context) was a huge turn-off overall. This made the...more

like · see review

May 31, 2012 Jesse rated it 2 of 5 stars

blech, what seems like a great idea for a book, becomes a poorly sourced coporate rant on negotiation. i read this after watching meyer's ted.com talk, which was kinda one long plug for her book. anyway i got the book from the library, and was subsequently dissappointed. anyone know of a good body language/ face reading book that's out there. you know one written with rigor, and focused upon the science of reading body language instead of ways you can use it to make money for your business. i me...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 20, 2013 Caleb Benadum rated it 4 of 5 stars

While a little too reliant on certain techniques that may or may not be as effective as she seems to think, this book does a great job of highlighting points with examples covering a lot of different factors one can look for when lying. Some of them are self-explanatory, but some are a little more counter-intuitive. My favorite example: "I did not (non-contracted, shows an unnatural emphasis, indicates possible deception) have sex with that woman, (distancing language, so you don't identify him...more

like · see review

Apr 26, 2012 Sandra Mann rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book helps people determine when they are being lied to or deceived, or perhaps not being told the complete truth. Some of the book is really for professionals who may interrogate someone but a lot of it is useful for other people. I feel most vulnerable with financial advisers, mortgage brokers, car sales people but I have also had to hire and manage people (as well as look for jobs) and this book is definitely helpful in that area. I listened to a TED talk given by the author and I was h...more

like · see review

Dec 16, 2012 Robert rated it 2 of 5 stars

This isn't a bad book exactly, but it seemed like it couldn't quite decide how best to package itself. Was it pop psych, "business," self improvement? Ultimately, I found myself thinking it would be best for writers and actors to learn the best ways to convey some "lie behaviors" into characters without the over the top traditional characteristics. Otherwise, the actual information about how to spot lies could have been conveyed in a 10-20 page pamphlet.

like · see review

Dec 17, 2012 T rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: academic, sociology, non-fiction

First half of the book is about lie detection, pure and simple. I found this portion to be extremely fascinating and will definitely continue doing research on my own.

The second half goes on to talk about ways to sure up your business/association with tips and tricks on building trusting relationships between employees and employers. It also outlines some good negotiation practices and other things probably more important to those with a more business-oriented mind. I was more interested in the...more

like · see review

Mar 12, 2012 Steve Sanderson rated it 4 of 5 stars

A comprehensive overview of what it takes to tell if someone is lying. This is not science, and involves a lot of gut feelings.

But, I stopped reading halfway through - even though it seemed like something I wanted to read, doing so would give me ammunition I didn't need to figure out if someone was lying to me or not.

The book is good and well worth it, it's just that it wasn't the right time for me...

like · see review

Nov 16, 2011 John rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't think you can learn liespotting from this book; you can learn about liespotting by reading it. (It's like music: from a book you can learn about how musical notation works and how the printed notes map to piano keys. But can you learn to play a piano by reading? No.) You need practice with feedback and critique. A book can't give you that.

That said, you can learn what liespotters look for and try to incorporate their techniques into your life. My feeling is it can't hurt: the worst that...more

like · see review

Jan 22, 2013 Karen Laurie Thomas rated it 5 of 5 stars

A very good, scientific, look into how and why people deceive. The book includes differences in low stakes negotiation (e.g. getting a new couch or where to go for lunch) and high stakes negotiation (e.g. multi-billion dollar corporate merger). It also tells you how to go about, systematically, figuring out if someone is lying to you. The book covers not only the facial and non-verbal signals, but the verbal clues that could tip you off to the fact that someone could be lying. Every parent or wo...more

like · see review

Jan 26, 2012 Ykome rated it 3 of 5 stars

A book that could be an extensive Wikipedia article with some added remarks on the art of life. Still it was an enjoyable "pop" reading which pointed me towards some more in-depth references, so it was absolutely not a waste of time.

Also worth mentioning is a very nice TED talk given by Pamela Meyer from which I learned about this book. If you are not sure this is a book for you - look up the video first.

like · see review

Mar 21, 2013 Madalina rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: communication, social, business, intelectual-masochism, self-improvement

TED brought me to this book. Let me begin by saying that I never really grasped the concept of good nonfiction until this book. This is really bad nonfiction. And I did read some boring books. This one really has so little to say and it's so diluted it's painful.

For the actual liespotting you're probably interested in chapters 4 to 6, maybe a little of 2.

like · see review

Dec 15, 2011 Jeremy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Sadly this book did not live up to my expectations. Most of it was information recycled from books I've already read that have very little to do with 'liespotting' and a lot to do with reasons not to tell lies. Seriously, I think I learned more from the first season of Lie to Me than I did from this book.

like · see review

Jun 01, 2013 Brian Williams rated it 2 of 5 stars

3 or 4 of the chapters are worthwhile. Those are the chapters that deal with actual lie spotting. The rest of the book is full of how to deal with people in big horrible corporations with deep hierarchy. The moralizing is also a but much to take.

like · see review

Feb 20, 2013 Audra Kerlin rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the author's Ted Talk more than her book. It was a tad too technical for my liking. Her research on body movement and how it correlates with truthfulness was neat to consider. The average person is lied to roughly 200 times a day!

like · see review

Jan 01, 2012 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Succinct insight into the fascinating study of lie detection that focuses on basic techniques that are well-sourced and referenced throughout the book. I recommend watching Meyer's TED talk as well, which is what pointed me towards this work.

like · see review

Sep 09, 2012 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this after watching Meyer's TED Talk. The detection skills described in the book are practical and useful. http://catoverlord.blogspot.com/2012/...

like · see review

Mar 17, 2013 Kramer0012us rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not the best book on deception detection I have ever read, but definately one of the better examples. This book also shows an interesting view of corporate deception and the role that plays.

like · see review

Jan 22, 2012 Dale rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, science

We all lie. We can all detect when others are lying (sometimes!). Using techniques in this book you can dramatically increase the accuracy of lie detection, if you are willing to spend months studying and practicing. I can see why some people would spend those months, but it's not worth it to me. As a result, I mostly just skimmed this book to get an idea.

like · see review

Jul 27, 2011 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good book. Eliminate "why" from my vocabulary - both the articulated why and the implied why - makes people defensive and makes me judgemental.

Ask your brain trust: what are my greatest strengths, what are my greatest weaknesses, when have I seemed most at the top of my game, what are three things you can imagine me doing in my career, what's something you can't really imagine me doing, and how do I get in my own way

Detecting deception: reading the face and the body, listening to the words, BASI...more

like · see review

Dec 07, 2010 Tim rated it 5 of 5 stars

The most comprehensive guide on the science behind deception. Meyer offers a fantastic guide to learning lie-spotting techniques that will help you in all areas of your life.

like · see review

Apr 08, 2013 Jun Wang rated it 5 of 5 stars

a great book I have ever read

it helps you read spot the lies in the commercial world.

I have read twice actually, and wish to read it again when I have got time

like · see review

Dec 01, 2011 Kenneth rated it 2 of 5 stars

Was OK... The deception techniques were interesting but mostly it was dragging because too much of it pertained to a business world that I was unfamiliar with and had no future in anyways. But the techniques have been noted and documented. However I doubt I'll be able to remember half of them.

like · see review

May 21, 2013 Nathan T. rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am definitely more aware of everything around me! I feel people are more open to me since i am more conscious of my body language and theirs! So insightful

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 38 39 next »

Non Fiction

12 users

Science

5 users

Language > Communication

2 users

Sociology

2 users

Self Help > Personal Development

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Pamela Meyer

Permission: A Guide to Generating More Ideas, Being More of Yourself and Having More Fun at Work

From Workplace to Playspace: Innovating, Learning and Changing Through Dynamic Engagement

Kings of Nepal & the Tharu of the Tarai: The Panijar Collection, Fifty Royal Documents 1726 to 1971 (Multilingual Edition)

The Kings Of Nepal And Tharu Of The Tarai

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Liespotting: Prov...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception
avg rating	preview: Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception Goodreads rating: 3.35 (292 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8606082-liespotting?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312006418l/8606082.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8606082-liespotting?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception by Pamela Meyer[/url]

Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (8)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Pamela Meyer

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Liespotting: Prov...

Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (8)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Pamela Meyer

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Liespotting: Prov...

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (8)