Lying in itself is a talent. While the general idea is to go with the truth, nothing but the truth, lies can definitely come in handy once in a while, right? The point is we shouldn’t be lying at all. Yet, we are often in circumstances where we must lie to get out of the situation, whether it’s hiding from parents that you are drunk or making excuses for incomplete home works with your teacher. It is wrong to be lying about anything, but if you are going to do it, you might as well do it right. Plus, it might help you spot a liar.
Secrets of Effective Lying
Keep it to the point
One thing that gives away liars is excessive talking. It’s because the liars usually create a full scenario of how things might pan out and have their excuse ready. But, do not go overboard with unnecessary details. Keep it short and to the point. For instance, if someone asks why you were late? Simply reply with “I got out from work as soon as I could.” If you begin describing why your boss had been out all day and came back just in time to assign you some work. And, blah blah. You are ruining your own story.
Confidence
Confidence is the key to success in life. And, it holds true even when doing immoral activities like lying. Be aware of the basic things that give away liars. Liars tend to get nervous, start looking around, unnecessary movement or lack of it, and other activities like fidgeting that give them away. Be calm and confident when you are telling your story. Keep your eyes normal and smile naturally. Do not let the fear of being caught get to you.
Throw in a half-truth
This is an effective way to reeling them in to where you want them to be. When you thrown in a half-truth, something they know to be true, you have increased your odds of being believable. Again, keep this short and simple. Do not throw in too big of a truth or too small of a truth that won’t seem right when following up with a lie.
Do not complicate your story
Details to any incident are hard to remember, especially when they are not true. Keep your story straight and do not complicated things with useless fillers. I have a friend who can tell pretty convincing lies, but the useless fillers are his giveaways every time. It might come naturally to you to talk a lot. But, when you have made a point with your story, just shut up.
Maintain Physical Touch
When you are lying to a close friend or a romantic partner, pat on their shoulder or hold their hands, do something to remind them of your intimacy. I know this is evil, but it works. Whenever you touch them, they will automatically feel the sensation of how you could never lie to them, lest you have been caught in previous occasions.
Have a clear picture of your story
Before you start with your lie, you need to clear about the details of your story, so that you don’t get lost struggling for words later on. Only when you are convinced about your lie, you should share it with someone else. Best lies are those which you can convince yourself with.
Do not wait for the question
When you wait for the right question to pop-up, you might be caught off-guard, which will lead you to show the basic signs of lying. Bring the lie upfront. You must appear like you are not hiding anything if you want others to believe you. For instance, when you are late; just say that you were stuck in traffic beforehand, do not wait to be asked.
Admit to something
When you admit to something, your investigator will be thrown off, then you can easily tell your lie. Just admit being wrong about something, at which point you will be expected to tell the truth. But, you are the master of your own thoughts; you can easily mislead them with a proper well thought out story from then on. Of course this will take decent amount of practice before you can avoid giving micro-expressions.