ost of us aren't really able to determine if someone is lying to us, unless we know the person quite well. There really aren't "universal signs" of deceit. However, there are "signals" or "markers" commonly used by people who are operating on the basis of an agenda they are not disclosing to the other person. These markers aren't fool-proof but they do tell you that "something" might be going on that you need to attend to in your interactions with a person. Consider them warning signals. Interestingly enough, we all use some of these signals quite often, even if we are not aware that we have another "agenda" beyond the one we are aware of. So, not only can looking at how we interact tell us something about the other person, but looking at our OWN signals can tell us that we might be missing something going on within. Which brings us to "conversational cons", our term for the family of signals or markers to look for. This LearnBytes Helpcard, one of our more unusual offerings, is based on our work with language and how it affects credibility, and how it is used and misused in human interactions. It's based on the idea that certain kinds of language suggest that a person has a "hidden agenda" that is affecting what they say. It's possible observe a person's language and words and get a sense as to whether they are trying to manipulate or influence in indirect ways.