Lie to Me was a TV show on Star World that I loved to watch! It was about Cal Lightman, a genius psychologist and founder of the Lightman group, who uses unusual techniques to arrive at the truth. One of the episodes was about a policeman who has been shot and rendered a quadriplegic - he could neither speak nor make any actions. Lightman shows him pictures of likely suspects and detects the answers by observing the cop's irises of the eye - they dilate on his recognizing his shooter's face.
I have personally found the science of Body language fascinating and of great use in my coaching practice, and the program was like a primer on micro expressions and also helped me revise my knowledge of the subject. When I coach (always face-to-face) I look out for different signs which can help me get a better understanding of the coachee's personality. The pitch and tone of voice in his speech, his facial expressions, hand-to-body gestures and body language are one set of signs I look out for. The others are around him and only need an awareness of their significance to add colour to the canvas of his personality. For instance, a cluttered table to me reflects the clutter in his mind.
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| What does this table suggest about the owner's personality? |
This could mean two things - either he is disorganized in his ways or currently navigating through several decision making options. Also, how does he handle interruptions, how does he speak to people on the phone and why, what kind of books does he read? All these observations help me to get clues to his personality and draw up an approach to coach him.
Leaders too can gain from a knowledge of reading people - they can apply the insights gained through observing to improving their performance as leaders and to navigating the ever-present corporate politics. In our corporate lives, says Art Petty in his blogpost we spend a great deal of time struggling and striving to be heard and somewhere along the way, many of us forget how important it is to shut up, listen and importantly, to observe. How true!
He has some useful suggestions to make on how to watch and learn - the 'elementary' lesson Sherlock Holmes always needled his dear Watson on.
