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This is the fourth of a six part exercise to read behavior of both sides of a conversation using an incident where police officers were called to a home where there was the report of a potential break in.

(Video Source)

The Workout

  • Context: In the following video, two police officers talk with a man who was reported being seen outside of a home while carrying a shovel.  In this fourth part, the first officer who spoke with the man is at her patrol car to check on his information, while the second officer is speaking with the man.
  • Because of the length of the video, this exercise will be broken up into a six-part series.
  • Task 1: First, assess the man being contacted’s behavior and identify the observations that support that assessment.
  • Task 2: Second, are there any changes in the man’s behavior when this 4th segment is compared to the first three parts of this exercise?
  • Task 3: Third, assess the police officer’s behavior and identify the observations that support that assessment.  View this from the perspective of the man being contacted.
  • Task 4: Fourth, Identify the cluster of behavior that the police officer likely believes that he is displaying towards the man and identify the observations that support that assessment.
  • Note: We acknowledge that the assessment in task #4 is HIGHLY subjective.  We aren’t in the officer’s head and haven’t talked to him.  We are basing this assessment (when it is different than the behavior observed in Task #3) on the observations and behaviors we can collect in this video.
  • Write your answers on a sheet of paper before viewing our answers

View Our Answers

  • I assess the man as falling into two clusters during the video
  • Task 1: The Man (Initially): The Uncomfortable Cluster
    • Takes a couple of deep breaths
    • Continues to try and get his mom on the phone
    • He leans back in his chair and then immediately comes back forward
    • He crosses his legs and then quickly uncrosses them
    • He is tight lipped with details until he is asked for more information
    • He gets a bit frazzled while trying to pronounce his last name
  • Task 2: Are there any changes in the man’s behavior?
    • Yes
  • The Man (At The End): Begins shifting into The Dominant Cluster
    • In response to getting asked if he has any warrants on file – begins getting annoyed with the questions.  Answers the question abruptly.
    • Says, “I don’t know what the problem is…” in response to the question about an ID and appears to be getting more annoyed that the police are still there despite the fact he has already explained his story.
    • Starts to walk down the stairs so they can go talk to Charlie – trying to get definitive proof that he isn’t a criminal.
    • Illustrating gestures begin to change towards making points explicitly clear
  • Task 3: The Police Officer (As assessed by man): The Dominant Cluster
    • Continues to question the man’s story and tries pin down where he lives
    • Asserts authority: “You can put it on speaker phone.”
    • Asks if he has any warrants on file for him
    • Ue off emblem gestures when he gives the man the “thumbs up” sign when explaining the confusion for the last name.
  • The Police Officer (As likely assessed internally): The Comfortable Cluster
    • It appears that he acknowledges that he believes him.  After the call, the man says, “You do believe me, right?” The officer doesn’t verbalize it, but the man’s response indicates that the officer likely nodded his head or something.
    • Tries the joke again, “People don’t typically break in and then sit on the porch.”
    • When the man tries to go get the neighbor, Charlie, says “No, we straight” – indicating that he doesn’t actually see the guy as a likely criminal.
  • Add a comment with the assessments that you made, but that we didn’t make, so that other viewers can benefit from your analysis as well.

Enhance The Workout

  • Repeat
    • Rewatch the video as many times as is necessary to identify each of the observations that we have identified for the man, the way the officer is likely being perceived by the man, and the way the officer is likely perceiving his own actions.
    • Despite the fact that there is only 10 seconds of interaction, that provides a long enough period of time to build a cluster of at least 3 indicators for each assessment.
    • Being able to quickly establish the initial cluster (the baseline for the man being contacted), is critical so that you can have a point of reference to measure any changes in behavior against.
  • Reflect
    • Are there any times in your life where you have observed a discrepancy between the type of behavior you think you are displaying and the way another person might be perceiving you?
    • This is what is commonly referred to as a miscommunication, where what someone says (whether verbally or nonverbally) is interpreted differently by the person receiving the message than the person communicating it.
    • Think about times where you may have been part of a miscommunication and assess the difference in the cluster of behavior used to express whatever was being talked about.  The goal isn’t to focus on the content of the words conversation itself, but in the way it was expressed.
  • Act
    • As we seek to minimize miscommunications, being able to view a conversation that you are having from a detached perspective is a skill that takes practice.  You are viewing this in a POV way as the footage is from the officer’s body camera, but try to envision seeing this as an outsider.  How is the officer standing? How is he (likely) sizing up the man? How is the man (likely) sizing up the officer?
    • Throughout the week, use some conversations that you are in as an opportunity to practice detaching yourself and viewing the interaction as an outsider, where you can observe yourself through the eyes of another.  It won’t come naturally at first, it absolutely takes work, but is a skill that once developed, can be a huge asset in your ability to assess other people and influence their future actions and behavior.

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