How to bluff your way out of any situation!
Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 1:17 pm
Teehee... man this was fun to write. lol
Ok background: as an assignment for English, i was asked to write an instructional piece. Basically, a "How-To" It could be on anything i wanted, so i chose something thats dear to me. The ancient art of The Bluff.
C+C appreciated. Just remember this was mostly written for fun.
[quote name=\'Copyright James Vercoe 2006\'][size=1]Writer’s note: All situations explained below are completely hypothetical, none of these actually happened. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidental, and were not meant to exist. Have a nice day.[/size]
[u][b][size=4]How to bluff your way out of any situation![/size][/b][/u]
Have you ever been caught in a situation that you couldn’t handle? For example: A school situation about not handing in homework, A conflict with your parents, or a situation at work that may could lead to you looking for a new job.
First off, to understand this guide thoroughly, we will define the term “bluff”:
[i]Bluff - [pronounced bluhf]
–verb (used with object)
to mislead by a display of strength, self-confidence, or the like: He bluffed me into believing that he was a doctor.[/i]
Understand that? It’s ok, I didn’t really expect you to. Basically “bluffing” is all about putting forward a story, and sticking to it with the right amount of confidence, so that it is believable as the truth. This can lead to a pleasant resolve of any situation, however, be prepared. Further bluffing may be required in extreme circumstances.
With that in mind, let us delve straight into an example.
[i]You are a year 12 student that is falling behind in your studies; you have a major assignment due, but have not finished it due to “more important things” going on in your social life. i.e. parties. (note: this is completely acceptable) Your teacher confronts you whilst at school and demands an explanation.[/i]
I will explain the steps, and then provide examples relating to the above mentioned situation. For all examples here “the target” "him" and “his” refer to the teacher.
[b]Step 1: Identify your target.[/b]
For a successful bluff, the first thing you need to do is Identify your target. Who is it that you are trying to bluff? This step is often the easiest to accomplish, as the answer is generally obvious.
[i]
I haven’t handed in my homework, and am being questioned by my teacher. Target acquired.[/i]
[b]Step 2: Create, understand and propose your bluff.[/b]
For some people, this is the hardest step to accomplish. To ease the pressure on this situation, it is always best to have a bluff ready, planned and rehearsed before the pressure of the situation is applied. Don’t over-elaborate. Keep it simple. The best bluffs are the ones that convince the target, are very possible to have happened, and are hard to check up on.
[i]My bluff for this situation will be a simple one “I had relatives from England staying for the past week, and as a result have had little time to spend alone, and pay attention to studying.”[/i] See how that works? There is a country mentioned, but do not go into specifics about the location within the country, this can lead to a sudden downfall. If you feel confident, you can talk about the size of the family (i.e. how many children) but this should be used only if you feel that the target is becoming wise to your bluff. The time frame proposed here is generally a good one, but it depends on how long you have had to work on the task that needs bluffing. In this case, the homework.
[b]NOTE: Never try to distract your target from the bluff; this can lead to suspicion about the credibility of your bluff. This being said, you should prolong the bluff for as long as necessary, then drop it and move away from the target.[/b]
[b]Step 3: Timing.[/b]
Timing can be the key to a successfully bluffed target, or being shut down. Remember to apply all of your facts, don’t leave any out. This can lead to a break in your story that could be critical. Do not rush the bluff, this could be detected by the target and disbelief could result.
[i]
Nice and casual, but be strong. That’s the best way to successfully bluff someone.[/i]
[b]Step 4: Understanding the reaction.[/b]
This step could also go by the name “Recognising what is needed.” You must learn to judge the facial, and body expressions of your target, and determine from there what else is required. For example: if your target’s eyebrows are lowered, and the mouth is slightly pushed outwards, or their hands are on their hips, or crossed, there is disbelief. Go to step 5. If however the mouth is slightly open, the hands are free from the body, or crossed within each other, if the target seems interested, skip Step 5 and go straight to Step 6.
Negative: [i]I could tell from the way his eyebrows were lowered, and his hands were placed on her hips that I was going to have to put extra work into this one.[/i]
Positive: [i]Wow. He is leaning in towards me slightly, nodding with his hands folded. What an easy target, time to use the closer.[/i]
[b]
Step 5: Re-apply the bluff if necessary.[/b]
Do not be afraid to do this. It can be crucial in certain situations. Often re-applying the bluff can demonstrate an element of truth to the target, just be confident with your bluff. Re-applying doesn’t mean that you have to re-tell the whole story; just a small section could be enough. Small extra details can be added here, but only if the situation is taking a turn for the worse.
Bluff going well: [i]“They had travelled all the way from England to see us; I thought it would be very rude of me to shut myself away and study. I mean, how often do I get to see them?”[/i] – Note the use of a rhetorical question at the end.
Bluff not going as well: [i]“They had travelled all the way from England to see us; I thought it would be very rude of me to shut myself away and study. Even if I wanted to, it would have been hard to ignore their three children, do you know how noisy a house gets with three children aged 3, 5 and 9 in it?”[/i] – Again note the use of the rhetorical question.
[b]Step 6: “The Closer”.[/b]
Always have a closer. This can be the most important step in the whole process. This allows for the bluff to finish, and you to escape further questioning. Often the closer can be a very simple thing, if applied with the correct body language. Appeal to emotions! This can be a very important and easy way of closing the bluff.
[i]I could see that I almost had him, so I nodded what he was saying and moved in with the kill. “I’m very sorry Sir, I realise that my studies are more important than family, and from now I will take extra care to make sure that my study prioritises my life.”[/i]
If you followed this guide as closely as you can, you should have now talked your way out of a potential negative situation, and can continue living your life as you wish. Just remember the basics I have outlined, and you will be fine.
[size=3]Long live the bluff![/size]
[size=1]Writer’s note: All situations explained above are completely hypothetical, none of these actually happened. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidental, and were not meant to exist. Have a nice day.[/size][/quote]
Ok background: as an assignment for English, i was asked to write an instructional piece. Basically, a "How-To" It could be on anything i wanted, so i chose something thats dear to me. The ancient art of The Bluff.
C+C appreciated. Just remember this was mostly written for fun.
[quote name=\'Copyright James Vercoe 2006\'][size=1]Writer’s note: All situations explained below are completely hypothetical, none of these actually happened. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidental, and were not meant to exist. Have a nice day.[/size]
[u][b][size=4]How to bluff your way out of any situation![/size][/b][/u]
Have you ever been caught in a situation that you couldn’t handle? For example: A school situation about not handing in homework, A conflict with your parents, or a situation at work that may could lead to you looking for a new job.
First off, to understand this guide thoroughly, we will define the term “bluff”:
[i]Bluff - [pronounced bluhf]
–verb (used with object)
to mislead by a display of strength, self-confidence, or the like: He bluffed me into believing that he was a doctor.[/i]
Understand that? It’s ok, I didn’t really expect you to. Basically “bluffing” is all about putting forward a story, and sticking to it with the right amount of confidence, so that it is believable as the truth. This can lead to a pleasant resolve of any situation, however, be prepared. Further bluffing may be required in extreme circumstances.
With that in mind, let us delve straight into an example.
[i]You are a year 12 student that is falling behind in your studies; you have a major assignment due, but have not finished it due to “more important things” going on in your social life. i.e. parties. (note: this is completely acceptable) Your teacher confronts you whilst at school and demands an explanation.[/i]
I will explain the steps, and then provide examples relating to the above mentioned situation. For all examples here “the target” "him" and “his” refer to the teacher.
[b]Step 1: Identify your target.[/b]
For a successful bluff, the first thing you need to do is Identify your target. Who is it that you are trying to bluff? This step is often the easiest to accomplish, as the answer is generally obvious.
[i]
I haven’t handed in my homework, and am being questioned by my teacher. Target acquired.[/i]
[b]Step 2: Create, understand and propose your bluff.[/b]
For some people, this is the hardest step to accomplish. To ease the pressure on this situation, it is always best to have a bluff ready, planned and rehearsed before the pressure of the situation is applied. Don’t over-elaborate. Keep it simple. The best bluffs are the ones that convince the target, are very possible to have happened, and are hard to check up on.
[i]My bluff for this situation will be a simple one “I had relatives from England staying for the past week, and as a result have had little time to spend alone, and pay attention to studying.”[/i] See how that works? There is a country mentioned, but do not go into specifics about the location within the country, this can lead to a sudden downfall. If you feel confident, you can talk about the size of the family (i.e. how many children) but this should be used only if you feel that the target is becoming wise to your bluff. The time frame proposed here is generally a good one, but it depends on how long you have had to work on the task that needs bluffing. In this case, the homework.
[b]NOTE: Never try to distract your target from the bluff; this can lead to suspicion about the credibility of your bluff. This being said, you should prolong the bluff for as long as necessary, then drop it and move away from the target.[/b]
[b]Step 3: Timing.[/b]
Timing can be the key to a successfully bluffed target, or being shut down. Remember to apply all of your facts, don’t leave any out. This can lead to a break in your story that could be critical. Do not rush the bluff, this could be detected by the target and disbelief could result.
[i]
Nice and casual, but be strong. That’s the best way to successfully bluff someone.[/i]
[b]Step 4: Understanding the reaction.[/b]
This step could also go by the name “Recognising what is needed.” You must learn to judge the facial, and body expressions of your target, and determine from there what else is required. For example: if your target’s eyebrows are lowered, and the mouth is slightly pushed outwards, or their hands are on their hips, or crossed, there is disbelief. Go to step 5. If however the mouth is slightly open, the hands are free from the body, or crossed within each other, if the target seems interested, skip Step 5 and go straight to Step 6.
Negative: [i]I could tell from the way his eyebrows were lowered, and his hands were placed on her hips that I was going to have to put extra work into this one.[/i]
Positive: [i]Wow. He is leaning in towards me slightly, nodding with his hands folded. What an easy target, time to use the closer.[/i]
[b]
Step 5: Re-apply the bluff if necessary.[/b]
Do not be afraid to do this. It can be crucial in certain situations. Often re-applying the bluff can demonstrate an element of truth to the target, just be confident with your bluff. Re-applying doesn’t mean that you have to re-tell the whole story; just a small section could be enough. Small extra details can be added here, but only if the situation is taking a turn for the worse.
Bluff going well: [i]“They had travelled all the way from England to see us; I thought it would be very rude of me to shut myself away and study. I mean, how often do I get to see them?”[/i] – Note the use of a rhetorical question at the end.
Bluff not going as well: [i]“They had travelled all the way from England to see us; I thought it would be very rude of me to shut myself away and study. Even if I wanted to, it would have been hard to ignore their three children, do you know how noisy a house gets with three children aged 3, 5 and 9 in it?”[/i] – Again note the use of the rhetorical question.
[b]Step 6: “The Closer”.[/b]
Always have a closer. This can be the most important step in the whole process. This allows for the bluff to finish, and you to escape further questioning. Often the closer can be a very simple thing, if applied with the correct body language. Appeal to emotions! This can be a very important and easy way of closing the bluff.
[i]I could see that I almost had him, so I nodded what he was saying and moved in with the kill. “I’m very sorry Sir, I realise that my studies are more important than family, and from now I will take extra care to make sure that my study prioritises my life.”[/i]
If you followed this guide as closely as you can, you should have now talked your way out of a potential negative situation, and can continue living your life as you wish. Just remember the basics I have outlined, and you will be fine.
[size=3]Long live the bluff![/size]
[size=1]Writer’s note: All situations explained above are completely hypothetical, none of these actually happened. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidental, and were not meant to exist. Have a nice day.[/size][/quote]
