{"id":12926,"date":"2021-05-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scotwork.com\/nz\/blog-nz\/you-ve-been-lied-to-part-2\/"},"modified":"2021-05-20T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-05-20T00:00:00","slug":"you-ve-been-lied-to-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scotwork.com\/nz\/blog-nz\/2021\/you-ve-been-lied-to-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"You’ve been lied to – Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Our earlier blog post,\u00a0You\u2019ve Been Lied To<\/a>, was one of our most popular this year. Which makes sense, since we all know that we\u2019ve been lied to at some point during a negotiation. However, if you think you\u2019re being lied to, the bigger question is, what do you do about it?<\/p>\n

Dr. Timothy Levine, of the University of Alabama, conducted decades-long empirical research as he developed his Truth-Default Theory. This theory holds that most people generally believe as truth what they see, read, or hear. It\u2019s what helps us to function socially, but it also makes us more vulnerable to deceit. In fact, Levine\u2019s studies revealed that we can detect lies only about 54% of the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That does make it difficult for us negotiators. Which is why, in the last post, I suggested some signs that the other side might be lying to you at the negotiating table. Notice the word\u00a0might<\/em>. That means there\u2019s a possibility that you\u2019re not being lied to, and there might be different reasons why the other party is behaving in a seemingly deceptive manner.<\/p>\n

One of our readers from last week chimed in, sharing their thoughts on what might be happening instead:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe list of characteristics in the blog can be easily misinterpreted and misapplied if the presumption is that they indicate deception. They could very well be the result of poor narratives, poor planning, or unexpected and aggressive challenges by the \u2018honest\u2019 party.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I think they\u2019re right. There could be reasons why someone is being evasive or verbose that have nothing to do with deception. Besides poor planning or other challenges, their behavior might stem from nerves or other emotions that manifest themselves in actions appearing to indicate deception.<\/p>\n

The reader went on to say,\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s harmful to assume, without evidence, that you\u2019re being lied to . . . a good principle to remember is that instead of looking for signs you\u2019re being lied to, try a more positive approach: trust, but verify.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Another great point. It\u2019s harmful to assume. The bigger problem I see is that while people default to trust (or truth), they rarely verify. So here are some things that you can do if you think you\u2019re being lied to:<\/p>\n