She is playing for the camera. A very seductive chin tilt soft lip smile.He is slightly tense.
Summer Reading for Social Engineers
It’s summer time…
Which means warm weather, margaritas, and lazy summer afternoons. To help fill in the gaps, here is a list of classic readings for every social engineer.
Nonverbal Communication
Everyone agrees that nonverbal communication plays a huge role in social engineering. Here are some of the original texts that changed the field of nonverbal communication.
Silent Messages
By: Dr. Albert Mehrabian
Chances are you’ve probably heard someone say something like “words are only 7% of the communication.” Dr. Albert Mehrabian was the one who did the study that is often quoted, and in many cases, misinterpreted. His book, Silent Messages, explains what the widespread misrepresentation of the Mehrabian Myth.
Emotions Revealed
By: Dr. Paul Ekman
If you’ve seen the TV show Lie to Me* then you’re familiar with the work of Dr. Paul Ekman. Unfortunately watching the TV show won’t help you become better at assessing deception. Although if you want to learn the science behind facial expressions, while getting better at recognizing expressions of emotion, then add this to your list of summer reading.
What Every Body is Saying
By: Joe Navarro
Joe has written one of (if not) the most popular books on body language. Whenever I have a friend or family member who asks me how to start learning body language this is the first book I give them. Joe’s background and experience in the field give him insights that you don’t find many other places.
Persuasion and Influence
What would a reading list be without a couple of books that talk about persuasion and influence? Below are the two books that people in the industry reference the most.
Influence: Science and Practice
By: Robert Cialdini
This is without a doubt the most referenced book when it comes to the field of persuasion. If you haven’t already read this book you need to make it the next thing you read. Stop reading this post and get this book now! 
Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive
By: Noah Goldstein, Steve Martin, and Robert Cialdini
This book makes an excellent companion to the previous book (Influence: Science and Practice). Where the previous book is more theoretical and academic, this book is all about application. If you want to see how to apply the principles of persuasion, look no further.
Cognition and Thinking
The better you understand how the human mind works, the better you will be as a social engineer. Here are a few books to help unlock the mysteries of the mind.
Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions
By: Gary Klein
This book explains how experts make decisions in time-sensitive situations. Beyond applications for becoming an expert, it also provides a good model for decision making in general.
Memory-Enhancing Techniques for Investigative Interviewing: The Cognitive Interview
By: Dr. R Edward Geiselman, and Ronald Fisher
The cognitive interview is one of the best methods to enhance memory recall, and makes for a great introduction to the techniques of elicitation. I’ve had the opportunity to take training from Dr. Geiselman himself, and can attest to the utility of what he teaches. Unlike the television show Criminal Minds, this is the real stuff.
Your Brain at Work
By: David Rock
One of the biggest problems with academic work is how it applies in the field. This book fixes that by taking the science of the brain and showing how it affects our everyday lives. Plus it gives you some strategies for dealing with the biases and limitations we encounter.
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Olympians and their Emotions: Marti Malloy
Marti Malloy grew up on Whidbey Island (a small island in the state of Washington) and begun judo at the young age of 6, following in her dad and two older brother’s footsteps.
Twenty years later, the four-time National Champion is an Olympian and will represent the United States of America at the 2012 London Olympic Games this summer. She took time out of her busy schedule to speak with Humintell about her training regime, how she prepares for competition and how she manages her emotions in stressful times.
Malloy first realized she wanted to go to the Olympics after she met former Judo World Champion Mike Swain and Olympian Sandy Bacher at a judo clinic. She was only 10 years old at the time, but the Olympic fire had been lit:
“I realized that this sport was something that you could go all the way with. As a kid it was jaw dropping. [I realized] That this wasn’t just a fun thing you do locally; You could go and win the World Championships. I wanted to do that too. I wanted to be the best.”
Today the 26 year old Olympian has a rigorous training schedule, sometimes doing three workouts a day in addition to working part-time as a receptionist to help pay the bills. She called the training “exhausting” but understands that it is necessary to achieve her goal of becoming an Olympic Medalist.
Motivating herself to do workouts or go to practice can be a daunting task, especially when she is tired, but Malloy has found a unique way to inspire herself. Instead of focusing on the negative feelings of how she doesn’t want to go to practice, she thinks about the positive feelings she’ll have once the workout is done. By simply shifting her attention from the negative to the positive, she gains the strength to jump over her emotional hurdles, a technique that seems useful to us “average Joes” as well.
Although Malloy describes feeling nervous, shaky and excited before most competitions, she has trained her mind and body to enjoy and embrace the experience rather than let it affect her performance.
“I try to think of that butterfly feeling as a good feeling”
Interestingly, Malloy says she feels more focused for tougher tournaments, such as the World Championships; therefore, she fights better. When the competition is not as important, she feels there’s more on the line and puts more pressure on herself, although this feeling differs from tournament to tournament.
Malloy knows all to well the feeling of “letting her emotions get to her”. In the past she describes the feeling as her mind running a mile a minute and not being able to focus on the game plan. When she steps onto the mat, she felt like a deer in headlights.
The most helpful thing to Malloy in dealing with these feelings? Talking to herself and having a solid game plan are two strategies she employs to relax and calm her nerves.
Although the average person may not ever step onto an Olympic Judo mat, there are valuable words of advice that Malloy gives to others in dealing with their very emotional situations:
“Don’t focus on the things you can’t change. If there’s something you can do about it, you should do everything you can to change it. If there’s nothing you can do to change it, you have to move on”
To learn more about Marti, become a fan of her Facebook Page, follow her on twitter and visit her blog
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