“A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth.” Psychology      

1. If You Think That’s Bad, Wait Until You Hear This!

This tactic works well because it forces the liars into thinking emotionally instead of logically. It alleviates their guilt by making them feel that they are not alone, and it throws them off by creating a little anger and/or curiosity. Plus he/she thinks that you are exchanging information, instead they are giving you something for nothing.

2. It Was An Accident. Really!

This is a great strategy because it makes them feel that it would be a good thing to have you know exactly what happened. They did something wrong, true, but that is no longer your concern. You shift the focus of your concern to his/her intentions, not their actions. This makes it easy for them to confess to their behavior and “make it okay” with the explanation that it was unintentional. They feel that you care about their motivation. In other words, you let them know that the source of your concern is not what have they done, but why they done it.

3. The Boomerang.

This trick really throws a psychological curveball. With this example you tell them that he/she did something good, not bad. They are completely thrown off by this. For example, if you are interviewing someone and you want to see if they are lying to you, play them nice by asking questions if they really did those things in the resume. 

4. Truth or Consequences.

With this tactic you force your antagonist to work with you or you both end up with nothing. This is the exact opposite of the boomerang. Here the person has nothing unless he cooperates with you. Since you have nothing anyway (the truth), it’s a good tradeoff for you.

5. Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace.

Human beings place a premium on that which is scarce. Simply put rare equals good. You can dramatically increase your leverage by conveying that this is the only time that you will discuss this. Let them know that (a) this is his last chance he’ll have for explaining himself, and (b) you can get what you need from someone else. Try increasing the rate of your speech as well. The faster you speak, the less time he has to process the information, and it conveys as stronger sense of urgency. Give a deadline with a penalty for not meeting it. Deadlines force action.

If the guilty party thinks that he/she can always come clean, then he/she will take a wait-and-see approach before tipping their hands. Let the person know that you already know and have proof of his action. And admitting their sins, you will give them the opportunity to explain his/her side.

6. Reverse Course.

You convey to them what happened or what they did was a good thing insofar as it allows you to establish an even better relationship – personal or professional. You give them an opportunity to explain why they took that choice. You also blame yourself.

7. I Hate To Do This, But You Leave Me No Choice.

This is the only strategy that involves threat. You let them become aware that there are going to be greater ramifications and repercussions than just lying to you – things that they never thought about. You rely on their imagination to set the terms of the damage that you can inflict. Their mind will race through every possible scenario as their own fears turn against them.

8. I Guess You’re Not Allowed.

Never underestimate the power of appealing to a person’s ego. Sometimes you want to inflate it, and others times you want to attack it. This bullet is for attacking. It’s truly saddening how fragile some people’s egos are.

9. Higher Authority.

As long as the person believes that you are on his side, he’ll take the bait. All you have to do is let him know that anything he’s lied about can now be cleared up in seconds. However, if anyone else finds out about it later, it’s too late. Let’s say that you want to know if your secretary leaves early when you’re out of the office.

10. The Great Unknown.

You can obtain maximum leverage by explaining how the ramifications of their deceit will be something that the suspect has never known before. Even if they believe that you are limited in what you can do to them and in what the penalty can be, the severity of the penalty can be manipulated in two major ways to make it appear much more severe: time and impact.

• Time: Give no indication of when the penalty will occur. When things happen unexpectedly, the degree of anguish is more potent.

• Impact: Convey that his/her entire life will be disrupted and drastically altered for the worse. They needs to see that this event is not isolated and will instead have a ripple effect. When bad things happen we are often comforted in knowing that it will soon be over and the rest of our life will remain intact and unaffected. But if these things are not assured, we become increasingly fearful and concerned.

11. I Couldn’t Care Less.

A primary law governing human nature is that we all have a need to feel significant. Nobody wants to be thought of as unimportant, or feel that his ideas and thinking is irrelevant. Take away a person’s belief that they have value and they will do just about anything to reassert their sense of importance. Your apathy toward the situation will unnerve them immensely. They will begin to crave recognition and acceptance, in any form. They need to know you care what happens, and if talking about their misdeeds is the only way they can find out, they will.

You can’t just tell a person what they will gain by being truthful or lose by continuing to lie; you must make it real for them – so real, in fact, that they can feel, taste, touch, see, and hear it. The payoff for confessing needs to be immediate, clear, specific, and compelling. Make it their reality. Involve as many of the senses as you can, particularly visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.

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