Baseline First

• Establish their normal state before pressure
• Watch them in neutral conversation
• Note natural gestures and speech pace
• Treat deviations under stress as signals

Facial Cues

• Watch brow lift and tension
• Note eye aversion under questioning
• Catch the lip micro-press
• Track throat and shoulder tension

Micro-Flashes

• Spot fear: inner brows lift, lids tense
• Read alarm: brows up, eyes widen
• Catch disgust: nose wrinkles, lip raises
• Note contempt: one-sided lip raise

Body Leaks

• Watch pupil dilation and blink rate
• Note shallow chest breathing
• Track swallowing and Adam's apple bounce
• Spot sweat on lip, forehead, palms

Verbal Slips

• Catch hesitation before answering
• Note voice pitch climbing
• Count filler words spiking
• Listen for over-explaining

Over-Control

• Flag excessive, forced calm
• Note rigid posture and stillness
• Watch deliberate suppression
• Read tension behind the composure

Deflection

• Catch sudden subject changes
• Note questions returned to you
• Watch minimal, clipped answers
• Flag humor used to escape

Distraction

• Note glances around the room
• Watch face and hair touching
• Track restless posture shifts
• Read drifting attention