I’m a body language expert focusing on deception. So the last couple of days I’ve had a people ask me about the Jessie Smollett case. If you’re not familiar, he’s an actor on Empire and a big activist for the LBGT community. He was assaulted in Chicago on Jan 29 and claimed that his attackers roughed him up yelling,” Make America Great Again” and put a noose around his neck.
But is he telling the truth? Some of his behaviors were unusual that evening. And he wouldn’t turn over his phone which supposedly recorded the incident.
Watch this interview for body language, tone and words. What do you think? Is he lying or telling the truth? Then keep reading and I’ll tell you my thoughts and give you an update in the case:
When I was asked over the weekend here’s my response:
I think the most telling part is how his emotions shift at 14:04 as he talks about what happened. He’s way more upset about the social issues than the attack. That’s not consistent with what victims usually do. And he was smiling at the very first of the interview. And the fact that he won’t turn his phone over is very telling. I think it speaks volumes about what didn’t happen. Something happened but it’s not what he said.
Then last night I watched the news and they reported that he hired 2 brothers to rough him up. The police even found the receipt for the rope that was placed around his neck. WHo knew hired hit men saved their receipts. I’m sure they were planning on a nice tax writeoff. At least Smollett hired pros. Ha.
This was a tricky read. Remember that often times, tone can indicate more about a person’s true emotions than body language.
What were your initial thoughts when you watched the video? Let me know what you think about his body language, tone and words.
Most importantly, how can you use this info for your company? Fraud and theft happens all the time. Can you spot it? Are potential hires inflating their resume? Can you trust your vendor about what their product will really do? Are they giving you the best price? And what are people doing but not saying? IF you don’t see the signs, you’re headed for financial loss. Hire Body Language Expert Traci Brown to for your next conference or meeting. You’ll be able to see the signs so you don’t pay the price. It’s all in the body language.