Chameleons, Lions & Lies: Spy-Grade Deception Decoded — Gavin Stone on Statement Analysis & Control

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A high-signal masterclass in human behaviour with Gavin Stone — an ex-intelligence officer, body-language expert, and real-world spy strategist. Alongside host Aleksandra King, he decodes the animal instincts behind human influence: bold lioness energy, cheetah-like calm, chameleon adaptability, and the “wolf” that won’t be trained. You’ll hear practical spy-grade tools for negotiations, leadership, and sales — and a few secret agent-level insights for reading people fast and gaining the upper hand.

Aleksandra — a charismatic business interviewer — isn’t one to tolerate deception or BS; she even walked out of BBC’s The Apprentice rather than compromise her values. Now she finds common ground with Gavin’s espionage-honed approach to reading people. Together, they explore how mastering deception detection can give you more control in the boardroom and beyond.

What You’ll Learn

• One tell is not enough: Why a single cue (like a gaze drop or arm fold) means little on its own — and how clusters of 3+ signals (e.g. compressed lips, fidgeting, blinking fast) expose real lies.
• Baseline before judging: How to “calibrate” someone’s normal behavior across different contexts (home vs. work vs. high-pressure) before labeling any behavior as deceptive.
• Instant room reads: A 10-second trick to gauge group dynamics — ask a tough question and watch where everyone’s eyes go to immediately spot the key players and power balance.
• Body’s stress signals: What a spike in blink rate and whether someone is chest-breathing or belly-breathing reveals about their stress level (and how calm, controlled people breathe) — plus why even a polygraph machine only detects stress, not lies.
• Statement Analysis 101: The difference between answers that pacify (“I wouldn’t do that”) vs. answers that truly deny wrongdoing (“I did not do that”) — and why it matters.
• Identity-based influence: Why people “buy who they are,” how tribes and an owner’s-club mentality drive decision-making, and how to frame your message to fit someone’s identity.

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