PHayes@SRI-KL (Pat Hayes) (06/25/86)
Brian Gaines and I were once both faculty in the same University, and he explained an interesting and effective technique of leadership called following from the front. It works like this: suppose one is with a group of people in a strange place, but someone in the group knows the area: and its time to go somewhere ( say, to lunch ). Then set off confidently in some direction or other as though leading the group to the right place. They will follow you. If its the right way, no problem. If its the wrong way, the person who knows the right way will say something about how he thinks the right way is over there..at which point you say something like " h yes, of course!" and go in the right direction. With a little intelligence applied to the initial guess, and some practice at conversational bluffing, this can be quite effective. The end result is that you learn the layout of the strange area and everyone else in the group thinks of you as someone worth following. I've seen Brian do this, and it works. Of course, it works best in areas which have little internal structure and where anyone with a bit of common sense and a gift with words can come up with something which sounds like a good direction to move in, and where nobody knows the right way anyway. Pat Hayes [There is a related "psychic" technique called muscle reading. The psychic leaves the room and some object is selected. The psychic returns, grabs someone's arm, and begins leading him rapidly around the room. Soon they arrive at the selected object and the psychic identifies it. The trick, which is reportedly easy to learn, is that the subject being led provides inertial clues due to his anticipation of search path. Belief in the psychic's ability may help, but rapid motion is sufficient to produce reflexive muscle responses. -- KIL]