188 I Can Read You Like a Book A
final step of the interpretive process: “A,” or analyze. Once you
have analyzed what it all means, you can “D,” decide how you will
use that knowledge.
An individual’s norm
When Data, the android on Star Trek: The Next Generation,
has determined his chips have a glitch, he states that he is “not
functioning within normal parameters.” That’s normal parameters
for him. Even the quirkiest of personalities has a “normal” for him.
I am constantly asked how I can determine an individual’s nor-
mal patterns if he is affected by illness or genetic aberration, for
example. The answer is simple: I baseline.
I have a good friend who has Tourette’s syndrome. When I
first met him, it was a little disconcerting, but it soon became clear
that as he becomes comfortable, his symptoms rarely surface. Within
a few minutes, he won me over. I understand that he is okay with
some not-so-typical, involuntary actions.
I learned to read his emotions and thoughts as well as I can
read yours by taking two steps:
- I turned off the filters related to health/illness and
normal/abnormal that would have blinded me.
- I paid attention to what is normal for him.
This is baselining. Baselining is a much simpler exercise with
most people, although I can tell you that I pick up idiosyncrasies
from many people who do not have a disorder. By now, you likely
