Once you know how they normally behave, you may be able to tell when they start to put on an act. Hayano is a retired professor of anthropology at California State University at Northridge, who has analyzed the body language of poker players, and he's found that the rapport-building stage is a valuable time to study your opponent. Hayano says that in poker, for example, a player who throws chips forcefully on the table or suddenly behaves in a brash, aggressive way may be masking his being stuck with a weak hand of cards. The same goes for executives who loudly and repeatedly proclaim that they're making a major concession, when in fact they're not giving up much. A range of nonverbal clues may serve as red flags during a negotiation.
Experts suggest paying special attention to a person's hands and face.
Calif. Examples include hair pulling, lip biting, eye blinking, gulping and throat clearing. According to Moine, a negotiator who starts breathing rapidly may not be telling the truth. With more rapid breathing that's higher up in the chest, you will see their shoulders rise and fall a lot more than normal. When coaching executives to improve their negotiation skills, Moine finds that many of them miss opportunities to read others' body language. The next time your opponent gestures for you to study a document or presents a written contract for you to scrutinize, don't fall for the bait.