Like many of you, I took a ride down the Parkway this past June to sunny Atlantic City to attend the NJSCPA Convention & Expo. I was excited to hear the first keynote speaker, Janine Driver, as her first book, You Say More Than You Think, came highly recommended by a former college professor. A New York Times best-selling author and world-renowned body language expert, Driver is the go-to expert in lie detecting and body language for the media, FBI, CIA, ATF and International Chiefs of Police. I recall being most impressed by her Today Show interview with Al Roker.
Driver spoke to NJSCPA members for a little over an hour, and the time seemed to fly by. She talks fast, as most native North Easterners do, and tells humorous stories as a way of keeping your attention while explaining her techniques. When I heard that the NJSCPA was looking for a reviewer of Janine’s new book, I jumped at the chance.
Like it or not, it is an unfortunate reality that we all encounter people, whether it be in a professional or personal context, who lie to us. There are a variety of ways that people may choose to try to see through the lies and get the truth. Typically, few of these methods actually result in separating fact from fiction. Janine offers a way to pull the truth out of others in her new book, You Can't Lie to Me: The Revolutionary Program to Supercharge Your Inner Lie Detector and Get to the Truth.
In her book, Driver offers “The BS Barometer,” a combination of tools that help readers understand the nature of detecting deception. Of critical importance and “the biggest predictor of success,” is the emotional investment of the person attempting to discover the deception. “You must have as much skin in the game as the liar does,” writes Driver. “Why you want to know is just as important as what you want to know. Recognizing what could be gained or lost by allowing a lie to persist will empower you to stop it in its tracks."
Driver’s lessons are clearly illustrated with examples that range from public scenarios (such as Brad and Angelina’s body language while at a film screening when he was still with Jennifer Aniston or Tiger Woods’ press conference after he was caught cheating on his wife) to people we meet in daily life, such as car salesmen and pickup artists, to personal anecdotes from Driver’s own students.
You Can't Lie to Me provides a five-step program for advanced lie detection. Each step is given a name that will register with fans of true crime novels or police procedural media: Gathering Intel, The Wiretap, The Stakeout, The Full-Body Surveillance and The Interrogation. The chapters detailing these steps give these helpful reminders to summarize the main points to take away:
· Gathering Intel. Put the person at ease, ask low-stress questions and know the old Reagan standby “Trust but Verify.”
· The Wiretap. Liars are on a tightrope so listen to changes in vocal tone and remember their baseline.
· The Stakeout. Reading micro expressions is not mind reading so continue to follow through. Knowing that some people’s body language can’t be trusted and the mouth is the window to the soul.
· The Full-Body Surveillance. Up your BS Barometer by staying open. Remembering to watch for certain pacifiers and aggressive body language.
· The Interrogation. Use versatile open-ended questions, have patience and ask for the truth.
With unique insights on body language, verbal cues and facial expressions, Driver creates a communication method that, if thoroughly read and carefully practiced, can give anyone a secret advantage in their daily interactions. When finished, I jumped on the various websites mentioned to test these skills. Thanks to Janine, I feel confident in my newly found abilities to detect “BS” in the future.
Kait Zech, CPA, is a Senior Accountant at Fazio, Mannuzza, Roche, Tankel, LaPilusa, LLC in Cranford, NJ. She became a CPA in 2009 and joined the NJSCPA in May 2009. Kait chose this book because she is always looking for different viewpoints on managing a successful career. When she is not counting debits and credits, Kait enjoys baking, reading and watching the Mets win a handful of games. She can be reached at kzech@fmrtl.com.