Commissions currently OPENHeyo! ''Hamish.'' 21. Studying Art and Writing at Portland State University. I'm nerdy, cisgender homosexual, and very easily entertained. I run a NSFW personal/fandom blog.I also have an art blog!
Things I post: Art; Sherlock; Doctor Who; Misfits; LoZ; LotR; funny things; Circa Survive; WtNV; Pokémon; and some hipster shit. I'm also obsessed with astrology and interested in social justice.
I am morally obligated to reblog: art, puns, Corgis. I make art and stuff. I also write fanfiction. If you'd like to help me out, but don't want a commission, you can click this fancy button to donate however much you please. Every dollar is immensely appreciated.
Designed a few years ago by Korean designer Jeong Yong,
it is the concept of a scanner reader for blind people. The idea was to
allow people to read non-Braille books and to avoid the costs of a
normal desktop scanner.
Congratulations! You are officially done with the first month of this training program. Have you noticed improvement in your observational skills?
Whoa, hold up, what are you even talking about?
Well, if you don’t know what the training program is, click herefor more information, and here for the overview on Weeks 1-4. I hope you’ll join us!
If the training did not go as well as you expected, don’t get discouraged- chances are that you are more observational now than you were a month ago, and if so, you have fulfilled the main objective.
If you followed the program religiously, I’m guessing you are ridiculously better now than you were at the beginning, and I applaud you for your dedication! You are well on your way to becoming an astute observer.
In either case, you now have a choice: repeat the first month, and continue to work on observation, or start our next major part. To be perfectly honest, you may find it beneficial to repeat the observation portion, as it is so so so important. However, also know that some observational exercises will be incorporated as we move forward, and of course you can come back to Weeks 1-4 whenever your heart desires.
Before we move forward, if you have any comments about how the last month went for you, or any suggestions on what we can do to improve the program, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Alright, so the next three weeks are going to be about
don’t underestimate how long I’ve been waiting to use that.
The focus on this part of the program is strictly to observe and analyze the behavior of other people. This means we will be looking at how they are acting, not what they are wearing or whose house they are in. Body language is one of the most important skills to have, as it is estimated that up to 93% of communication does not rely on the spoken word (this statistic has been in controversy in it’s creation, and if you would like to know more about where it comes from and why it is possibly misused, see the source at the bottom of this post).
Disclaimer: Yes, I know the difference between nonverbal communication (which includes tone, voice, etc) and body language. This section will cover body language only as that is easier to observe and deduce from at a distance.
/ 9 Rules You Must Follow
1. Observe people!
For this to work, you will have to look at people. Do it from a distance. Do it up close. Observe, observe, observe.
2. Observe behavior in context
Is it cold outside? Is it crowded? What’s the mood of the place? All of these factors must be taken into consideration when looking at behavior. If a person is nervous in a job interview, it is understandable. If they are nervous when talking to their significant other of 20 years, it can indicate something more going on.
3. Learn universal behavior
More on this in another post, but learning behavior that can be observed in most people is a good foundation to start. Especially when observing from a distance, or observing someone you don’t know. Much of our exercises will be focused on this aspect.
4. Recognize and decode idiosyncratic behavior
This is essentially the opposite of universal behavior. It is behavior that is unique to a person and easier to recognize the longer you know a person. Think nervous tics.
5. Establish a baseline
Baselines will be covered in another post, but it the normal behavior for a person. If a person is normally fidgety and jumpy, this is their baseline. If they are normally calm and collected, that is their baseline. Kapeesh?
6. Watch for clusters
This is an important one. No single movement by itself means enough to deduce from. You must look for clusters of behavior (generally three that indicate the same emotion) to be confident in your hypothesis. The more, the better.
7. Look for changes
Another very significant one. Changes in body language indicate changes in emotion; therefore you must look out for when someone’s body language changes, and then try to find out why.
8. Detect false/ misleading cues
More on this later, but as you become a better and better observer, you will need to learn how to know when someone is being misleading with their body language. This will only come with practice, and needs to be handled carefully, as it is very difficult to tell when someone is lying.
9. Distinguish comfort from discomfort
The two broadest categories are comfort and discomfort. First, learn cues that will tell you which of the two a person is feeling. From there, you can narrow down further and analyze their situation with more clarity.
/ Reference Chart
This will be a word document I put together. I suggest you all print out, take with you and use until you until you memorize cues. It is available here.
Here, you can also access amateur-deductions original posts about body language, which I suggest you read. There is only one right now, but more will be added when I get to them as the course progresses.
Read through the body language posts referenced above.
Read them again.
Read body language books.
Go out and observe people.
Observe your friends and, based on how they act afterwards, determine if you were right (or ask them).
Ask yourself questions.
How close are these people based on their body language?
What signals does this person exhibit?
Based on their signals, what can I tell about their state of mind?
Is this person comfortable/ uncomfortable right now?
Is there any one person who is exhibiting behavior different than everyone else in this situation?
Why?
Make up questions like these to keep yourself engaged and alert.
/ Sources Used
There’s a lot, I’ll keep adding as I remember them.
What Every Body is Saying by Joe Navarro (Book)
The Definitive Book of Body Language by Barbara and Allen Pease (Book)
Ellipsis Behavior Laboratories (Website)
Six Universal Expressions (Web Article)
Body Language in the Workplace by Barbara and Allen Pease
The 7% Rule by Philip Yaffe (Web Article)
/ Above All…
Remember that Sherlock Holmes was not born with the ultimate knowledge on how to deduce. He had to learn it, through years of practice. With dedication and patience, you can too.
Congratulations! You are officially done with the first month of this training program. Have you noticed improvement in your observational skills?
Whoa, hold up, what are you even talking about?
Well, if you don’t know what the training program is, click herefor more information, and here for the overview on Weeks 1-4. I hope you’ll join us!
If the training did not go as well as you expected, don’t get discouraged- chances are that you are more observational now than you were a month ago, and if so, you have fulfilled the main objective.
If you followed the program religiously, I’m guessing you are ridiculously better now than you were at the beginning, and I applaud you for your dedication! You are well on your way to becoming an astute observer.
In either case, you now have a choice: repeat the first month, and continue to work on observation, or start our next major part. To be perfectly honest, you may find it beneficial to repeat the observation portion, as it is so so so important. However, also know that some observational exercises will be incorporated as we move forward, and of course you can come back to Weeks 1-4 whenever your heart desires.
Before we move forward, if you have any comments about how the last month went for you, or any suggestions on what we can do to improve the program, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Alright, so the next three weeks are going to be about
don’t underestimate how long I’ve been waiting to use that.
The focus on this part of the program is strictly to observe and analyze the behavior of other people. This means we will be looking at how they are acting, not what they are wearing or whose house they are in. Body language is one of the most important skills to have, as it is estimated that up to 93% of communication does not rely on the spoken word (this statistic has been in controversy in it’s creation, and if you would like to know more about where it comes from and why it is possibly misused, see the source at the bottom of this post).
Disclaimer: Yes, I know the difference between nonverbal communication (which includes tone, voice, etc) and body language. This section will cover body language only as that is easier to observe and deduce from at a distance.
/ 9 Rules You Must Follow
1. Observe people!
For this to work, you will have to look at people. Do it from a distance. Do it up close. Observe, observe, observe.
2. Observe behavior in context
Is it cold outside? Is it crowded? What’s the mood of the place? All of these factors must be taken into consideration when looking at behavior. If a person is nervous in a job interview, it is understandable. If they are nervous when talking to their significant other of 20 years, it can indicate something more going on.
3. Learn universal behavior
More on this in another post, but learning behavior that can be observed in most people is a good foundation to start. Especially when observing from a distance, or observing someone you don’t know. Much of our exercises will be focused on this aspect.
4. Recognize and decode idiosyncratic behavior
This is essentially the opposite of universal behavior. It is behavior that is unique to a person and easier to recognize the longer you know a person. Think nervous tics.
5. Establish a baseline
Baselines will be covered in another post, but it the normal behavior for a person. If a person is normally fidgety and jumpy, this is their baseline. If they are normally calm and collected, that is their baseline. Kapeesh?
6. Watch for clusters
This is an important one. No single movement by itself means enough to deduce from. You must look for clusters of behavior (generally three that indicate the same emotion) to be confident in your hypothesis. The more, the better.
7. Look for changes
Another very significant one. Changes in body language indicate changes in emotion; therefore you must look out for when someone’s body language changes, and then try to find out why.
8. Detect false/ misleading cues
More on this later, but as you become a better and better observer, you will need to learn how to know when someone is being misleading with their body language. This will only come with practice, and needs to be handled carefully, as it is very difficult to tell when someone is lying.
9. Distinguish comfort from discomfort
The two broadest categories are comfort and discomfort. First, learn cues that will tell you which of the two a person is feeling. From there, you can narrow down further and analyze their situation with more clarity.
/ Reference Chart
This will be a word document I put together. I suggest you all print out, take with you and use until you until you memorize cues. It is available here.
Here, you can also access amateur-deductions original posts about body language, which I suggest you read. There is only one right now, but more will be added when I get to them as the course progresses.
Read through the body language posts referenced above.
Read them again.
Read body language books.
Go out and observe people.
Observe your friends and, based on how they act afterwards, determine if you were right (or ask them).
Ask yourself questions.
How close are these people based on their body language?
What signals does this person exhibit?
Based on their signals, what can I tell about their state of mind?
Is this person comfortable/ uncomfortable right now?
Is there any one person who is exhibiting behavior different than everyone else in this situation?
Why?
Make up questions like these to keep yourself engaged and alert.
/ Sources Used
There’s a lot, I’ll keep adding as I remember them.
What Every Body is Saying by Joe Navarro (Book)
The Definitive Book of Body Language by Barbara and Allen Pease (Book)
Ellipsis Behavior Laboratories (Website)
Six Universal Expressions (Web Article)
Body Language in the Workplace by Barbara and Allen Pease
The 7% Rule by Philip Yaffe (Web Article)
/ Above All…
Remember that Sherlock Holmes was not born with the ultimate knowledge on how to deduce. He had to learn it, through years of practice. With dedication and patience, you can too.
