Check out  Roger Steare’s Moral Character Profile at: http://www.ethicabilitytest.org

It measures 10 moral values as well as 3 moral philosophies and is backed by The Times (UK Times) and PwC (PriceWaterhouseCoopers). You get a 4 page PDF report and The Times will promote it world-wide in the next couple of weeks.

Love Roger’s title: Corporate Philosopher in Residence and Professor of Organisational Ethics.  That sounds like a job for me!

Here’s a simple “law” about lying. People don’t know what their behavior is when they lie. During a normal conversation, John might look in all directions, take relaxed breaths, make some facial expressions. The context of a normal conversation is just that – normal conversation.

But, when John is lying, the context changes to abnormal conversation. Here are a few of the differences:

His eyes will focus into a narrow range of movement – if they move at all. A year or so ago, Idaho Senator Larry Craig was interviewed on TV in an attempt to persuade people of his innocence. It didn’t work because his behavior during the interview was so practiced and forced.

His breathing will speed up, as though he’s jogging. That’s because he’s getting excited. He’s found himself trapped in a corner. His fight/flight bell is ringing off the wall.

His facial expressions will become stiff and his eyes are likely to get wide.

That’s for most people – most honest people. We just don’t have lying skills. But, a lot of people do. They are masters at lying and manipulating. If you have to deal with someone like that, don’t worry about catching them in a lie. They’re probably too practiced to make stupid mistakes. So, your strategy would be to avoid pathological liars, or get away from them when you discover their need to lie. Dealing with a liar is a no-win situation for you. This is true if we’re talking about your boyfriend, wife, co-worker or boss. You will always get burned if you deal with liars.

– Michael

The TV show is wonderful – if only because it has nudged people into (finally) paying attention to the behavior of the people they talk to. So many of our clients over the years had totally missed this point. The guy in front of you is telling you by his actions whether he believes you or is even listening to you.

• If he doesn’t believe you, he’ll curl a lip or suck on the inside of his lips to show contempt. He’ll also move his eyes downward and move them back and forth. When he does that, he’s talking to himself, then testing how he feels about it, then talking to himself some more and then retesting his feelings.

• If he has stopped listening, he’ll be non-responsive. His eyes will defocus. When people are not focused on anything specific, they tend to get diverted by something bright or anything that moves. So, the guy who is not listening to you will likely display that by looking away from you – watching a car go by or a bird fly past or just out a window.

The TV show make it seem like anyone who twists a wedding band is telling you a lie. That’s baloney. It is a sign of something, probably discomfort. Then, it’s your job to figure out what is causing that discomfort.

The point is, pay attention, notice anything that moves on the person’s body or face and figure out what it means. Is it a good sign or a red flag.

Our area of expertise is the face. We can read personality types, values and communication style in faces. We can also read internal mental/emotional turmoil. So can you. Having trouble with a boss, co-worker or client? Got a boyfriend or girlfriend or spouse you can’t figure out? We can help.

If you’re starting to get interested in reading people, you need to buy our book Face Values. It is the most important book you can find on reading people.

Here’s the link to more information: http://www.aboutpeople.com/Catalog/index.php

Got questions? Just get in touch: michael@aboutpeople.com

– Michael Lovas

In the show Lie to Me, the “deception detectives” look for certain signs. Some of the people exhibiting those signs are lying, and others are not. Who are the people that look like they’re lying, but really aren’t?

According to the FBI, people who could “look” guilty include:

“youthfulness, a low or borderline intelligent quotient (IQ), mental handicap, psychological inadequacy, recent bereavement, language barrier, alcohol or other drug withdrawal, illiteracy, fatigue, social isolation, or inexperience with the criminal justice system.”

Those traits can affect the person’s “decision-making process, mental alertness, and suggestibility.”

So, instead of being guilty of murder, the suspect might simply be guilty of being stupid or stoned or tired or stressed. Have you ever been any of those? If so (according to Lie to Me), you could have become a murder suspect.

In your personal life, what a sad situation when you’re arguing with your boyfriend and you have to say to him, “Sweetie, I know you’re not a liar, but you are an idiot.”

What you can do next. Want to learn some really powerful techniques for reading people? Just follow this link: http://www.aboutpeople.com/Catalog/product_info.php?products_id=28

That will take you to our book Face Values. It is by far the easiest and most effective set of skills for reading people. What’s more, you can learn these skills in a matter of minutes.

Read the book and you’ll be reading total strangers. You’ll know their values, their personality type and their communication style.

– Michael Lovas

Most of us mean well. We want other people to see us in the best light. But, none of us lives 24 hours a day in the best light.

Most of the time, in the life of a normal person, these transgressions are unimportant. But, there are times when it IS important. There are times when we need to understand how honest someone else is with us.

In your personal life – Let’s say you’re about to get engaged, but you don’t know enough about the other person. Is she just out for your money? Is he just looking to get laid? Will this relationship work, or is it doomed? How can you find out?

Those are questions we all need answered from time to time. And, those are the same types of things that the TV show Lie to Me explores. Who is telling a lie and why?

In real life, all people lie. In real life, we all read clues to let us know that something is not right. Some people are naturally brilliant at it, while most people need to learn a few skills in order to do it.

On TV, there are absolute signs that tell you someone is not telling the truth. That’s not real life. There are no absolutes. For example, a facial twitch does not mean the person is a liar. A down-turned mouth does not mean the person is contemptuous. A look to the right does not mean the person is making up a story.

Watch this blog and I’ll explain how to spot the truth, and how to spot someone who could be a problem for you. And, for more information, visit my website: http://www.aboutpeople.com/

– Michael Lovas

The TV show Lie to Me is based on facial expressions and behaviors that we all do. We all shade the truth, “fudge” a little on the specifics, exaggerate the details – or in some way communicate in the gray area, rather than the black and white. Another way to say that is: we all lie.

In the show, we see a someone make a face, and the experts immediately say, “His mouth turned down 20 degrees: he’s lying!” I with it were that simple, but it’s not.

Normal people (boyfriend or girlfriendn) “fib,” but that doesn’t mean we’re evil or malicious. Normal people also make faces that other people can interpret as angry, bitter, hurt, deceptive or disgusted. But, those faces are only giving us one tiny bit of information, and most of the time, that information is either unimportant or incorrect.

What can you do with that information? Use it as a red flag. Pay more attention and look for more infomation.

In this space, I will describe signs that could mean lying. And, I’ll explain how you can spot them. I’ll also explain what you can do to verify if that’s a lie – or just something innocent.

– Michael Lovas