Detecting Deception: Learn to Read Lies Like an Expert
Everyone lies — but the body never does.
In Detecting Deception, you'll uncover how to see what others miss: the subtle physiological and behavioral tells that expose stress, concealment, and truth. This is the science of reading people — built on decades of research from the FBI, CIA, and elite behavioral experts who refined the art of observation into a repeatable discipline.
You'll learn how deception affects the body and mind — the cognitive load, micro-expressions, and involuntary stress responses that leak through even the most practiced liar. You'll analyze real-world indicators like pupil dilation, breathing rate, voice shifts, body language, and word choice, then learn how to spot furtive movements and conversational patterns that betray hidden motives.
By the end, you'll see beyond what people say to what they show — reading truth, tension, and concealment with the precision of a trained investigator and the insight of a behavioral scientist.
This course is taught by Melinda Milheim, JD, a trained interrogator who has spent thirty years learning how people reveal what they're trying to hide. She studied FBI and CIA interrogation and interview techniques, served two years as a teaching and research assistant for the Fact Investigation series of courses offered at her law school, and is a Certified Mediator and contract negotiator who has conducted hundreds of negotiations, mediations, and fact-finding interviews throughout her career. She draws on that training, her law degree and MBA studies, and decades immersed in the behavioral-science research to teach this skill the way professionals actually use it. An award-winning instructor, featured speaker, and content creator, she is also the author of the forthcoming book Powder Keg: The Science & Strategy of Successful Negotiations.
Best for: anyone whose work depends on knowing when they're being told the truth — hiring managers and anyone who interviews candidates, investigators, HR and compliance professionals, auditors, attorneys, security and fraud teams, executives, and negotiators. If you run interviews, lead investigations, vet people, or sit across the table in high-stakes conversations, this is for you.
Format: Half-day course, delivered in person or virtually, 4 CLPs / 0.4 CEU. Phoenix Canyon issues every attendee a certificate of completion documenting the training hours as well as CEUs and CLPs earned, which employers may count toward Continuous Learning or Professional Development requirements at their discretion. Detecting Deception pairs with its companion course, How to Get Anyone to Tell You Anything — one teaches you to catch the lie, the other teaches you to get the truth. Take either on its own — or combine them for the whole skill set in a single day.
You might also consider
How to Get Anyone to Tell You Anything — People reveal far more than they intend to — when the person asking knows what they're doing. Learn the techniques the FBI, CIA, and Special Operations use to get information without the other side even realizing they're being interrogated.
Unspoken: The Hidden Power of Body Language for Leaders — Imagine walking into any room and instantly knowing the truth — who’s on your side, who’s resistant, and who’s ready to be persuaded.
Mind Games & Money Moves: The Psychology of Negotiation — Anytime you can't get what you want without someone else's cooperation, you're negotiating — and, the most dangerous negotiation is the one you don't know you're in. Learn the science and strategy of getting what you want.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.
Everyone lies — but the body never does.
In Detecting Deception, you'll uncover how to see what others miss: the subtle physiological and behavioral tells that expose stress, concealment, and truth. This is the science of reading people — built on decades of research from the FBI, CIA, and elite behavioral experts who refined the art of observation into a repeatable discipline.
You'll learn how deception affects the body and mind — the cognitive load, micro-expressions, and involuntary stress responses that leak through even the most practiced liar. You'll analyze real-world indicators like pupil dilation, breathing rate, voice shifts, body language, and word choice, then learn how to spot furtive movements and conversational patterns that betray hidden motives.
By the end, you'll see beyond what people say to what they show — reading truth, tension, and concealment with the precision of a trained investigator and the insight of a behavioral scientist.
This course is taught by Melinda Milheim, JD, a trained interrogator who has spent thirty years learning how people reveal what they're trying to hide. She studied FBI and CIA interrogation and interview techniques, served two years as a teaching and research assistant for the Fact Investigation series of courses offered at her law school, and is a Certified Mediator and contract negotiator who has conducted hundreds of negotiations, mediations, and fact-finding interviews throughout her career. She draws on that training, her law degree and MBA studies, and decades immersed in the behavioral-science research to teach this skill the way professionals actually use it. An award-winning instructor, featured speaker, and content creator, she is also the author of the forthcoming book Powder Keg: The Science & Strategy of Successful Negotiations.
Best for: anyone whose work depends on knowing when they're being told the truth — hiring managers and anyone who interviews candidates, investigators, HR and compliance professionals, auditors, attorneys, security and fraud teams, executives, and negotiators. If you run interviews, lead investigations, vet people, or sit across the table in high-stakes conversations, this is for you.
Format: Half-day course, delivered in person or virtually, 4 CLPs / 0.4 CEU. Phoenix Canyon issues every attendee a certificate of completion documenting the training hours as well as CEUs and CLPs earned, which employers may count toward Continuous Learning or Professional Development requirements at their discretion. Detecting Deception pairs with its companion course, How to Get Anyone to Tell You Anything — one teaches you to catch the lie, the other teaches you to get the truth. Take either on its own — or combine them for the whole skill set in a single day.
You might also consider
How to Get Anyone to Tell You Anything — People reveal far more than they intend to — when the person asking knows what they're doing. Learn the techniques the FBI, CIA, and Special Operations use to get information without the other side even realizing they're being interrogated.
Unspoken: The Hidden Power of Body Language for Leaders — Imagine walking into any room and instantly knowing the truth — who’s on your side, who’s resistant, and who’s ready to be persuaded.
Mind Games & Money Moves: The Psychology of Negotiation — Anytime you can't get what you want without someone else's cooperation, you're negotiating — and, the most dangerous negotiation is the one you don't know you're in. Learn the science and strategy of getting what you want.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.