Welcome to the PEEP Podcast. I’m your host Nicolle Morock, and on this episode, we’re focusing on the importance of being a good observer and how you can develop your observational skills.

You may be asking why is this topic important to a podcast about people experiencing everyday paranormal events. There are actually many reasons. First, there are two types of research studies that can be used to study paranormal phenomena: experimental and observational. Experimental studies tend to happen in a lab, but they can happen in the field, provided there is opportunity to try to replicate the study. Skeptical scientists will tell you that paranormal research is pseudoscience because you can’t replicate studies involving spirits and hauntings. While it’s true that getting ghosts to perform on command can be difficult even in good circumstances, calling paranormal research pseudoscience for that reason is willful ignorance.

In fact, that’s where observational research can come into play. Observational research is a form of scientific research in which you’re not trying to influence the outcome, you’re simply noticing the details and looking for patterns. Whether you’re conducting a survey of people participating in a ghost walk as discussed in Episode 2, or you’re investigating a supposedly haunted location, you’re committing observational research. And the more detailed data you collect, the better your results will be.

Other reasons for working on your observational skills include improving your people skills – or soft skills as employers now call them – becoming a more astute investigator and increasing your psychic or intuitive abilities.

In these cases, being a good observer means you don’t just look at something, you process what you’re seeing. How many things do you pass by on a daily basis that you never notice the details of? Hundreds, if not thousands, possibly. Of course, you don’t need all the minute details of every single thing embedded in your brain but recognizing more details of more parts of daily experiences can enhance your life on many levels.

When it comes to soft skills, noticing micro-expressions, body language, and tone of voice can help you read the room. Whether you’re participating in a large, public event or having a private one-on-one conversation, noticing and processing these things help you understand how receptive the other person (or people) are to what’s being communicated. And if you’re the one doing the talking, you may be able to change your tactic or your style to be more persuasive or entertaining – whatever your goal is. There are many articles and books about non-verbal communication, including body language that will help you translate what you observe into useful information.

As an investigator – be it paranormal or law enforcement – careful observation is everything. Your ability to recall the details of a scene, an event, or a witness’s testimony can make all the difference in how you report on a case and what conclusions you might make. In paranormal field investigations, if you’re lucky, you may become the witness, and your ability to notice, quickly process, and accurately recall details will be paramount.

If you’re working to develop your intuition or ESP, one of the best exercises you can do is to observe things most people never think about – like how the atmosphere changes from one place to another or how the feel of a room changes when someone new enters it. By actively observing subtle differences and their triggers, it becomes easier to tune into those things even when you aren’t intentionally or consciously doing it.

So, how do you become a better observer? Like any other skill, it takes practice, but unlike learning a new sport, it’s easy. The rules are simple: be intentional and make it a daily habit.

Here’s a simple exercise that you might even find relaxing:

1.     Pick a spot outside to sit quietly with nature. It could be your deck, a park, or any space outside, really. Tonight, I chose my garden, for example.

2.     Take a few breaths and clear your mind by focusing on what you see. Seeing the big things is easy. I see the fence, the sunflowers, the bench I’m sitting on, et cetera. But to become a good observer, you must go further.

3.     Notice the small things – the beetle on a blade of crabgrass, the two bees on one zinnia flower, the way the sunflower petals start to droop when they’re nearly spent, the black dragonfly that keeps coming back to the same post on the fence…

4.     Switch to one of your other senses. I hear crickets, the neighbor’s dog barking, a Carolina wren chirping, an AC unit, the light breeze blowing through my Catskill Mountain wind chimes, and a distant rooster that doesn’t know what time it is.

5.     What do you smell? I smell the dirt scent of garden, the flowers, and the bug spray that only half works.

6.     Just sit quietly wherever you are and take it all in. Identify, process, and think about it. Can you draw some conclusions about what you’re experiencing?

a.     The dog wants in.

b.     The dragonfly likes that perch.

c.      I missed a spot when I mowed the grass.

Observation doesn’t have to be earth-shattering, but the practice could eventually change your life.

Here are some ways paranormal field investigators can be more intentional about observing. Some of them are borrowed from forensic investigation.

• When you enter a room, start at one corner of the room, and carefully note the details as you move systematically around the space. If you have a camera with you, take photos as you go. That way if you hear something being moved within the room during the investigation, you have images to compare to if necessary.

• Don’t just consider how the room looks, think about your other senses, too. Is there a distinct smell or a constant noise? For example, air freshener could be mistaken for ghostly perfume late at night, if it’s not a smell you noted when you first arrived. Or the click of a thermostat could be mistaken for a light tap at an inopportune time – like right after you ask for a sign of a presence. (It happens!)

• When you talk to a witness, pay attention to their non-verbal cues. Are they fidgeting or are their hands clasped? Are they maintaining eye contact or looking around randomly? Is their voice relaxed, tight, or higher pitched than normal? These are all things that can help you determine their state of mind during your interview and can clue you in to whether they are sticking to the facts, exaggerating, or being honest or dishonest.

• Trust your gut. Remember when I mentioned earlier that you can become good at noticing changes in the energy of a room without trying? That’s one way our intuition works. If you feel like something or someone is a little off, pay closer attention to it and ask yourself why. Don’t just take it at face value when you look at it; observe.

I hope this episode gives you ideas for how to be a better observer in all areas of your life – whether at work, play, or when something unexpected happens. As I said earlier, you may find that this skill is life-changing, or even lifesaving.

Personally, I have benefited from it by realizing I was being followed in two different cities while traveling by myself. How? Because I don’t just look at who’s around me, I observed their behavior, when I crossed the street, ducked into a store, crossed the street again… you get the idea. But that’s a story for a different day.

 Thanks, again for listening!