Imagine you’re in an unfamiliar neighborhood that seems a little sketchy. You don’t know anyone, and folks are giving you suspicious looks. Maybe you’re even in another country where you don’t speak the language, and everyone can tell you’re a foreigner. In situations like this, blending in with the locals helps to evade potential troublemakers.

Blending in with Aran Dharmeratnam

What do you do when you’re new in town? Swagger down the street like a tough guy so people won’t mess with you? Or try to go unnoticed like the proverbial gray man?

It all depends…

Gathering Information

Aran Dharmeratnam has been in those situations more times than he can count. He’s traveled the world studying a variety of martial arts and later working in the high-end private investigation field.

He’s learned there’s no “one size fits all” response to potential trouble. But there are some things you should be thinking about before you go into any unknown territory. At the top of that list is gathering as much information as you can.

“It’s important to know the environment you’re going into beforehand,” said Dharmeratnam. “Knowing what you’re going into can change your whole demeanor.”

As an example, Dharmeratnam was once tasked with investigating a financial fraud case. He was set to meet with the person suspected of committing the fraud in an undercover capacity. Thinking the meeting would take place in a central London office building, his dress was business casual.

But then he discovered the meeting was taking place in a shabby neighborhood outside the city that gave off distinct criminal vibes. Standing out like a sore thumb, Dharmeratnam had to endure an unpleasant grilling from a very suspicious suspect.

“If I had more information going in, I would have dressed to blend in to that environment,” he said.

Blend It Up

The art of blending into an environment is largely about appearing like you feel comfortable there, even when you don’t. Dharmeratnam, who’s of Indian descent, spent a year in Moscow where he was quite obviously not a local. Still, he managed to get along by giving the impression he was at ease in his surroundings.

“Think of yourself in an environment you’re confident in, and that will affect your demeanor. Sometimes you almost want to walk as if you’re entering the octagon for a UFC fight,” he said. “But there are times that might make you more of a target if people think you’re arrogant or wealthy. This is very much based on feel and awareness.”

Part of that awareness is about what you’re focused on. Sometimes, you want to be looking ahead, both figuratively and literally, to see potential problems coming your way. Other times, you need to be detail-oriented to pick up on little behavioral clues from the people around you. These can tell you how to act.

In Moscow, for example, people generally don’t smile. If you go around grinning, locals may quickly realize you’re an outsider.

But while being detail-oriented is useful, you need to be aware of them without seeming too focused.

“I’ve worked with people from military backgrounds and sometimes they can appear too switched on. That can make them stand out in a crowd, even if they’re trying not to,” said Dharmeratnam.

Purpose Driven

A key to blending in is looking like you have a purpose in whatever place you find yourself.

Dharmeratnam recalled a case where he was hired to do surveillance on a female subject. All he was told was she would be in a bar wearing a red dress. But he found five different women there wearing red dresses.

As he glanced around, trying to find his target, he noticed the bartender watching him suspiciously. Dharmeratnam immediately told the bartender he was there for a date with a girl he met on a dating app, but he wasn’t sure who she was. He was then free to surveil the crowd at will, looking quite natural as he did.

To scrutinize your surroundings outside on the street without appearing to, Dharmeratnam recommends simply wearing a hat. Pulled down with the brim partially obscuring your face, you can look around without being obvious. Of course, the hat itself shouldn’t be one that attracts attention or makes it seem like you’re hiding.

Dharmeratnam also suggests props like hats can be useful for making “meta gestures” when you need to misdirect people’s attention. If confronted by someone, you might take off your hat and adjust it. This can serve to distract them, perhaps creating an opportunity to disengage from them.

The key to such disengagement tactics, Dharmeratnam believes, is to do it without looking like you’re trying to get away.

“When I was being grilled by that criminal in the financial fraud case, I kept talking about setting up another meeting to discuss things further. In reality, I was trying to disengage without letting him know I wanted to get out of there,” he said.

Don’t Stress Out

Perhaps the most important part of handling a potentially dangerous situation is managing your stress level. Dharmeratnam recommends breathing exercises he’s borrowed from various martial arts.

One useful practice method is to hold a posture and do relaxed breathing through your nose. When you need to access that breathing in a stressful situation, it should seem more natural and not as strained. But while breathing through the nose is less conspicuous, there are times you might need to breathe through your mouth.

“In situations that require physicality, you may need to breathe more assertively. A quick breath through the mouth is the most accessible starting point. Not to calm down but to wake up and perceive what’s going on in the moment,” he said.

“Stress takes us out of the moment. It takes us into the past, thinking about how we got into that situation. Or it takes us into the future, worrying about what might happen. Staying in the moment helps you remain calm. Being calm helps awareness. Awareness helps our perception to pick up details. It’s all interconnected.”

For more information on Aran Dharmeratnam, please visit tri-tier.com.