Common Sense : - in Business & Life by Hans M Hirschi

Author:Hans M Hirschi [Hirschi, Hans M]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Ekonomi
ISBN: 9789186419264
Publisher: TUK förlag AB
Published: 2005-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

Lies and deceptions

Let us talk about lies for an instant. We all have preconceptions about liars: diluted pupils, sweaty palms, short sentences, avoiding looking you in the eyes etc. There are many methods to expose a liar, or at least that is what people in general seem to believe.

The truth of the matter is that the bloke on the street is virtually incapable of detecting a liar. In experiment after experiment the only people who are above average (the average being chance!) at exposing liars are people who themselves are experts at the art of lying, such as criminals and secret agents. They all belong to a very small selected group of people who for some reason do not jump to conclusions, but carefully weigh all available information.

As for the rest of us, we are so bound by our preconceptions that we jump to conclusions far too quickly. In the United States the lie detector (or polygraph) was once widely used, based on the theory that emotions can be measured through their physiological responses (heart rate, perspiration etc.) Unfortunately, the polygraph does not necessarily test whether the subject lies. The polygraph measures your physiological response and research shows that there is no correlation between the two. I am sure you have passed through customs feeling very guilty, your heart racing, your palms all moist, and your face red, without having anything to declare. However, the situation in which you are placed is enough to make you feel guilty and thus look guilty. Therefore, many people who are subjected to polygraph tests fail, simply because they show the proper physiological signs! In spite of all research pointing out how inconsistent polygraph results are, it is still used.

What does this tell us about communication? Should we distrust people with racing heart rates and sweaty foreheads? Can you trust someone who looks you straight in the eye? I would advise caution! This may seem contradictory with the example at the beginning of the chapter. We will never know for sure until afterwards. My advice is to engage all communication in an atmosphere of trust, even if your guts may tell you to be careful. Those gut feelings may very well be your preconceptions, stereotypes or even prejudice standing in your way of successfully communicating with someone you do not know. We will talk more about body language later on, but let this chapter serve as a valuable background.

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