Situational awareness: How to increase your observation skills.

You can never be too aware of your surroundings, that is why it is important to develop situational awareness.

The concept behind situational awareness is to be more observant of what is happening around you.

With the rise of mobile technology, we tend to spend more time in front of our tablets and smart phones rather than taking a look at what is happening around us. We type and walk and listen to podcasts and music while driving. These are just a few examples of the many distractions we experience throughout our days that interrupt us from the current moment.

Not being aware of our environment is what makes us more vulnerable to crimes such as being mugged or hijacked.

Criminals take advantage of the element of surprise by catching their victims when they are off guard. Thus, if you are more aware of your surroundings, in turn, you will have more time to think about how you can act in a dangerous situation.

Have you ever heard of the OODA loop concept?

It is a decision cycle based on observing your surroundings, orienting your thoughts, deciding what your course of action will be and then proceeding to act.

This thought process is a helpful tool when it comes to increasing your situational awareness and keeping your guard up.

Tip to increase observation skills for situational awareness: Observe what is happening around you and be cognitive of your environment.

While at a restaurant, observe where the exits are so that in the case of an emergency, you already have a plan of escape mapped out.

Activity: Practice taking note of what is happening around you and see what you can quickly memorize. I like to do this while in the car by counting how many robots are in between where I am coming from and where I am going to. I then take note of which robots have people loitering around them and if the same people are still loitering at the same robots when I pass the robots again.

By making use of this exercise you will start to train your mind to be more alert and to fully absorb your current situation rather than having a passive approach to situations.

Do you want to read about more tips to increase situational awareness? Let us know by sending us an email to siren@bluesecurity.co.za
Your opinion counts and we would love to hear your thoughts.

Sources: How to develop situational awareness. (2017). City Prepping.