The Truth Detector

July 20, 2020
Schafer (The Like Switch), a psychologist and former FBI special agent, shares his tricks for getting people to tell the truth in this revelatory work. During his time at the FBI, Schafer used elicitation tactics when interviewing suspects, a communication technique based on knowledge of human behavior that builds on qualities such as empathy and rapport. He shows how he used this technique on a class of FBI trainees to obtain some students’ “PIN numbers, Social Security numbers, bank account information.” Schafer assures readers no previous experience is required to effectively use his methods, which include presumptive statements, misstatements, third-party perspective (framing information, particularly compliments, in the third person to increase credibility), and the “hanging chad” (to stop speaking mid-sentence). Schafer demonstrates the benefits of these tactics, and a dozen others, in everyday situations such as shopping for big-ticket items by, for instance, using third-party perspective to secure a lower price in negotiations. Concise and convincing, this toolkit will go a long way in helping readers suss out the truth.