Deduction Exercise 2: Observation

9, November, 2023

Rated: ⭐⚝⚝

Background

The best method for approaching deduction is Observation – Deduction – Knowledge. If you want to be a great detective, the first thing you need to do is to train yourself to be more observant.

You often hear the saying: “You see but don’t observe”. Observation is so much more intense than just seeing. Not only do you need to be more observant, but also you need to notice more details, even the obvious ones that a normal person would pay no attention to.

Level 1

Firstly, let’s get you warm up with the intensity of observation. Pick up something that would fit in your palm: a pen, a bottle of water, a drill. Take a really close look and notice as much as possible no matter how silly it maybe. Use a note if you must.

For example, let say you choose a pen. What color is it, what is it made of, do you see the scratches, what are the patterns of those scratches, do you see the ink smeared somewhere, there is scratches in these area, but not in the other spots, notice the ratio, etc.

Don’t try to deduce, stay with only observation for now.

Level 2

As you understand what you’re suppose to do, increase the intensity with time. Spend the first 30 seconds to notice as much detail as possible. After that, spend another 2 mins to full observe the object, see what you’ve missed.

Level 2.5: Use a notebook or a piece of paper and draw what you’ve observed. Notice how you forget the shape, the ratio, the scratches, where’s the logo at already.

Level 3

Rating ⭐⭐⚝

You don’t always have the convenience of observing things up close, so the next step is observing in distance. When observing closely, you can see so many details, but not in distance. The tradeoff for details is that you can see the surroundings.

Same protocols as level 2, adding some distance between you and the object. Try to pay attention to the distance and maybe how your object interact with surrounding objects.

During my practice a while ago, I was practicing observing a pen from far away. I notice that the paper was not in the center of the desk, but rather on the edge to the outside. It’s because the paper was used by someone else, and not the person who sat at the desk, it was a supervisor checking on the progress in this case.

Again, every details count and has its own importance. Don’t miss any no matter how silly it is.

Level 4

Adding a next level to the previous exercise. Now, not only do you observe a distanced object, but also a moving object. You will notice that it slightly less comfortable to observe this one. You either have to keep up with it or you won’t have as much time to observe.

A tradeoff for this is its rhythm, how does it move compared to surrounding objects, people, does it following a rule.

In Joe Navarro’s book about body language, he pointed out that if someone is walking aimlessly, slowly, and suddenly move with intent, faster, alert, he has found his prey, be careful for pick pocket. A sudden change in speed is what you need to pay attention to. But don’t forget to observe details too.

Level 5

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

More stars don’t always mean harder, it meant for advanced deductionist. Some of the techniques and knowledge are so irrelevant to most people, but useful to the most advanced people. Like in chess, advanced player would need to know that sometimes, trading a queen for 3 pieces are justified, but for intermediate players and below, generally, you don’t need to know that and just keep your queen.

The last level to observation is observing a crowd. You will need to pay attention to groups, notice how different groups have different vibe, movement speed, emotions, direction.