Originally Posted by
tmspa
I enjoy reversing these attempts.
Just yesterday a passenger tried to psych me out. He looked over and said, "you're not profiling now right?" He thought he was smart because he "made" me. Instead of making up some B.S. and pretending that I wasn't a BDO, I engaged him in a conversation about SPOT. He said that he thinks it is illegal because he believes that we are secretly profiling. I told him I was sorry he felt that way and I assured him that the work we do is cross-cultural and solely based on behavior. I sincerely enjoyed talking with him and wished him a good trip.
It was interesting to hear his voice pitch change and his words become shaky after I engaged him instead of backing down or looking away.
So how would you deal with someone who refused to answer you at all, or just ignored your attempt to strike up a conversation? Do you have the legal authority to keep someone from flying, or will you just make their time at the airport miserable by calling over a police officer and possibly make them miss their flight?
On the same note, how would you deal with deaf or mute passengers, or those with speech impediments?