The other day I was searching through the TED talks on YouTube and found this very interesting talk – How to spot a liar by Pamela Meyer.  Check out the video below:

I find it interesting how much people lie in everyday conversation.  Sure, much of the lies are white lies, but I still find it amazing.

It’s important in business to get to the truth as quick as possible.  Especially in contract negotiation.  Most people, when negotiating, will hide what their true intentions are.  Because of this, it makes it difficult to successfully negotiate, or come to an agreement with that person.  By learning how to understand if there is deception taking place, you can start to work towards the real truth.

An example of this is when you’re forming a company with business partners.  Everyone will have in mind what they want out of the deal, but most of them will hide it and try to negotiate to their wants without actually telling anyone what they want.  Some might want more equity, others might want more revenue share, and another might want more control.  The goal is to get everyone to state the truth in what they want so a contract can be executed that makes people the happiest that they can be regarding that contract.  If that’s not achieved up front then it could cause real problems down the road.