I woke up today to a few requests for me to analyze an interview of Victor Marx, a Republican candidate for Governor here in Colorado.
Usually, political analysis doesn’t get interesting until the final debates, but this one caught my attention. Give it a look for yourself:
My first thought is who is this guy? Apparently, he’s the founder of All Things Possible Ministries in Colorado Springs.
Let’s talk about why this probably made you cringe:
- I was taught in my training with police and military that any pause longer than 5 seconds before a response to a question you know they heard is highly likely a sign of deception. They’re taking their time to think up an answer. They’re taking their time to think up an answer. I’ve never seen a 10 second delay. Wow.
- As he’s going through his criteria, he shakes his head no and we also see him smile. So something in there made him happy.
- He uses the phrase ‘I would say’, which from a statement analysis perspective means that he’s not saying it. So he’s telling us he’s not telling us the answer.
- Then he dodges the question, redirecting it to “As a Child?”
- When he says ‘Possibly’ people died. This could be a legitimate answer. If he struck and then got outta there he might not know.
- Then when he says ‘If I did I wouldn’t tell you’ that’s not a no. Truthful people do and say the minimum to get their point across. He would have just said no. It sounded a lot like OJ Simpson’s book, If I Did It. Talking about what you would have done is always a sign you did it.
- Then he wonders why it’s important and thinks it’s odd. Arguing with the question is a sure sign of hiding the answer.
The full interview was full of inconsistencies and claims he couldn’t back up. Yikes.
What’s important here is watching and listening for these signs in your life.
It’s unlikely that you’ll see so many signs in one meeting but wouldn’t it be great to know if that job candidate really has the attendance record they claim? Or if your salesperson can deliver your new products on time, on budget and to spec?
It can get more personal too. Are you sure where your kids were last night? And can you believe anything you hear from that cute guy you met online dating?
Small movements have big impact. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
So when you know a group who needs a speaker for their conference or wants a private training to sharpen their sills and navigate the uncertainty we have now, call me.
And if you just need a little laugh watch this. It’s the mismatch in intensity of body language that will give you a chuckle.
Traci Brown is ranked in the top 3 Body Language Experts in the World, and a top keynote speaker for associations and corporations. A body language expert and behavior analyst, she works with sales teams, leaders, and investigators on lie detection for sales, leadership, hiring, and financial and safety investigations, to build the bottom line, drawing from her training with law enforcement and experience in active investigations
