Many people understand the concept of situational awareness but struggle with how to utilize it.
Its the idea of interacting with the world around you in a way that it barely notices but you notice everything. How do you pull that off without looking like some kind of creep?
There are answers but you are going to find that it takes practice and thought. Lets talk about a few things that can be done on a simple night out with situational awareness.
Most Likely/Least Likely
This is a game you can play when you enter a restaurant or store. You are basically scanning your immediate area and looking for two types of people.
The first: the most likely person to commit a crime. The second: the least likely person to commit a crime.
People might filter in and out but keep this game up and you will have eyes on more people. Look for those who are nervous, out of place, angry, distracted.
Who’s Carrying
Another great game to play is: Who is carrying? This involves you watching people walk, stand up, sit down and deciding if they are carrying a concealed weapon or not.
You will find that its a lot easier to know who has guns in a room than you think.
Look for tells like bulked clothing at the waist and tactical style backpacks. These people aren’t necessarily the bad guys but its good to know where the guns are.
What’s out of Place
This part might make you feel a little rough. You are going to look at the people around you and look for who or what is out of place.
Go right to the meat of the matter and consider demographics, finances and basically all socioeconomic and cultural norms.
This is called profiling and while its frowned upon in our society, its affective if this practice.
