White lies are commonplace in most workforces.
“Yeah I sent that email”.
“Yeah I like your hair like that?”
“No, I’m not hungover”.
Band while they’re usually harmless, they can on occasion lead to dire repercussions.
Especially if it’s your boss lying to you.
Daniel Ribacoff, author of “
I Spy: How to Be Your Own Private Investigator,” spoke to
Mashable to share some simple techniques that will detect if your boss is lying.
Ribacoff, says it's easy to spot lies, even in emails using a technique known as the Linguistic Statement Analysis Technique (LSAT).
The first indication of a lie is a lack of “commitment pronouns.”
So if you’ve emailed your boss about something and the boss says, “I” will look into it by tomorrow, then that shows a commitment and a deadline and generally indicates that they mean it.
If it's something vaguer like “‘Oh, we’ll look into it and advise you,’ then that shows a lack of commitment on his part. He’s also being vague about what’s going to happen,” Ribacoff says. “When there’s a lack of commitment, it’s a sign of deception.”
Other lie indicators include being evasive, conveying negative language, rushing through and answer, and using non-committal phrases.
Ribacoff continued to say that lying in an email is common because it “is less anxiety producing for them – and it sort of offers insulation and distance from the lie.”
He says the best way to get what you need from your boss is to meet them in person.
“Don’t let there be a table between you,” he says.
This is because it’s easier to spot someone who is lying in person by monitoring their hand and body movements.
The research finds that those who are lying:
- Gesture more with both hands.
- Try to sound more certain.
- Scowl or grimace more with the whole face.
- Use “um” or other verbal fillers more often.
- Distance themselves by saying “he” or “she” instead of “I” or “we.”
So the next time your boss blames HR for you not getting your holidays know the truth.
And then put salt in their tea or something.
