The truth is often a relative term. What is true for one person may not be true for another. It is not easy to convince someone, to tell the truth. It is even harder when the person has a strong belief in the reason as to why they are should hide the truth. However, there are some tricks that can help you trick anyone into telling the truth.
In this article, we will discuss how to trick someone to tell the facts and the reality of what happened in a specific context or life scenario. In this case, you’re not digging for their interpretation of what’s true or not, but simply enquiring about facts and evidence of what happened.
Tips to trick someone into telling the truth:
1) Ask them open questions:
When you want to find out the truth from someone, you can use a variety of techniques. There are four ways to do this and one of them is by asking them leading or open questions.
Leading questions are questions that lead the person being questioned to answer in a particular way. For example, when you imply that you know that someone took your wallet then ask them for confirmation.
This may lead the person being questioned to answer to be inclined to admit and then justify or explain their actions. Also, a closed question where the answer is either “yes.” or “no” won’t lead you anywhere. However, if you ask open questions that they need to provide more information, in order to answer then you’re likely to find out more this way and reach the truth.
Some people are more likely to be tricked by certain or specific questions than others. You can ask them questions that you would’ve asked if you already knew what they were hiding. For example, if you ask someone who claims to never have had a girlfriend: if they have ever kissed one, they might forget about their lie. They may quickly reply that they did kiss a girlfriend in the past; even when they lied about having ever had one, to begin with.
2) Let them forget then ask once more:
You can use the technique of asking open questions first, to gain more information on your target without them knowing they are giving it up. Then, you can also choose to take that information and remember it very well, exactly as it was told, then ask them again about it in a couple of days.
Usually, people forget excuses and lies or details they made up, they may twist the story or give contradicting information compared to what they said before. So just to be sure ask them again and see if they tell you once more exactly word for word: with no mistakes, ambiguity, confusion, or contradictions; the same things they have told you before.
3) Make them feel that you know more than you do:
For example, if you want someone to admit they stole something from you, you might ask them what they would do if they were caught stealing.
Your body language should be confident, your stares should imply that you know something and a smirk on the corner of your lips may add some mystique and charisma to you. All of this may make them question themselves and think they’re better off admitting the truth anyway because you look like you already know it all very well.
4) Make them mad enough to say the truth:
Another way that may be not the best option is by playing on their nerves and emotions to get them mad enough, to tell the truth. It sounds simple but this method can be explosive, and dramatic, and cause long-term problems with the person in question.
For example, if they were just told that their significant other broke up with them, you might tell them that they’re better off. Or, you might tell them that you didn’t think they cared enough, to begin with. This way, they may want to prove you wrong and start opening up to you and telling you everything that happened and how things unraveled.
The bottom line:
There are two types of people: Those who believe what they say when they’re lying and make it believable and those who don’t. So, unfortunately, if the person you try to get the truth from is a skilled, trained, and experienced liar then may have learned to be extremely convincing.
They may have also learned to believe in what they’re saying, even when they’re lying. In this case, there’s no guarantee that you will make them tell the truth or trap them into confessing. If you know what to look for it can be easy to learn to spot when someone is lying to your face, to help yourself decide whether they’re hiding the truth still or worse: disguising it with lies!