What their body language revealed

Published on Tuesday 19 July 2011 18:37

Rupert Murdoch

MURDOCH senior gave very little away and his body language was still and measured throughout, writes psychological performance coach Darren Stanton.

At times he even appeared to be nodding off, clearly unhappy with the position that he had been put into.

He gives each direct question a good few seconds before answering which I believe casts doubt on the validity of the answer.

Repeatedly when questioned, he gave a response which didn't answer the question he was being asked.

On many occasions he sidestepped the questions altogether - which is never a good indicator that he was happy to answer the questions honestly.

However, when he was asked whether he'd been told to enter No?10 via the back door it can be said that having viewed his non-verbal behaviour it appears that this indeed was the truth.

James Murdoch

MURDOCH junior comes across as a confident and assured speaker and gives very little away in terms of non-verbal behaviour or body language.

However, as with any human there are many signs and tells which cannot be controlled, regardless of how confident a communicator you are.

When he was asked whether or not he was aware of any potential pending HMRC/fraud or other investigation, his blinking rate increased, he began to stutter and there was flushing on his left cheek - clearly he was uncomfortable.

The combination of these leaks may be a strong indicator that deceit was taking place and that he is indeed aware of potential investigations.

When asked about whether they intended to launch new a newspaper on a Sunday, both Murdochs said that they did not; however, again the leakage indicates that there is a likelihood that this is inconsistent with their true beliefs.

Rebekah Brooks

BROOKS appears to be a calm and confident speaker beginning her questioning well and showing little signs of anxiety.

When considering the questions put to her she looks up and left which indicates she is being truthful as it is widely acknowledged that when right-handed people recall visual information, or in other words are telling the truth, they look in this direction.

She also exhibits use of something called a "contraction". An example of a contraction would be when asked: "Did you steal the money" it is widely believed an innocent person will shorten their answer, for example: "No I didn't." A guilty person would have no time to make up an answer and so would answer: "No I did not steal the money", simply mirroring the language of the accuser.

I have not witnessed any micro-expressions at all which would lead me to think that she has given false testimony.