D Politicians, Pundits, and Stars 211
plays on the innate ability to make men more protective and less
fierce. She plays up the “I’m just a girl” to get men to either cease
attack or influence behavior in some way. Many women have
perfected this in personal relationships as well by quietly allowing
the men in their lives to believe they are in control.
The Flirt
He or she may rely on a variety of behaviors, and not necessarily
sexual ones. In my dictionary, flirting means making emotional con-
tact with someone, and filling the air with energy. It can be done
between the same sex or opposite sexes. You know you’ve encoun-
tered a flirt when, regardless of how far you are from him physically,
he seems close. There is no dead air between the two you. A skilled
flirt can connect with dozens or even thousands of people at the
same time, with each one certain that the connection is personal.
Some politicians do it through speech and some musicians do it through
song. A big reason why movie and TV viewers can feel attached to
stars is the artificial closeness that the camera creates. The flirt takes
your mind off of everything except the interchange. You suspend
looking at body language and may not even notice content.
As an interrogator, flirting is a requisite skill. I believe anyone can
learn enough to be an expert on any subject in two hours or less. All
you need is an understanding of where the issue intersects the
person—a skill inherent in flirting. If I can understand what about
your profession keeps you up at night, you and I have an emotional
connection. You will overlook hygiene, dress, and mannerisms in some-
one with whom you can identify. After all, when you have that
connection, anything negative about that person reflects on you.