Baselines of Behavior - Circuit Magazine -

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The four major behaviors are dominant, submissive, comfortable and uncomfortable. These are the most prevalent and easiest to categorize most nonverbal communication into. Identifying the behaviors is not our main goal. Creating a baseline of the behaviors is first, then looking for clusters of anomalies is the goal. Seeing anomalies for what they are, changes within the individual’s emotional state around a specific topic.

Dominant Behaviors

Each of the behavioral categories has some defining characteristics. Someone who is trying to portray dominance will have a tendency to take up more space than those around them. Much like a person during a staff meeting who has their area spread out over two or three spaces. They are trying to portray dominance.

The guy whose significant other is being checked out at the bar, who in turn gets swole (or so he thinks) is trying to portray dominance.

When an employee is getting counseled by their supervisor and they lean forward, closer than socially accepted. They are attempting to portray dominance.

Trying to show dominance or having the upper hand in a situation doesn’t have to be a huge behavioral statement. It can be large or small. Something massive like a whole body shift towards the person they’re interacting with is huge. Or it can be as simple as how the hand extends forward in the Western Culture’s customary style for a handshake.

Take the Salesman who approaches the prospective client as an example. The Salesman may extend their hand with the palm facing skyward. Extending the hand with a palm skyward is a sign of submissiveness. This gives the prospective client the upper hand by having their palm facing down toward the ground. Without saying a word the client starts by being on “top” of the salesman during the handshake. This small nonverbal behavior sets the mood for the rest of the inter- action. That mood allows the client to feel that they are in a position of power during the pursuing interaction.

Take a couple of minutes during the day and try to pay attention to how people are holding themselves. Watch for any changes in their baseline of behaviors. See if you can pick out who in a group is holding the dominant position within an interaction.

Comfortable Behaviors

Comfortable behavior is one of two behavioral categories which are most often observed. Reason being there is little or no expectation of fear or danger. There is no need to place one’s body in a position which is easy to escape from. This is in stark contrast to what’s seen with uncomfortable and submissive behaviors.

That means when you are looking over a crowd or a group look for the person(s) who’s taking up the most space. They are most likely the first people you’ll identify. It’s natural when creating a baseline to identify the largest behaviors first.

Implementation of the same principle can work directly when focusing on comfortable behaviors. Someone who is comfortable isn’t thinking about escape and their body positioning will show that.

They may have their body positioned exposing vital areas of the body. The abdomen, inner thigh and undersides of their arms are great places to start noticing. They may have their feet sprawled out in front of them. They would be unable to take swift action in the event of an emergency. Nonverbal behaviors are instinct driven and controlled by the hindbrain, the primal section. That means most of the time the behaviors happen without much, if any, thought on the part of the subject.

During an interaction when a person is exposing their vital area they may be feeling comfortable. Comfortable enough not to worry about any negatives during the interaction. Because behaviors are primal instincts they share common denominators of freeze, flight and fight. Comfortable is the only category that doesn’t take a protective stance of some kind. It is the only category that a person would be willing to give up their ability to escape from.

Waving arms or legs crossed at the feet show comfort. Showing vital parts of the body or any behavior which defies gravity are all examples of comfortable behaviors. Something as small as the thumbs sticking skyward with clasped hands in front of the body is a sign of comfort.

This was behavior I watched for when observing my team and how they held themselves. One venue we worked was a bar setting so we often interacted with people who had too much

to drink. We trained all our security officers to stand in a neutral stance. This was so they were not perceived as aggressive by the general public. It’s secondary purpose so they could have the fastest reaction time possible in any event. I would watch as the Security Officers stood ready to respond to any action the patron took. I notice some of the officers held their thumbs skyward as they progressed through the interaction and others did not.

After speaking with the officers I found an interesting reason why the difference. I found that those who were not defying gravity with their thumbs were not as confident in their abilities. Notably the ability to defend themselves should the interaction turn violent.

Submissive Behaviors

Submissiveness is; ready to conform to the authority or will of others; meekly obedient or passive. Which means that submissiveness is antithetical to dominance. These two behavioral categories are polar to one another. As such, there are stark differences between what’s observed when watching others.

In the previous section we used the example of the salesman. We explained how their behavior at the onset of the interaction could influence the exchange. Putting the person who is looking to buy in the dominant position within the interaction. We used that example to highlight the dominant behavioral traits. It is also a prime example of how making the slightest shift in behaviors can control the outcome. Especially when the interaction is happening between people who do not know one another.

How does submissive behavior look when shown between people who already have a personal relationship? There is one main example that we’ll go through to try and show what some of those behaviors may look like.

Kids are great starting point because they have yet to be corrupted by the social contract or they are unaware of accepted social cues. These very same cues which causes many adults to self edit or manipulate a given situation.

You are standing outside of the classroom waiting for the school bell to ring and your child to be released for the day. You notice that there are many other parents already there waiting alongside you.

The bell rings and the classroom door swings open and the area breaks out into chaos as the children start to flood the area. They are breaking away from the crowds and heading to their normal meeting spots. Your daughter comes out holding hands with one of their good friends as they frolic toward you. Once they arrive you ask them how their day was and who they ate lunch with. Both children enthusiastically explain that it was hot ham and cheese day at school! That they scraffed their food then spent the majority of the lunch period on the playground.

Through all the ruckus you notice that there are still parents arriving late after the bell has rung to collect their children. One person in particular catches your eye as they are walking toward you vehemently. You have seen them around before picking up a child as well. You are not sure though if they are here to pick up your child’s friend or some other kid.

You see that your daughter’s friend has also noticed that person. And with that the child’s behavior changes. While leaving the classroom and for a couple of minutes they had been happy, upbeat, and defying gravity. Their behaviors were happy and excited. Waving hands and arms in the air and dancing around hugging their other friends.

As the new adult approaches the friend is restricting their movements. They are not waving their hands in the air, not dancing around and they are no longer hugging their classmates. But rather they are behaving in an entirely different way. They are trying to hide among the rest of their peers. As the adult gets closer the child’s shoulders raise toward their ears hiding their head, much like a turtle. The child sulks slowly away to meet the approaching adult.

You watch the interaction between the adult and your child’s friend. You take note that the adult did not yell at the child. They did not hit or verbally harass the child. The child seemed to be in good health while they were running around as they exited the classroom.

You think to yourself, “there’s nothing to the feeling I have in my gut. There’s no reason I should worry about the child. They will be fine.” Finishing up their goodbyes for the afternoon, you start walking toward the vehicle. The interaction is over.

What’s important to remember is that the change you observed in the child is indicative of something being wrong. The adult could be aggressive emotionally or verbally toward the child. The adult may have been having a bad day. The child may have been feeling guilty for something they did prior in the day. Or something more sinister, which we would never be able to tell from simply watching the interactions.

Polar changes in behaviors of children should be noted. The example above would be enough of a cluster to approach one of the administrators of the school. Enabling them to watch and be aware that there may be some concern of abuse within the relationship.

The above example is one that I have observed a handful of times while dealing with my own children and it is never a fun experience.

One of the best explanations that I can give would be any behavior that attempts to “hide” or reduce

the visual footprint of the subject. Some other examples of submissive behaviors would be hiding the thumbs while someone’s hands are in their pockets. Or turtling as stated above in the previous example. Gravity defying behaviors should be noted when dealing with any of the big four behavioral categories.

Dominant = getting big and taking as much space as possible Submissive = Getting small and reducing the visual footprint of oneself

Uncomfortable Behaviors

When we start looking at behaviors which may indicate a person is feeling uncomfortable, there may be some obvious shifts in the baseline. Uncomfortable behaviors are like submissive behaviors. A person may show a desire to leave or hide during the situation. They may shift their body language and posture in a way that makes them look smaller. They may be removing access to some of their vital areas of the body.

As with all anomalies, a cluster is needed to verify that the hypothesis you have created is correct.

Someone showing uncomfortable behaviors is most likely experiencing some emotional or physical discomfort. Uncomfortable behaviors can be identified from the slightest to most obvious actions. Such as both feet facing the doorway or a slight shift in where the abdomen is facing.

Some uncomfortable behaviors to look for may include:

Fidgeting Self pacifying behaviors Blocking Positioning body to escape or react Sweating above and beyond that of the baseline

Examples of uncomfortable behavior can be seen daily in the interview room. When a Human Resources professional begins the hiring process an interview is almost always a required step. The interview process is a golden opportunity to observe how some will act when they are uncomfortable. Interviewing for a position is not something that people do on a normal basis. As such there is quite a bit of anxiety associated with it. Having to brag about oneself while staying humble, attempting to gain employment is high stress.

It’s understood that an offer for employment is a consensual agreement between the employer and the employee in most states. The burden of meeting the “standard” still rests on the shoulders of the potential employee if they hope for any consideration. There will be the potential for ample perceived threats during the process. Questions about past work experiences, credit history and/or criminal background are all hot topics.

Each of the above topics are great places to watch for anomalies to the baseline of behavior. The vast majority of the population have had some sort of emotional tie to at least one of these. And there’s a plethora of other topics, each independent to the person, that may be emotionally charged.

For example, you ask an interviewee a question about their past employment history. Their baseline of behavior up to this point has shown them engaged in the conversation. They have been leaning into the conversation. Speaking with emphasis and modulating their tone and volume throughout the previous questions.

When you drop the question their behavior changes a little. They are no longer leaning into the conversation. They are now leaning away from you and sitting with their back straight against the back of the chair. That’s anomaly number one.

You notice this change and switch up the topic of conversation. In an attempt to get the interviewee reengaged, you ask about previous personal accomplishments. It works, they are back at it, engaging and back onboard leaning into the conversation once again.

After a few minutes you want to test if the anomaly you noticed before had something more to it. The next question is about work history again. But this time you ask about a different employer than the last one you were talking about before. To that question of past work experience the interviewee doesn’t show any major changes to their baseline. They stay engaged and comfortable in the conversation.

Past work experience is not where the emotional burden is for the interviewee. Being a student of nonverbal communication, you make effort once more to try and see if the original anomaly could lead to something. You ask about the past work experience of the company you were talking about when the first anomaly was noticed. Sure enough, there’s a change in the baseline of behaviors again.

The interviewee again becomes distant in the conversation. Leaning away from the conversation and not speaking at the same rate or with the same tone. This time you notice their leg is starting to bounce and that they are taking a couple of seconds to pick a hair off of their coat. Breaking eye contact, which had been solid throughout the previous part conversations.

You have noticed a cluster of anomalies and can now articulate what you saw should the need arise.

Breaking of or aversion to eye contact is one. Changes in tone and pace of conversation is two. Creating a space between them and you by leaning away from the conversation is third. The self pacifying behaviors are fourth and fifth. They were the bouncing of the leg and the self preening which created a full cluster of anomalies.

It’s been identified that there are some sort of emotions about that specific past employer. The emotion isn’t tied to past work experience as a whole. The interviewer may never get the chance to figure out why there was any sort of emotional response to being asked about a specific past employer.

Knowing how the biological process work allows us to explore what it all means. Nonverbal cues are completely based on the perceptions of the mind. When someone perceives incoming information in a specific way they will react to it. In the next issue we’ll be delving into this reaction and, as observers, what it is that we are looking for.

The Baselines of Behavior By Luke Daniel

Luke’s experiences as a Global Executive Protection Agent, Instructor at Tony Scotti’s Vehicle Dynamics Institute, and a student of behavioral analysis/non-verbal communication have led him to work with Fortune 1000 companies as a leader in human assets, “buy in,” and business resiliency.

The post Baselines of Behavior appeared first on Circuit Magazine.

Tactical Firearms Training – The Basics

If you plan on working internationally in the close protection or security industry you will be expected to some degree to know how to handle firearms. Now, to get things straight to start with, what most people, especially Americans, don’t realize is that most non-government close protection jobs are unarmed due to the legal restrictions on firearms in most countries. Part of your threat assessment for any assignment needs to include the laws on the use of force and what if any weapons are legal in the locations you are going to be working in. Being caught with an illegal weapon, especially a firearm will get you thrown in jail very quickly, no matter how important you think you are! So, what do you need to know about firearms if you are looking to work internationally in the close protection and security industry, well the first and most important thing is knowing how to use firearms safely. To become proficient with firearms, like everything else takes practice and time, you’re not going to become and expert after a few hours’ tuition. Many firearms related accidents happen because those handing the firearms are not complying with the basic firearms safety rules of keep the firearms pointed in a safe direction and keeping their fingers off the guns trigger. If you ensure you always follow these two safety rules, you will be acting more responsibly than many others who are working with and carrying firearms. Remember, if you’re the one holding and in control of a firearm that accidentally discharges and injures or kills someone you will be held responsible. A thorough understanding of firearms and range safety is essential before you even start any shooting with live ammunition. Here is a more complete list of firearms safety rules and considerations. WEAPON SAFETY DEPENDS ON KNOWING YOUR WEAPON, CONFIDENCE, ALERTNESS Safety considerations for firearms must always be followed Always keep firearms pointed in a safe direction, especially when loading and unloading. Keep your finger off the trigger until the weapon is pointed at your target. If the action or slide on the weapon is closed, always treat the gun as if loaded and carry out the unload drills. Always show that a firearm is unloaded to a person before you hand it to them. When someone hands you a firearm, always check the chamber and make sure it is unloaded. Never take a person’s word for whether a firearm is loaded or unloaded, always check! Never point a firearm at anyone just for fun or play games with firearms. Always know what is behind your target and have a good backstop. Only fire-controlled shots. You can rapid fire but make sure you are hitting your target. Always practice tactical drills with unloaded firearms until you’re confident and competent enough to use live ammunition. Always unload firearms before dry-fire tactical training. Only use dummy ammunition or blank-firing firearms for demonstrations or dry-fire drills. Never mix blank, dummy, and live rounds. Always check that the gun is unloaded before cleaning. Never tamper with ammunition, and only use reloads from reliable sources. Never use damaged rounds, and always dispose of them safely. Keep guns and ammunition in secure storage when not in use. If you do not know how to operate or are having problems operating a firearm, get professional help. Never used drugs or alcohol when using firearms. Always check and comply with local firearms law Types of Firearms You should try to train with and get to know as many different types of firearms as possible as you never know what you will come across. You might be working unarmed on an assignment in a hostile environment but you need to know how to use the firearms you might encounter in that environment incase things go bad, say your hotel is attacked, and you might have to use the firearms of the local security, police, military and bad guys or make them safe after an incident. Pistols: The two main classification for pistols are semi-automatic and revolver. Sadly, most people these days tend to only train with semi-auto safe action guns such as Glock and S&W M&P’s etc. You need to know how to safely use revolvers, single and double action semi-autos, single action semi-autos and at least be familiar with derringers and sub-compact pocket pistols. Shotguns: I have heard quite a few supposed close protection experts, usually from police backgrounds dismiss the requirements for shotgun training. The reason for this I believe, is in their limited experience within a government agency they have never had the opportunity to use shotguns or travel to locations where they are used. I have personally working in Europe, South & West Africa, Middle East, US, Caribbean, Latin America and have come across shotguns being used in for security details in all of those locations. I would say shotguns are the most widely used firearm used for legal security purposes globally. Shotguns come in various configurations and you should at least understand break action, pump, semi-auto shotguns and the various types of ammunition and chocks. Assault Rifles: Even though most of the tacticool firearms training videos on the internet put an emphasis of training with AR-15’s and AK-47’s in reality there are not many places you can legally use them for security purposes unless you are in the military, on a government related assignment or working illegally. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the laws were put in place for security guards to carry assault rifles, but in most places if you are lucky enough to legally have firearms there is a greater change of it being a shotgun or a pistol rather than an AK etc. Sporting Rifles: In a lot of countries semi-auto firearms are banned or very restricted and the only legal firearms available will be sporting shotguns and leaver or bolt-action rifles. The only time most tacticool operators will consider learning how to use a bolt-action rifle would be if it was a tricked-out sniper rifle… Well, I am sorry if I offend any tacticool operators reading this but all hunting rifles, even with wood stocks, can be used as sniper rifles and for tactical applications. If someone is trained how to shoot properly, understands individual tactics and is armed with a decent leaver or bolt action .22 rifle, I would class them as far more value than the tacticool shemagh wearing operator who uses optics on their tricked-out AR-15 to hit paper targets at 15 meters… Other Firearms: Depending on where you are planning to work depends on the types of firearms you could encounter; in hostile environments you may need to have the rudimentary knowledge of how to operate belt-fed machine guns. Or, if you’re in an area where hunting is popular it might make sense to learn a little bit about black powder rifles and pistols, which in some places have a lot less restrictions on them than cartridge firing firearms. Tactical Firearms Training I have my own views of firearms training and the state of the firearms training industry but will try to keep them to myself as much as I can for the sake of this article. My basic advice to anyone looking at attending any firearms training courses would be is the course relevant and is the instructor experienced enough to teach it. The best place to get a good grounding in firearms training is in the military as you should be given thorough training, the bullets will be free, and you will also be getting paid for your time. There is no way you can replicate a few years military firearms training experience by taking a two-week tactical firearms course. One issues with those who have only had regular military training is that they are only used to dealing with a limited range of firearms. Personally, I only really started to learn and use handguns other than a Browning Hi-Power after I left the British Army and worked in South Africa, Eastern Europe and then joined a gun club in UK before handguns were banned. You must ensure the training you will be getting is relevant for what your going to be doing and is of a good standard. In the U.S. the general standard for training is what’s put out by the National Rifle Association (NRA). Most people don’t realize when taking a training course from an NRA instructor that it only takes one-day to become and NRA instructor or Range Safety officer. In the United States, it’s easy for a novice shooter to become an NRA firearms instructor, as I said it’s a one-day course, SERIOUSLY! With another one-day course they can become a Range Safety Officer, and after that with another one-day course a Chief Range Safety Officer able to certify Range Safety Officers… All without any experience of ever running a firearms course or any experience of actually working on a shooting range… I have come across NRA instructors who could not field strip their own firearms, Chief Range Safety Officers who had never used revolvers or shotguns. From their certifications you would expect them to be experienced professionals! Well, think again… You cannot gain the experience required to be a decent RSO or instructor by just attending a few theory classes, watch tacticool YouTube videos and belonging to Gung-ho online chat forums. The schools issuing these NRA certifications are making money, it’s business, but how many of their students then go on to market themselves as “firearms experts” after just a few one-day classes? I think this can be classed as fraudulent in anyone’s books. It’s just like taking a first-time driver, giving them a two- or three-day theory on how to drive, showing them a car, starting the engine and then certifying them to set up a driving school… Scary, right? Always verify the real-world experience of the instructors who you’re intending to pay good money for quality training. Firearms training can be very expensive so ensure you’re not wasting your money and understand that after just a few days training you’re not going to be at a professional level, whatever your certificates say! Ongoing dry and live firearms training and weapons familiarization is essential if your serious about working in hostile environments but learn to differentiate the difference between tacticool holidays and experiences and relevant training! Tactical Firearms Training – The Basics The post Tactical Firearms Training – The Basics appeared first on Circuit Magazine.

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