Here are the Five Steps To The Truth: The BASIC Interview
Method: Baseline Behavior
Step
#1:
Baseline Behavior
A lot of you guys have probably been baselining people
for years without even realizing it. When you spend time with people, we take
note—consciously or unconsciously—of their mannerisms, their speech patters,
their good and bad habits. We know, for example, that it’s hard to expect to be
on time on people who are always late. We know that it’s not a good idea to
dismiss it when a calm, even-tempered person raises her voice in a
conversation—the person may only do so when he or she has a serious concern or
disagreement, and his or her point is usually valid. We know that some friend
of ours has a nervous tic that sometimes make them stutter.
We have baselined them all, so we know how they act in
normal circumstances. Since you’re already familiar with how they behave when
they’re not lying, it should be an easy time to spotting unusual facial,
verbal, or behavioral clues they might display when they are lying. We also
know that they have habits that can sometimes look like clues to deception—like
the nervous tic—but that is just a part of their ordinary behavior.
Baselining people will you give a reliable reference
point, a standard you can use for measuring changes in their behavior. It’s a
good skill to develop with everyone around you—friends or strangers alike. You
can practice baselining even right now when you talk to your siblings, parents,
or friends. And a little effort can pay off in spades.
After all, you never know who’s going to make a
difference in your professional or personal life. Your fellow intern at some
company might become your future boss; the person you had a little chat could
be your next big romance. Whether you can take your time to get to know people
through repeated interactions or you need to baseline on the fly, there are
five behaviors you want to observe closely:
1.
Laugh: What does the subject’s laugh sound like?
2.
Voice: How fast, how loud, at what pitch does the subject
usually speak?
3.
Posture: What is the subject’s posture normally like?
4.
Gestures: How often does the subject gesticulate, wave his/her
hands in the air, fidget, across and uncross his feet?
5.
Reactions: How does the subject’s face and posture change when she
reacts to or discusses something sad, exciting, or infuriating?
You don’t have to to change anything about the way you
normally interact with people to observe these details. The only difference is
that now you’re going to pay closer attention to what you see and hear when you
interact. Pay attention, too, to how others handle frustration and conflict.
How does your friend behave when someone disagrees with him/her? The point is
to note the subtle details of how people look and sound when they’re talking
about the ordinary stuff of life and work.
This is not meant to suggest that your own emotional
baseline should be paranoia or distrust of your friends. You don’t baseline
people because they might try to trick you one day. You don’t behave politely
to people because that way they’ll be likelier to give you what you want.
Common courtesy is expected of well-adjusted members of society; attention to
the behavior and concerns of those around you is a form of common courtesy and
of mature management.
Profiling
Let’s say, though, that for some reason you sense that
your friend is acting subtly different. You can’t quiet put a finger on what
has alerted you, but your antennae are up. Here’s when profiling may be useful.
Profiling is an extension of the baselining process. What
do you know about the person you’re profiling? Is person financially secure?
Has the person gone through any recent emotional crises? Is there a history of
drug and alcohol abuse? Are there any reported anger-management issues, unusual
personality shifts, or recent anti-social behavior incidents? How is the
person’s self-esteem? Is the person vulnerable to flattery? Does the person
seem to have a “victim” mentality? What’s the person’s attitude towards
authority? Does the person normally follow the rules, or a rebel? Does the
person seem to be living beyond his means?
Again, you’re not asking these questions in order to
prejudice yourself against the person in question. Behavioral profiling is
value-neutral. (Abuses or profiling are, of course, another matter.) If you’re
profiling someone, chances are you’re doing so as the first step toward solving
a problem you may not have fully identified. Sometimes you’ll find yourself in
a situation in which you feel compelled to dig deeper beneath the surface. When
that happens, it’s time to take the next step.
Basic
Step #1 Baseline Behaviour review
- Pay particular attention to everyday behaviours
- Laughter
- Body Movement
- Posture
- Vocal quality
- Reaction times and expressions
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