214 W H A T EVERY BODY IS SAYING
ing less open—which goes hand in hand with being uncomfortable or
even deceitful.
Incidentally, when it comes to interviewing, or any conversation in
which you are interested in ascertaining the truth or genuineness of a
person’s statements, you may gain more nonverbal information if you are
standing; you can pick up on a lot of behaviors standing that simply go
unnoticed while sitting. While a lengthy period of standing may be im-
practical or unnatural in some settings, such as at a formal job interview,
there are often still opportunities to observe standing behaviors, such as
when greeting or conversing while waiting for a table at lunch.
When we are uncomfortable with those around us, we tend to dis-
tance ourselves from them. This is especially true of individuals trying
to deceive us. Even while sitting side by side, we will lean away from
those with whom we feel uncomfortable, often moving either our torsos
or our feet away or toward an exit. These behaviors can occur during
conversations either because of the difficult, unnerving, or sour rela-
tionship between the parties involved or because of the subject matter
being discussed.
BOX 57: BUILDING THE WALLIn my role with the FBI years ago, I conducted a joint interview of a sub-
ject along with an officer from a fellow law enforcement agency. During
the interview, a very uncomfortable and dishonest man gradually built a
barrier in front of himself using soda cans, pencil holders, and various
documents that were on the desk of my interviewing partner. He ulti-
mately planted a backpack on the table between himself and the inter-
viewers. The building of this barrier was so gradual that we did not realize
it until we later looked at the video. This nonverbal behavior occurred
because the subject was attempting to derive comfort by hiding behind a
wall of materials, thus distancing himself. Obviously, we got little informa-
tion or cooperation, and for the most part, he lied.