DETECTING LIES
“repeating your question? buying time to lie.”
The Lesson
Three reliable tells for detecting lies. First: if they repeat your question back ('Did I kill Bob?' when you asked 'Did you kill Bob?'), they're buying time to formulate a lie. Second: if they ask you to repeat the question but clearly heard it, same thing-buying time. Third: if they ask 'Who told you?' or 'Why do you think that?', they're gathering intel to craft a lie that's consistent with what you already know. These stalling tactics are highly reliable indicators that a lie is being constructed.
Real-World Example
A founder suspects an employee of leaking information. They ask directly: 'Did you share our roadmap with the competitor?' Employee: 'Did I share the roadmap with the competitor?' Then: 'Who told you that?' Two stalling tactics in sequence. The founder knows they're about to hear a constructed lie, not the truth.
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