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You have likely watched television shows in which highly trained detectives identify a murderer based on the way the suspect glances to the left or purses his lips during a critical point in the interrogation. The science around micro expressions as an indicator of deception has connected minute changes in eye movement, respiration, or mouth movement to lying and deception. A less scientific understanding of body language can be beneficial to investigators, without extensive specialized training, if you think about it as the physical cues a person's body transmits in response to stimuli. An individual displays body language when the stimuli they are interpreting is pleasant or unpleasant. When assessing body language, pay attention to not just the way the person carries themselves, but also look for changes in pitch and speech patterns, eye contact, and the words they use. In response to a pleasant conversation a person will lean forward, nod in agreement, stay on the subject, and usually speak in complete sentences. If a conversation is unpleasant, the subject may display a more closed‐off stance, shift their weight, and even turn away partially or fully from the speaker. They may gesture in a more exaggerated fashion than the situation calls for, their voice assuming a higher pitch. They tend to stutter, give incomplete answers, change the subject, or draw others into the conversation. A subject's body language may be relaxed and open at the beginning of an interview, and then begin to display signs of discomfort as the questioning continues. Do not assume this is always a sign of guilt, but be alert to changes in body language that can inform your strategy and result in a more productive interview.

It is helpful to make note of significant body language cues when writing your report after the interview. If the subject suddenly clenches their fists and turns away from you during questioning, this is a significant change in behavior that should be recorded [18].