As a professional speaker and strategic planning facilitator, I have a lot of balls to juggle on a week-by-week basis. So, I use a third-party source for administrative support. Sheila Moland of Pressing Engagements is that source, and she helps me in more ways that I can count. As a part of her services, she works with the speakers and other professional contacts with whom I am engaged. Since I started working with Traci Brown, I sent Sheila a couple of Traci’s books so she could familiarize herself with Traci’s “voice.”
Traci Brown is a body language expert and speaks to regional and national groups on how to tell if someone is being disingenuous, as well as how to effectively to use both body and spoken language to persuade. Amongst her materials Sheila reviewed was a “How to Get Out of a Traffic Ticket” cheat sheet to clip on your car visor. Some weeks later, as Sheila was on her way back to South Georgia from West Florida, she was pulled over by a Florida Highway Patrol officer. While she knew she was in fact traveling faster than the stated limit, she felt she was not so far over the limit that if she used Traci’s tactics, she might be able to avoid getting a citation.
Now, most of what Traci indicates you should do in this situation is common sense: Stay in the vehicle. Keep your hands on the top of the steering wheel where the officer can see them. Her suggestions on how you should verbally exchange with the officer, though, are where the real magic takes place. Sheila conveniently had the cheat sheet in her car, and she quickly ran over the plan prior to the officer approaching her. Sheila followed Traci’s suggestions to perfection, and, sure enough, she got off with just a warning.
No, I am not going to tell you how Sheila accomplished this; you need to check out Traci’s content for yourself. The point is that Sheila had availed herself of Traci’s advice before she got pulled over. Then, because of the cheat sheet, she was able to remember the advice in a situation where her heart rate was likely elevated and she might have easily been flustered. It is the ability to make good decisions in a crisis that forms the basis for my book Grounded, and I like how my content dovetails with what Traci is advocating.
How are you readying yourself for making great decisions in a moment of crisis? It might be getting out of a ticket, or it might be something much larger and more significant. The time to be prepared for a crisis of any size is before it occurs.
I strongly recommend you get a copy of Traci’s cheat sheet and watch the associated video on how to get out of a ticket. And if you need a great speaker on using body language to detect fraudulent or dishonest behavior, check out Traci Brown at www.tracibrown.com.