Baseline and Deviation Lie Detection
Read people by their normal, then get curious when it shifts
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 88%
Poumpouras's practical read-people method: establish a person's behavioural baseline — their normal posture, eye contact, gestures — then watch for a shift when you ask a sensitive question. The deviation isn't proof of lying, but it's a signal to get curious and follow up with more questions. Most people notice a shift and let it go; the skill is to follow it.
Origin
Built from Poumpouras's years as a Secret Service polygraph examiner and interrogator reading body language, verbal cues, and written statements.
Core principles
- 01Create a baseline before you look for tells — everyone's normal is different.
- 02A shift from baseline is a signal to explore, not a verdict.
- 03Intuition matters and is too often dismissed.
- 04Curiosity beats nosiness — follow the deviation with good questions.
How to run it
- 1
Establish the baseline
Observe how the person normally sits, gestures, and holds eye contact during easy conversation.
Pro tip Start with low-stakes rapport-building ('what's your name, where are you from') to read their normal.
- 2
Introduce the sensitive question
Ask about something they may not want to discuss and watch for a change in posture, gaze, or gesture.
- 3
Follow the shift with curiosity
When you see a deviation, come in with good follow-up questions rather than accusing or moving on.
Watch out A shift alone doesn't mean deception — it means something is happening worth exploring.
In the wild
Guilty suspects would swear 'I swear to God, God is my witness' — invoking God to vouch for them, a pattern Poumpouras learned to treat as a red flag.
→ It flagged likely deception without being proof, prompting a closer interview.
Common mistakes
Reading tells without a baseline
Without knowing a person's normal, you misinterpret ordinary behaviour as deception.
Noticing but not following up
Most people register a shift and let it go; the value is in asking the next question, and the next.
Is it for you?
Best for
Interviewers, negotiators, and managers who need to read honesty and comfort in real time.
Not ideal for
High-stakes legal determinations, which require evidence beyond behavioural signals.
From the transcript
“you create baselines on people... I ask him this question, he just showed me something different, why?”
“you don't want to be nosy but you want to be curious”
From the episode
Secret Agent: Send Your Children To A Village! How To Detect A Lie Instantly! The Eye Contact Trick I Learnt From 12 Years As A Secret Service Agent! - Evy Poumpouras
Evy Poumpouras