Command Voice!

[SonnyPI]

Greetings associates:

Just a heads up in case this is the first of my posts you are reading. My initial history/ experience come from the investigative arena's predominately, military, civilian and Uncle Sam. Bodyguard work evolved in the last 7-8 years in a focused capacity. I share this because I have a unique bend on the business and activities of being a bodyguard, EP agent. There are many here with much more experience than I and I want to give all of them my utmost respect. All of us must pay our dues and this forum is an outstanding place for people of all levels of experience and interest to share and learn from each other.

OK, enough bla bla, to the subject at hand!

I was with my client a couple of months ago at a casino playing with some regulars for about three days. These are high stakes games and I see many of the same players. All are accompanied by at least one agent and all have drivers.

At the end of play later in the evening seated at the next table was one of the other players with his agent. It was not the regular agent I would usually see him with. Conversation informed me that this agent was new to this gig.

I observed someone from a distance who appeared to be walking with focus toward the table next to us. To reach it he would need to pass our table. I noticed that my neighbor agent realized this fellow was approaching and he stood up, placing his left hand on the table and left hip resting against the table. As the fellow continued his march this agent stood his ground and stated at least 2 or 3 times, "excuse me" in a low monotone voice. There was no response from this approaching fellow and he continued forward passing my table, bumping into the agent who in turn disrupted the tableware and his client. There was no aggressive action taken by this fellow he was apparently focused on something further out on the horizon in the dining room and not actually intending to approach the table.

As the agent turned to his client who was visibly agitated he was told to sit down. The client read him the riot act at this point.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FORM THIS SCENARIO:

Could the agent have stepped forward toward the fellow at all?
Could he have increased the volume and tone of his voice"
Did he need to place his arms up and hands out?
Did he have eye contact?
No a double tap was not appropriate!

You must have a COMMAND VOICE. You must be able to notice the hands, and get eye contact. You must be able to get the attention and control of any possible threat, if not get your client to a safe location.

If you have not had much opportunity to use your COMMAND VOICE while on details, it is very important that you become familiar with it. Practice it, alone, in front of a mirror, with friends, associates, in practice drills. Get a tape recorder and practice, listen to yourself and make adjustments as necessary.

If you don't take yourself and your presence, demeanor seriously, NO ONE ELSE WILL.

As always, I welcome any comments, criticism or questions. Feel free to IM or email directly as you prefer.

Cordially, Sonny

[Local Talent]

If you don't take yourself and your presence, demeanor seriously, NO ONE ELSE WILL.
You're right, of course, and I think that this quote is at the heart of the matter.

Reading your post I was thinking that a command voice and presence are necessary tools that are often acquired and developed in the military or LE. But knowing this is of no use to agents with a different background.

The exercises you mention are a good start, but without getting too philosophical, I think that what we do when interacting with others is sharing our "energy". So find your center, your inner truth, first, and then project it confidently, is what I would tell people. We read each other constantly and a lot of the communication is non-verbal so there's a lot more to it than the voice - stance, eye contact, and more, as you say.
We can focus on every way we project ourselves to control the output from the outside... or develop the "message" instead, knowing that the rest will flow naturally, from within.

Concretely, if one hasn't been blessed with a natural command presence, I'd advise getting into some sort of martial art and also a line of work where interaction with the public is constant.
I know that this is not what a generation who can't wait and doesn't want to pay its dues wants to hear. But in my own case, as someone who started out as a shy and introverted individual without the "benefit" of a large physical frame (OK, I'm a small dude :D)... I'd say that after a stint in the service that pulled me by the boot straps, years of private security gave me that BTDT way to assert myself.

The agent in that casino hesitated, probably unsure how to read the situation and how to handle it. Raising his voice could have embarrassed himself and his client if he was wrong, so he acted half-heartedly. A determined assaillant would likely have recognized this instantly, seen the opening, and gone for it.
A lot of rookie bodyguards, just as inexperienced, frown and act tough in order to deter attacks that they can't recognize or don't really know how to handle. They just hope that no one will see through the thin veil of BS.

Know yourself and what you can do, and (most) everyone else will, I agree.

[Lone Wolf]

Great Point.. Appearance and attitude are everything in this business...

[SonnyPI]

Great Point.. Appearance and attitude are everything in this business...

Agreed, and I would politely add reliability and competence to that short list.
Cordially, Sonny