Media Madness: Prince Harry Cannot Now Return To Afghanistan

I was disappointed, but not surprised, to see that Britain’s Daily Mail and Sun newspapers were carrying news that Prince Harry is undergoing survival training in Wales in advance of his re-deployment to Afghanistan “some time next year”. He must now decline to return.

A Lie Spotting Challenge---Can You Spot Deception?

I wanted to share with everyone a challenge to test your detection of deception skills that was posted by my friend Pam Meyers on her website www.liespotting.com

The challenge is to watch a video of Lance Armstrong being interviewed by Larry King regarding his alleged use of performance enhancing drugs and determine whether or not you believe he is being deceptive. Once you have done this, you can then read the expert analysis performed by another good friend, colleague and CIA veteran, Phil Houston.

To Convict Casey Anthony: Prosecute With Authority

The Casey Anthony trial in Florida has once again put the American jury system into the spotlight. I will immediately divulge my bias, or pre-judgment: I am convinced that this young woman is guilty of homicide. Whether she is found guilty, however, will depend upon a number of factors, few of which have to do with her culpability, but rather they have to do with the ability of the prosecutor or defense lawyer to establish authority in the eyes of the jury.

You Should Be Committed: Why People Blindly Support Politicians or Effectively Lose Weight---It’s All About Commitment!

Recent political scandals, and mistaken historical recitations by politicians have left many people wondering why some people will seemingly, and often illogically, leap to the defense of those who otherwise should be chastised, ridiculed or, heaven forbid, educated. The answer is simple: the human desire, sometimes unconscious, to appear consistent. This is called the “commitment-consistency principle.”

No Room For Regret: How To Make Regret A Thing Of The Past!

I must start out this short piece by stating that I would not describe myself as a self-help guru and that this piece is a deviation from the norm for me. I am, however, fascinated by the study of people, and then looking to apply lessons learned. I find the subjects of deception, persuasion, influence and personal safety truly fascinating.

So, this week the news has been filled with stories of woe for people in public life, nothing really new there, who are likely experiencing huge regret for deceit they perpetrated and actions they took that have now returned to haunt them. Specifically, I am talking about John Edwards and Anthony Weiner (the fact that I select two Democrats should further infuriate some of my critics who suggest I am a right wing propagandist / “nut job”; I am neither. For good measure, therefore, I will add that what they are feeling has likely, or hopefully, been felt by Newt Gingrich, David Vitter, Larry Craig and many others).

Eye Contact: The Myths About Lying; The Truth About Deepening Your Love!

This week I was confronted, once again, with the old myth about lack of eye contact being indicative of deception. Someone I know had been involved in interviewing a candidate for a job. He told me he was convinced the candidate was being dishonest because “he kept looking away and wouldn’t look me in the eyes”.

Oh, dear! Their gut reaction that the candidate was dishonest may have been correct, but it is highly unlikely it was being shown by the lack of eye contact.

Hot Dog! How Deception Detection Experts Caught Rep. Weiner With His Pants Down.

I am often asked about detection of deception and the type of analysis applied to the written and spoken word to make determinations as to whether someone may be being economical with the truth. When this question has come it is often accompanied by a request for an example of the analysis, and so I have decided to post an analysis performed by friends and colleagues at QVerity, Don Tennant and Phil Houston. Don is both an excellent writer and analyst with extensive experience in the QVerity methodology and Phil is one of the designers of the methodology.