Yeah, I know, that's just a hanging curve ball over the fat part of the plate. You can come back with the obvious, "His lips are moving," and hit it over the center field fence, but seriously, how do you know when you're hearing the truth or just what you need to hear?
Ah, grasshopper, such is the real world of television news in which we ask the viewers to trust us while we often can't trust one another. Sometimes I think every reporter should go through some CIA interrogation course so you could figure out if someone was telling the truth. Or just be able to slip some truth serum into the ND's coffee. Because it's hard to know whether your boss is being honest with you or just pacifying you... or, the worst case scenario, just trying to make you quit.
I was actually pretty bad at this as a reporter, which is why I can pass on all the smoke-and-mirrors tricks that I fell for. Sadly, when you get out of college and out into the real world, your rose colored glasses are almost the reverse version of X-ray vision; you can't see much of anything that lies below the surface. You are trusting, you think people actually have your best interests at heart, and you've had no experience with office politics. Then you're told something that turns out to be an outright lie. Welcome to the party, pal.
But, back to the original question as I know you're not reading this for a psychology lesson. And let me preface all this by saying many NDs are decent, honest people. Anyway, here are some of the more common phrases and what they actually mean.
The job opening scenario: An anchor leaves your current station, and everyone wants the job. You march into the ND's office and throw your hat in the ring. If you hear something like, "I was going to ask if you were interested," and you have a reasonably detailed conversation, that's a decent indication you'll be considered. If you get something like, "You're too valuable on the street" or "Everyone who applies will be considered," or if the conversation is very short, you've basically got no shot.
The contract negotiating scenario: Here's where doing your homework can really help you, if you can find out what company policy really is. Let's say you ask for an out clause and you hear a very quick, "This company doesn't give outs," you might just move on to your next question. But if you know for a fact that someone has an out (even with another station within the company group) you know that it is negotiable. Then you also know the ND is one who is not being straight with you.
The contract negotiating scenario, part two: You get an offer, and instead of just jumping at it you take a few days to think about it and come back with a request for a little more money and/or some perks, moving expenses, etc. If you hear, "Let me run the numbers" or "I'll have to talk to the General Manager" that's a decent sign, since the last thing you want to hear is a flat out "no" at this point. You may still get a "no" but you'll know the ND at least tried. If you get a "No, that's the best I can do," that might be an honest answer or you might now be in a game of poker. Of course, it always helps if you've got another offer on the table... then you really get honest answers.
The will-I-ever-get-promoted-here scenario: While this would seem to be the toughest one to figure, you have to consider the ND's past performance. If you hear "We do see you in our future plans" or "You weren't the right person this time but could be next time" and have been passed over more than once, you shouldn't be surprised to see the ND's nose grow. If this is the first time you've been passed over, it could go either way next time. If the ND has a history of going outside for anchor hires, time to move on.
The ND fear and intimidation scenario: No matter what you do, the ND has nothing good to say about your work. But is the ND actually watching your stories or just making blanket statements to get under your skin? If an ND says something like, "Your story was garbage" then ask something specific about it. If the ND actually watched the story, an answer should be easy. If the ND can't come up with anything specific, or doesn't have anything but, "You're just not doing a good job" then you might be the target of a "make him miserable so he'll quit" campaign. So find another job.
The selective memory scenario: This may be the most common offense. You take a job after being told you'll get moved to a Monday thru Friday shift in a few months, or that you'll be first in line to fill in on the anchor desk. Then when the time comes the ND can't remember any of this. This is the reason I tell everyone to get everything in writing. The best way to do this (for items not normally in a contract) is to trade emails with the ND before you accept the job. Then you've got a paper trail and can "remind" the ND of the promise.
As for body language, if someone won't look you in the eye, that generally means the person isn't being entirely truthful.
And, as the old saying goes, a leopard can't change his spots. If the ND has a reputation of being truthful with people, chances are that won't change. If the ND has lied to people you know, you'll probably get the same.
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