Alternative Information

When the subject is changed, he's in a better, more relaxed mood. The guilty wants the subject changed; the innocent always wants a further exchange of information.

• He does not become indignant when falsely accused. While he is being accused the liar will remain fairly expressionless. The liar is more concerned with how he is going to respond thanhe is with the accusation itself.

• He uses such phrases as "To tell you the truth," "To be perfectly honest," and "Why would I lie to you?"

• He has an answer to your question down pat, such as giving precise detail to an event occurring two months ago.

• He stalls by asking you to repeat the question or by answering your question with a question.

"Where did you hear that?" "Could you be more specific?" or even repeating your question back to you, at an attempt at sounding incredulous. For example, "Did I sell you a puppy witha heart condition? Is that what you're asking me?"

• What he's saying sounds implausible, such as "During the past ten years, I have never used a specific racial epithet."

• He offers a preamble to his statement starting with "I don't want you to think that?" Often that's exactly what he wants you to think. Whenever someone makes a point of telling you what they're not doing, you can be sure it's exactly what they are doing. Such as, "Not to hurt your feelings, but?"

• He implies through a form of denial. You hear, "He's having marital problems, but it has nothing to do with his wife's new job." What's the first thing you ask? "What does his wife do?" Suddenly you're in the exact conversation that is "supposed" to have no bearing on the facts.

• He uses humor or sarcasm to defuse your concerns, rather than responding seriously.

• He offers you a "better" alternative to your request when he is unable to give you what you originally asked for. Before you accept someone at his word that he has something better to offer, first see whether he has what you originally asked for. If he doesn't, then you shouldn't believe him.

• All of his facts relating to numbers are the same or multiples of one another. Watch out when facts, figures, and information have unusual similarities.

• There is evidence of involuntary responses that are anxiety based. Anxiety causes many things. His breather may appear as a deep, audible inhaling in an attempt to control hisbreathing to calm himself. Swallowing becomes difficult; he may clear his throat. His ability to focus on something is often diminished, unable to pay attention to what's going on.

• He uses an obvious fact to support a dubious action. For example, let's say that a guard is standing watch over a restricted area. It's his job to check ID's of those who enter. "I'm not sure you have authorization," he says to a man attempting access. "I'm not surprised," answered the man, "only a few people are aware of my clearance level. My work here is not supposed to be known by everyone."

• He casually tells you something that deserves more attention.

• He exclaims his displeasure at the actions of another who has done something similar so that you will not suspect him. For instance, if he is trying to throw you off track of his embezzlement scheme, he may openly chastise another employee for "borrowing" some office supplies for personal use at home. Your impression is that he is moral person who objects to something as minor as stealing office supplies. Certainly he cannot be responsible for a large-scale embezzlement scheme.

• He may casually tell you something that should deserve more attention. "Oh by the way, I've got to go out of town next weekend on business." If he doesn't usually travel for work on the weekends, then you would expect her to make a point of how unusual the trip is. Her downplaying the trip makes it suspicious. When something out of the ordinary happens and the person doesn't draw attention to it, it means that he is trying to draw attention away from it. Another tactic is running off a long list of items in the hope that one will remain unnoticed.

• If he lies about one thing, everything he says is questionable.

• His story is so wild that you almost don't believe it. But you do, because if he wanted to lie, you think that he would have come up with something more plausible.