"Our biography is audible"

m&k: Tatjana Lackner, on your Website It says that your eye picks up on people, your ear picks up on personal details in their voices, and you sense even the slightest behavioral cues. How do you do that?

Tatjana Lackner: I’m a profiler. There are profilers in both the criminological and psychological senses. I analyze what I can glean from a person’s native language, body language, and voice. For example, I did the TV profiling of Anders Breivik, the Norwegian attacker, back then.

Body language reveals a lot about a person, doesn't it? What about the voice?

The voice reveals more than the body, because you can lie physically by turning toward someone even though you don’t like them. Anyone familiar with body language can use this to their advantage. But when it comes to our voices, we can hardly pull off such deception. Our life story is, after all, audible: dialectal influences, grammatical stumbles, filler words, and the like. That’s why even a one-minute voicemail message is more revealing than an entire résumé.

So, do our voices and language reveal what makes us tick?

Yes, that's true. But we can also use this to our advantage: for example, job applications are increasingly being submitted in the form of podcasts, with or without video. As a result, the company learns much more about the applicant than if we had simply sent a resume.

You also advise politicians. What advice do you give them?

Good communication is about stepping out of your own «I» zone. In other words, moving away from questions like «What am I saying?», «Who am I?», «Do I have stage fright?», and «How do I look?»—and into the «you» zone. «Who is sitting across from me?», “What position does this person hold?”, and “What are his or her responsibilities in that role?”. So, what do we know about the person, their position, and their role? If you know your target audience, you can tailor your speech to them and make a strong impression. This is often difficult for politicians. Furthermore, many elected officials cater not only to their political target audience but also to the loyalists within their own party caucus.

How different is the language used by men and women?

There is a difference between male and female rhetoric. This is a reminder of our animal heritage. Men fear failure; women fear social exclusion.

Can you give an example?

For example, when a wife says to her husband, «And then my sister-in-law said to me…» The sister-in-law may not be a priority on his radar, so he casually replies: «Yeah, well, just stop talking to that stupid cow,» which, however, is of no help to her—who, perhaps living in the countryside, holds the family together. When the wife accuses her husband on another occasion, «You’re good for nothing financially,» that feels like a castration to him. Conclusion: Against the backdrop of fear of failure versus social exclusion, men and women perceive what is said in completely different ways.

You founded the «School of Speech» more than 30 years ago; the slogan on the website is «Are you still just talking, or are you already speaking?» Please explain the difference to us.

We all learned to talk by the time we were one year old. But only a very few learn to speak. We live in a language-centered world today. That’s why linguistic elegance is far more than just delivering a speech. Rather, it’s about connecting with the listener on an emotional level, opening doors, appealing to the senses, and then delivering the message in a targeted way. Those who paint vivid pictures can be sure that their listeners will remember what was said for much longer.

In your book *Be Boss*, you explain how communication relates to leadership. What do you mean by that?

Good leaders must be able to step into 13 different realities. This brings us back to the «You Zone.» «Who’s sitting in front of me?» «What makes this person tick?» “Are they very sensitive?” When I speak to the entire team, I need to know what the overall mood is. Are people feeling frustrated right now, or are they reeling from the crisis? It makes a difference whether I’m seeking understanding, motivating the team, or stepping on the gas to drive processes forward. Managers spend 80 percent of their workday in communication situations, which is precisely why they face a significantly higher risk of undermining morale and trust in those very situations.

«There are differences between male and female rhetoric. This is a reminder of our animal heritage.»

Has there ever been a time when you were completely speechless?

Yes (laughs), when I met my husband. He was a total brat. I was 38 and had just been thinking out loud about having a third child because a seminar participant had asked me about it. To which he replied, «Yeah, honestly, you’re way too old for that.» He did survive the seminar, but I did give him a «life sentence» for that once. I can be cheeky too.

But that's exactly the man you ended up marrying?

Not at all. That's my little bit of revenge. (laughs loudly). We've been a happy couple for eleven years, but getting married isn't part of my religion.

Dr. Tatjana Lackner, MBA She is one of the leading communication and behavioral profilers in the German-speaking world. She was named «Trainer of the Year» by Training magazine, is a political profiler, a six-time bestselling author, and a mother of two.