Have you ever been to a movie or read a book where a character seems always to be able to predict what is going to happen? Every time the camera pans to some impending doom, it comes back to that character and finds them coolly prepared and responding to the threat. Wouldn’t it be great to have that skill? Well, I can’t promise that you will become a Jason Bourne or Sherlock Holmes, but if you practice the techniques in this post, you will find yourself more able to stay out of trouble or deal with it when trouble finds you.
Step One – Observe actively
Observation is a basic skill that we all learn as infants and children. As we grow, we also learn to ignore, or at least disregard, normal behaviors in people around us. In every situation, there is a baseline of normal activity. For instance: in a concert, you expect people to engage with the music, look toward the stage, and maybe clap or jump or sway to the rhythm. This is normal behavior and shouldn’t cause you any alarm. However, if you saw the same behaviors in a courtroom, you would wonder about the mental stability of the person acting that way. As we observe our surroundings, we must look for the unusual and assess it for possible danger. Standing in line at the coffee shop? Is someone there fidgety or constantly looking quickly around the shop? They may not be a threat, but they are definitely someone to keep a wary eye on!
People aren’t the only things you should observe. Knowledge of your environment plays a critical role in allowing you to respond quickly and correctly to a threat. When you enter a building, look around and find out where the exits are (including windows, doors, and fire escapes). This leads to step two.
Step Two – Orient yourself
Wherever you are, there are better and worse places to stand or sit. If you followed step one, you should already know where entrances and exits are located. Try to position yourself near an exit with a clear view of the entrance. Remember, however, that humans do NOT have eyes in the back of their heads (despite what your mother told you). Always try to position yourself so that someone cannot easily approach you from behind. The orientation principle has a significant impact on how you move through a parking lot or garage. As you walk to your vehicle, avoid walking between closely parked vehicles as much as possible. When loading groceries or children into your car, avoid leaving your head down inside the vehicle for more that 10-15 seconds at a time. Always try to be aware of the people moving around you, and also make sure you always have an escape route should trouble arise.
Step Three – Decide on a course of action
Indecision is one of the most dangerous speed bumps we face in an emergency situation. The brief moments that pass while our minds struggle to make a choice can easily result in death or serious injury to ourselves or loved ones. It has been proven many times over that people on an adrenaline rush frequently make poor decisions. The best way to avoid such a pitfall is to make your decisions before a life threatening event occurs. Since you have already observed possible problems and oriented yourself for a better response, you are well on your way to setting up a framework for responding to an emergency. Simply take a few moments to consider what seem to be the most likely scenarios that might occur in your location and develop a basic plan of response. It is important to know that it would be impossible for you to predict and prepare for every possible danger that could arise. The very nature of bad situations is that they are generally unexpected. The point of this step is simply to give you a response framework that pre-sets actions in a logical order. That way, when the time comes, your decisions can be made quickly and smoothly so that you can ACT.
Step Four – Act!
I have spent a significant amount of time studying CCTV footage of accidents and violent crimes for research purposes. Many times, the whole situation could have been stopped or prevented if someone just acted instead of avoiding the situation or ignoring it altogether. If you have followed steps 1-3, you will probably see the trouble coming at least a few seconds before about 90% of the people around you. You will also be in a better position to act than a large number of others in your vicinity. Finally, you will already have a mental framework for the decisions that you will need to act on to achieve a safe outcome. Now it is time to act! Don’t hesitate. If you see something about to happen, respond before it occurs if you can do so safely and legally. If you can recognize a bad situation, you can frequently avoid the situation altogether, or prevent it from happening to begin with. The key here is to know what your goals are. Are you a mom with kids? Your goal might be to protect your children and escape. Are you a police officer? Your goal will likely be to diffuse or control the situation. Who you are determines to a great extent what your responses will be.
In Conclusion
All of the steps above are known as the OODA loop (pioneered by Air Force Col. John Boyd). They take time to learn and time to practice. Don’t expect to be an expert on day one. In fact, the first time you try to apply these skills, you will probably feel silly and paranoid. However, as you become used to the first three steps, you will find that you can perform them without any fear, but rather with a greater sense of peace and preparedness than you previously had. If you are interested in learning more about how to practice these skills, please feel free to contact me via the contact page on this website. Good luck and stay safe!