Have you ever caught someone in a lie?
It's this unique moment when you reveal the fragile threads of deceit.
I'll give you some tips to dismantle a web of lies, by emphasizing on the inconsistencies of the speech.
Here’s how to expose a pathological liar:
- Ask for the details, specific events, liars often slip on the small stuff.
- Flip the timeline, change the order of events to see if they follow their own story.
- Reorder their narrative. Watch how easily they untangle when their own story tests their memory.
- When they finish the story, ask to repeat it again. Their inconsistencies lurk in the repetition.
- Watch them struggle to keep their lies straight. The more they struggle, the clearer the truth becomes.
Pro tip: Stay calm, let them tie themselves in knots while you stay in control.
But what if you could push further?
There is a technique that I call the "Lightman Technique".
It consists in disarming the liar completely, with a bit of bullying, like Cal Lightman from the series "Lie to me" does.
This is how he does it:
- look at the liar in the eyes
- in a very condescending way tell his prey "BS. You're such a bad liar".
- then look at the face of the liar. See their face betray their fabricated confidence.
Basically the Cal Lightman techniques is about cutting the noise of the liar straight and telling him/her that they're lying.
Lies unravel when pressure is applied smartly.
If this perspective resonated, it’s because it’s part of a longer line of work.
I publish one structured analysis each week. If you want to follow this work week after week, click the button below.
Stay lucid,
Oriane