Social Engineering - Christopher Hadnagy [86]
2. In the U.S. this gesture is a “peace sign,” but in Europe it means “victory.” If you put the palm toward your face it actually means, “Shove it.”
3. In the U.S. this is a comfortable way of sitting and doesn’t denote any bad intent. Yet in other countries, such as Thailand, Japan, and France, as well as countries of the Middle and Near East, showing the soles of the feet demonstrates disrespect. Exposing the lowest and dirtiest part of your body is insulting.
4. In the U.S. this gesture means everything is okay. But in other parts of the world it has much different meaning. In Brazil and Germany it is an obscene gesture, in Japan it means “money,” and in France it means “worthless.”
5. In the U.S. this is a greeting, a way to say hello or good-bye. In Europe it can mean “no,” and in Nigeria it is a serious insult.
6. In the U.S. nodding your head is a way of saying “yes.” The same is true for many places, but in some areas, such as Bulgaria or Greece, it is a way of saying “no.”
These are just a few examples of gestures that can have varying meanings depending on where you are or who you are talking to. Understanding the different meanings of gestures is important because communication is often much more than what is said.
This section is intended to show that, during an interaction with a target, not only can these principles be observed but they can also be utilized to manipulate the target into a path of least resistance. Understanding the culture of the targets you approach will also keep you from performing a gesture that can have undesirable results.
Anchoring
Gestures can have some powerful effects when used properly. Some of these principles come from the study of NLP but can have a lot of power when you’re trying to set your target’s mind on a path you control.
One such method is anchoring, which is a method of linking statements of a like kind with a certain gesture. For example, if you are talking to a target and he describes something positive and good, you can repeat it back while gesturing with your right hand only. If it is something bad you can gesture with your left hand only. After doing this gesture a few times you begin to “anchor” in your target’s mind that right-handed gestures are linked to good things.
Salespeople use this method to further solidify that “their product” or “their service” is excellent and the competitor’s is not. Some politicians use this method to anchor positive thoughts or thoughts they want their audience to think of as positive with certain gestures. Bill Clinton was a great example of someone who understood this. To see this in action (albeit not former President Clinton) visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1v4n3LKDto&feature=player_embedded.
Mirroring
Another tactic when it comes to gestures is called mirroring, where you try to match your gestures to the personality of the target. Of course, this is not as easy as it sounds. But what can you discern about the target from just observation? Is she timid? Is he loud and outgoing? If you approach a timid person with large, loud gestures you will surely scare her off and potentially ruin your chances of making your social engineering attempt. By the same token, if you are more timid you will need to mirror “louder” gestures when dealing with “louder” people. Mirroring not only involves mimicking a target’s body language but also using gestures that make it easy for a person to listen to you.
You can take this principle to another level. Seeing gestures a target is familiar with can be comforting to him or her. However, you must strike a careful balance, because if your target has a particular gesture he seems to be using a lot and you use it exactly the same way, then you run the risk of irritating him. You want to mirror him, but not exactly. If the target ends a thought by placing his hand on his chin you can end a thought by placing your hand on