Over the last week I’ve done a couple of interviews on Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah. I watched and didn’t see any signs of deception….until I watched it again with some master law enforcement interrogators.
I like Harry and Meghan and got sucked into the story. That’s where my problem started. Bias and emotion are two things that will kill an objective deception analysis.
I wanted to pass along one of the things I should have caught. Now I do think it’s likely Meghan lied when asked if she Googled Harry before they went out. Why?
First—these days everyone looks up someone before a first date. Is it possible she didn’t want to be biased going in? Yes, but unlikely. Answers that don’t make sense are often deceptive.
So let’s look deeper into the video. Go ahead watch it now:
Here’s what there is to see:
1. Her pacing is off. She answers too quickly. A shift from baseline pace is often a sign of deception
2. Her tone is a little defensive. There’s no reason to get angry at such a simple question. Oprah doesn’t do attack style interviews and they’re friends off screen. So this doesn’t add up.
3. She puts her right hand up quickly signaling Oprah to stop
4. She shrugs her shoulders one time really small and once lots bigger. That says uncertainty.
5. She fidgets with her dress. This is an adapter to let off stress.
The point here is not that you know more about celebrities than you did a minute ago. Well, ok for some of you it is. But notice how you can use this in your everyday life. Are you sure you’re getting the truth about insignificant things? Now you have more tools.