Recently I watched a TV show on Hulu, (yes, gotta love those on-demand internet TV-viewing options, lol!) called ‘Lie to ME.‘ The premise of the show was a group of researchers who assisted police investigations by reading and interpreting body language of suspects to determine if they were lying or truthful.
Interesting fact: “The average person tells three lies in ten minutes of conversation”
Aside from the entertainment value of the show with its cut-aways to notable mug shots of famous individuals striking classic gestures of emotions and ‘potential’ cover-ups, this technique can be useful in the leadership management field as well. Recall the envisioning statement of the 1980’s “believe and you shall become” type of stuff. One can study leaders in various organizations to learn some of their body language techniques for effective communications as a type of mentoring tool to help develop personal leadership skills.
The below – referenced article in the current edition of Business Week caught my eye and I thought since we cover leadership skills as one of the CFM core competencies it would be useful to you all.
Reading the Body Language of Leadership
Researchers at MIT are focusing the latest sensor technology on the physical traits of leadership
By Stephen Baker
March 23 and 30, 2009Game Changing Ideas for Business
Humans instinctively transmit signals that date back to our primal roots. People use vocal tones and cadence to establish dominance or trust. Or they impose their will by showing up late to meetings or feigning lack of interest when others speak …
Read more of the article here.
For more on body language: