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fandomhigh2006-10-10 08:39 am
tricksy-spy.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2006-10-10 08:39 am
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Through a Glass Darkly: Spies and Spying; Week 6 - Period 3
Leaning against the desk at the front of the room, Aly waited for the students to file in as the hour began.
"Good morning. I hope you all had a good, if colorless, weekend. Apparently one of our TAs," she grinned at Bridge, "is royalty now so be sure to bother him accordingly."
Last week, we talked about one of the ways. you can assess other people when you're relating to them. This week, I want to talk about being aware how others assess you - and how you can influence that assessment.
"Why?" She asked, looking around the class. She moved forward to sit on top of one of the empty desks in the front row. "Why do we care how other people look at us? If other people trust us? This class is about spying, right? Sneaking around in the shadows, blowing things up on occasion, outsmarting your enemy. What does making friends and inducing trust have to do with that?" Aly paused, waiting just a second to see if someone had an answer to her question.
"Because the best spies have to be able to make contacts, turn strangers into their agents, and even get other people to do the dirty work. If you're in the field, you're generally going to be getting strangers risk their lives or reputations for you. And there's no reason for a person to do that for someone they don't like." Aly shrugged. "Seems a bit of an oxymoron, doesn't it? Being a spy and worrying about if you're liked? But that's part of actual spywork. Do you know the saying 'a friend will help you move, a real friend will help you move bodies?'" She smiled innocently like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. "That's it exactly. Only hopefully not bodies generally, but information, papers, the all-important schedule of the person you're keeping under surveillance."
Aly turned to the whiteboard in the class and started writing.
11 Ways to Start Off on the Right Foot, or a Guide to Flirting.
1. Remain Still and Composed
2. Smile genuinely
3. Maintain as much eye contact as you can tolerate
4. Employ the same body language you would use with an old friend
5. Your opening statement is crucial
6. Assess then focus on the other person's interests
7. Mirror body language and echo speech patterns
8. Plan in advance what you're going to say about yourself
9. Be prepared for likely topics
10. Maintain unshakeable confidence no matter what
11. Work the silences
Returning her attention and gaze to the class, she gestured to the board. "Everyone likes an easy tip sheet, right? Here you are then, eleven ways you can start to build trust and establish rapport with a new contact." She winked. "Or a new interest. In all honesty, you can look at this type of conversation as flirting without sexual intent. What is flirting other than initiating contact and expressing interest in another person? You want to appear interesting, sincere, confident enough for the other person to think you're worth continuing the conversation with."
She looked back at the board. "Some of these are rather obvious. 'Smile genuinely.' I'm sure you've all met someone who just pulled his teeth back from his lips and called that a smile. It's not and it won't inspire warm feelings or even a smile in return. 'Your opening statement is crucial.' It's all the other person has to reply to, and when you're making contacts or flirting, you don't want to force the burden of the conversation on the other person. So don't box yourself in. Don't say 'wow, sure is hot in here.' What if the other person likes the heat? Ask them what they think and move on from there. Everyone likes talking about him or herself so find out their interests and focus your attention there."
Aly paused then rolled her eyes slightly. "But not to the exclusion of talking about yourself. Don't dodge questions. It's obvious and anyone smart enough to be your agent is smart enough to notice. I realise that sort of thing looks really good in the spy films or novels, but it just doesn't generally work. Give the person a reason to keep talking to you, give them a reason to share information about themselves. That's why you're planning in advance what you want to say."
"So, any questions about this, how you use it, why you use it, anything?" She asked, gazing around the room, meeting each student's eyes. "For today, I'd like you to pair up with someone in class and try these out. It can be someone you don't know or you and someone you already know can see how it works. For your homework, I want you to try this technique on someone you don't know very well at school or in town."
[OOC: Guidelines taken with gratitude from Handbook of Practical Spying. I'll be around all day, andplease do wait for the OCD to come up - it'll probably be about 20 minutes as I have to run to work first. OCD is up!]
"Good morning. I hope you all had a good, if colorless, weekend. Apparently one of our TAs," she grinned at Bridge, "is royalty now so be sure to bother him accordingly."
Last week, we talked about one of the ways. you can assess other people when you're relating to them. This week, I want to talk about being aware how others assess you - and how you can influence that assessment.
"Why?" She asked, looking around the class. She moved forward to sit on top of one of the empty desks in the front row. "Why do we care how other people look at us? If other people trust us? This class is about spying, right? Sneaking around in the shadows, blowing things up on occasion, outsmarting your enemy. What does making friends and inducing trust have to do with that?" Aly paused, waiting just a second to see if someone had an answer to her question.
"Because the best spies have to be able to make contacts, turn strangers into their agents, and even get other people to do the dirty work. If you're in the field, you're generally going to be getting strangers risk their lives or reputations for you. And there's no reason for a person to do that for someone they don't like." Aly shrugged. "Seems a bit of an oxymoron, doesn't it? Being a spy and worrying about if you're liked? But that's part of actual spywork. Do you know the saying 'a friend will help you move, a real friend will help you move bodies?'" She smiled innocently like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. "That's it exactly. Only hopefully not bodies generally, but information, papers, the all-important schedule of the person you're keeping under surveillance."
Aly turned to the whiteboard in the class and started writing.
11 Ways to Start Off on the Right Foot, or a Guide to Flirting.
1. Remain Still and Composed
2. Smile genuinely
3. Maintain as much eye contact as you can tolerate
4. Employ the same body language you would use with an old friend
5. Your opening statement is crucial
6. Assess then focus on the other person's interests
7. Mirror body language and echo speech patterns
8. Plan in advance what you're going to say about yourself
9. Be prepared for likely topics
10. Maintain unshakeable confidence no matter what
11. Work the silences
Returning her attention and gaze to the class, she gestured to the board. "Everyone likes an easy tip sheet, right? Here you are then, eleven ways you can start to build trust and establish rapport with a new contact." She winked. "Or a new interest. In all honesty, you can look at this type of conversation as flirting without sexual intent. What is flirting other than initiating contact and expressing interest in another person? You want to appear interesting, sincere, confident enough for the other person to think you're worth continuing the conversation with."
She looked back at the board. "Some of these are rather obvious. 'Smile genuinely.' I'm sure you've all met someone who just pulled his teeth back from his lips and called that a smile. It's not and it won't inspire warm feelings or even a smile in return. 'Your opening statement is crucial.' It's all the other person has to reply to, and when you're making contacts or flirting, you don't want to force the burden of the conversation on the other person. So don't box yourself in. Don't say 'wow, sure is hot in here.' What if the other person likes the heat? Ask them what they think and move on from there. Everyone likes talking about him or herself so find out their interests and focus your attention there."
Aly paused then rolled her eyes slightly. "But not to the exclusion of talking about yourself. Don't dodge questions. It's obvious and anyone smart enough to be your agent is smart enough to notice. I realise that sort of thing looks really good in the spy films or novels, but it just doesn't generally work. Give the person a reason to keep talking to you, give them a reason to share information about themselves. That's why you're planning in advance what you want to say."
"So, any questions about this, how you use it, why you use it, anything?" She asked, gazing around the room, meeting each student's eyes. "For today, I'd like you to pair up with someone in class and try these out. It can be someone you don't know or you and someone you already know can see how it works. For your homework, I want you to try this technique on someone you don't know very well at school or in town."
[OOC: Guidelines taken with gratitude from Handbook of Practical Spying. I'll be around all day, and
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