Summary
Highlights
When testifying in court, your demeanor significantly influences how you are perceived. Lawyers seek witnesses who appear relaxed, truthful, confident, and knowledgeable. Maintaining a comfortable and confident posture in the witness chair, and ensuring your body language aligns with your testimony, is crucial as it can be interpreted differently by the judge, jury, and attorneys.
Dr. David DeSteno's research from Northeastern University identifies four body language cues that signal untrustworthiness. The first is touching or clasping your hands. This can suggest you are holding back information or are anxious, and while not necessarily an indicator of untruthfulness, it can be perceived as such by others.
Touching your face, even if it's for concentration, can be misinterpreted in court. While in some contexts it shows focus, in a courtroom setting, not openly sharing your thoughts while touching your face can lead to perceptions of deceptiveness. It's best to keep your hands away from your face.
Crossing your arms is often perceived as creating a barrier or blocking yourself off. While it might not be your intention to be dismissive or hold back, in court, it's all about how others, especially the judge and jury, interpret your actions. This gesture can be seen as an indicator of being closed off.
To counteract nervousness that might lead to touching your face or hands, or crossing your arms, direct your nervous energy to your feet. Since your feet are not visible in the witness box, you can squeeze your toes or move them around. This allows you to appear calm and relaxed in the 'presentation box' (the visible upper body).
The fourth key body language mistake is leaning back in your chair. This posture can convey disengagement, aloofness, or an attempt to avoid questions. In court, it's critical to sit up straight and maintain good posture, as people judge trustworthiness within milliseconds, and good posture immediately signals attentiveness and reliability.