Reading People With Insight Online Reports
Learning to Read People
Have you ever been a-clue-istic, one without a clue (as defined by Mark Gorman), when it came to reading other people? I have. And as a Behavioural Symptoms Analysis expert here is what I’ve learned.
In April 1994, as a member of the Canadian Forces, I took part in a Prisoner Handling and Tactical Questioning course held at the Defence Intelligence and Security School in Ashford Kent, England. Within the first few hours I found myself striped naked, placed into a cold cell and under went an interrogation by a hostile British Warrant Officer.
After my initial interrogation was completed, I was debriefed and informed on the information they were able to capture from me. I was amazed since I hadn’t answered any of their questions. That’s when I first discovered and experience first hand the world of BSA (Behavioural Symptoms Analysis). I became a student for life and have been studying within the field of human behaviour ever since.
I believe that until you personally discover or experience an event (a truthful account) for yourself it’s hard to fully grasp and accept it’s teaching – a truth spoken is not a truth discovered. I had to discover and personally experience being interrogated in order to fully grasp the value of BSA and how this tool could effectively be used to read people and their behaviours.
Surveys in my workshops reveal that most people would like having the ability to read other people; it’s just that they themselves do not want to be read. Increasing your awareness into BSA practices can provide you with a start point to effectively reading other people.
BSA is the study of the way in which people act, speak and behave in various circumstances. From this study, patterns of behaviour can be built up to enable predictions and deductions to be made about a person – you cannot, not, communicate!
This study is very useful for people who have to ask questions in their daily activities. The behavioural insights into BSA assists in the understanding of the communication, which takes place during an interaction and/or a conversation, and guides the questioner to arrive at an informed assessment of an individual. It is also particularly valuable in helping to evaluate truth and deception in people. Hence finding the wolf within your flock.
Research by behavioural scientists and psychologists into communication has led to the theory that communication can be broken down into verbal (the words we choose to use), vocal (how we say those words) and non-verbal (the posture, gesture and movements we make with our bodies while communicating – body language) elements.
In a conversation, the verbal element is primarily used for passing information that the speaker wishes to convey to the listener. The vocal element is used to support the words and may also be used to support the non-verbal element, which is used primarily for showing attitudes and feelings.
That’s exactly what Albert Mehrabian, a Professor Emeritus of Psychology, at UCLA discovered in his communication study. He found that only 7 percent of communication comes from spoken words, 38 percent is from the tone of the voice, and 55 percent comes from body language.
Mehrabian’s “7%-38%-55% Rule”, was only referring to cases of expressing feelings or attitudes (i.e., like-dislike) and unless a person is talking about their feelings or attitudes, these equations are not applicable. It is a common misconception that these percentages apply to all communication.
What’s important to remember is to understand the process of communication and develop your skill in interpreting the verbal, vocal and non-verbal elements when interacting with others. People who are naturally skilled in these interpretations are often called intuitive. Those who are not, tend to misplace their trust and are easily misled.
When observing and evaluating a person, build a model of the person’s normal pattern of behaviour. You can do this by asking non-pertinent questions and looking carefully at their non-verbal communication (NVC) signs.
For example, if a person broke eye contact when denying having hit your vehicle, it does not mean the person is lying. If their tone of voice dropped, and they started fidgeting with their fingers, coughing and hesitating in their answers as well as breaking eye contact, whereas before they had been calm and collected; then you might consider the person to be untruthful.
A truthful person tends to talk face to face in order to see the other person’s gestures, maintain eye contact and appear concerned. An untruthful person tend to turn their whole body away, in part to increase the distance from you and attempt to conceal their face; making it easier to break eye contact with you and appear truthful.
More than any other part of NVC, gestures vary greatly from culture to culture and person to person. They are learned by copying as children and are influenced by society, age, gender, dominant role models and their unique personality style. Understanding in the Model of Human Behaviour greatly enhances your abilities to evaluate truth and deception in people across cultures.
Individuals who are more outgoing and task oriented by nature tend to be more dominant and direct in their NVC; big gestures, often leaning forward with an advancing posture. Individuals who are also outgoing and people oriented tend to be more inspiring and influencing in their NVC; expressive gestures, often amusing with a friendly posture.
Individuals who are more reserved and people oriented by nature tend to be more supportive and sincere in their NVC; gentle gestures, often reassuring with a calming posture. Individuals who are also reserved and task oriented tend to be more cautious and credible in their NVC; controlled gestures, often without emotion with an assessing posture.
In today’s challenging times, both at home or at work, it is increasingly important to be sensitive and observant when it comes to your own body language as it tends to communicate your real message and intention when you interact with others.
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