Toastmasters Speech: Hidden Clues

7 minute speech given to Titan Toastmasters on 22 April 2002 for Competant Toastmaster (Speech #4) from Communication and Leadership Manual (Show What You Mean)

Purpose of TM as learning skills of public speaking. Manage stress. Think on feet. Speak smoothly and easily and confidently.

Same skills needed for deception. Like speaking, successful deception not just about words we say, but how say it. Need to control whole presentation.

Lying often discovered because words don't match body language. Disconnect because lying is is stressful activity. Stress of constructing plausible lie. Stress of dangers of being caught. People see stress manifested in body language and others doubt our words.

TM helpful in all three necessary steps to becoming successful deceiver.

First Step: Create a plausible lies. Use strategies and skills from TT, like:

• Quickly thinking of answers to difficult questions.
• Answering question other than one asked.
• Feigning confidence despite ignorance of subject.

TM helps us construct plausible lies.

Second Step: Project ease and confidence. People mistake general state of nervousness for deception. Often nervous even when truthful. In order not to be though deceptive, must do what practice in TM every week:

• Make eye contact. Don't look at feet.
• Make purposeful movements. Don't fidget and act nervous.
• Speak clearly. Don't stumble over words. Don't um and ah.
• Be confident and relaxed.

TM helps us project ease and confidence when lying – and even when being honest!

Third Step: Minimize aberrant body language. In book The Truth about Lying, Stan Walters discusses detecting deception. No single behavior. Repeated changes in behavior in response to particular issue. Not general nervousness or everyday habits. Rather patterns of unusual behavior, such as:

• Covering face with hands.
• Big changes in body posture.
• Nervous foot tapping.
• Ambivalent gestures, like shrugging shoulders when saying yes.

TM doesn't directly teach these skills of lying, but rather general skill of noticing and controlling body language. So with little research, can eliminate these subtle signs of deception. Act same whether lying or telling truth.

So TM can help in all three steps of successful deception: creating plausible lies, projecting ease and confidence, and minimizing aberrant body language. So TM helps us speak naturally in any stressful situation.

Unfortunately for us liars, TM also helps people become better lie detectors. Trained to notice body language through evaluations. So first rule of lying is: Don't lie to other TMs. Their skills of observation are too finely honed.