Cold Read
Want to be a hit at the next party? Cold reading is a classic trick used by magicians, soothsayers, Relax In Front of the TV psychics, and other entertainers and charlatans. By asking a person the right questions, listening carefully, and making a guess or two, you can convince even many skeptics that you really are able to communicate with the spirit world.
Contents
Steps
Select Your Subject
- Choose a subject. The "subject" is the person on whom you will perform the cold reading.
- Select the person you will "cold read" ahead of time if possible. The more time you have to learn about your subject, the better. Some cold readers actually have accomplices visit or interview the subject prior to the cold reading so that the cold reader can then use this information to dazzle the subject and the audience.
- Asking for a volunteer is also a good way to choose someone, as volunteers are likely to be receptive and, more importantly, will likely want to believe that you can communicate with the dead or that you can see things about them that you should have no way of knowing. However, watch out for skeptics.
- "Shotgun" the audience. Shotgunning is a technique in which you make one or more broad general statements, such as "I'm sensing someone who has had some marital problems recently," or "There's someone named, I think, Billy, that's asking to communicate with his granddaughter." As you address these statements to the audience, watch for reactions. There's almost certainly someone who has recently had marital problems or whose grandfather went by the name Billy.
- If you want to narrow your pool down further, you can try to refine your "knowledge" by then making more specific assertions, such as, "This Billy, he lived a long life. He used to enjoy fishing, no hunting maybe - being in the outdoors." Focus on the people who reacted to your very broad first statement and then look for further reactions. Using this technique allows you to gain the subject's confidence and to amaze the audience before the reading has even begun.
- Observe your subject. Even if you have only a little time to get to know your subject, you can still learn a lot by "profiling" them.
- Look at readily available visual clues about the person that will tell you something about them. Their age, the way they dress, their height and weight, and the presence or absence of a wedding ring are among the many clues that can help you immediately learn more about the person.
- Read the subject's body language. Before the reading starts and throughout your cold reading, watch the subject's body language carefully. Involuntary gestures, facial expressions, and changes in posture can tell you whether the person is becoming anxious, which is usually a good sign that you have said something that is correct or are about to do so. Looks of disappointment can signal that you've said something wrong, and if you correct yourself slyly and quickly, the person and the audience (if there is an audience present) will be amazed at your correction.
- Make a mental list of assumptions about the person. As you observe the subject, think about certain things that you could reasonably guess about them. Some of your assumptions will be wrong, but it helps to build a character in your mind.
- Prepare the subject. Introduce yourself and get the subject's name. Look in their eyes and tell them, if you haven't already, that you can communicate with the spirit world. Explain that the person on the "other side" really wants to communicate with them, but that you are merely a vessel or "go-between" and you will need the subject's help. This makes the reading more dramatic, prepares the subject for the possibility of mistakes and enlists their cooperation.
Begin The Cold Read
- Go fishing. If you ask questions, you'll often get the right answers from the subject himself. For example, you could clarify what you learned in shotgunning by asking, "Now, Billy, he's your grandfather?" Ask questions in such a way so that they can be perceived as statements. That way, if the subject affirms your question, it will seem as though you knew the answer. If the subject indicates that Billy was not his or her grandfather, it's okay because you were just asking a question.
- Build on the answers to your questions. Most of the time, the subject will volunteer more information than is necessary. He might say something like, "No, Billy was my uncle. He lived on a farm." You now actually know something about your subject. By using this information to ask more questions, you can give the impression that you actually know quite a bit about the subject. If you're a good listener, you can get up to speed quickly.
- Delve deeper. Once you're on a fruitful line of questioning (or "reading"), keep going. If, for example, the subject says they are making a decision. You could follow that with a statement such as, "But this decision involves another person, too." Most decisions do involve at least one other person to some extent or another. If you're observant and brave, you might notice the subject's wedding ring and say instead, "But this decision needs to be made with your husband." If you're right - because the statement is so obvious, yet also targeted toward an observable attribute of the person- you'll be that much more impressive.
- Make a positive analysis of the situation. Once you've helped the subject to open up and you have some idea of what you're talking about, you can bring the reading to a satisfying end by relaying a message from the deceased friend or relative. You don't need to be exact and you don't need to give advice. Just tell the subject what he or she wants to hear: that everything will go well.
- You could say, for example, "Billy wants you to know that he's always watching over you and he misses you. He's happy and he wants you to be happy too. And you will be. You're going to make the right decision." You may want to warn of challenges ahead to give a more realistic tinge to your reading, but the most important thing is to make the person feel good.
Cover Your Tracks
- Use Barnum statements. Barnum statements, named after the circus showman P.T. Barnum, are statements that will apply to just about anybody, but which will give the impression that you know something about the subject. Using Barnum statements is like shotgunning, except you're just dealing with one person.
- For example, you could say, "You're on the verge of making a big Make a Personal Decision in your life." Most people, at any given time, are dealing with a big decision. The subject will likely be somewhat impressed that you knew that about them and may even volunteer more information.
- Make the subject's answers your own. Much of what a cold reader does is simply repeating back what the subject has said. Do this in such a way so that it appears you already knew the answer. If you manage to do this cleverly, the subject will tend to forget that it was he or she that gave you the information.
- Suppose the subject affirms that they are on the verge of making a big decision. You can simply say, "Yes, that's right," thereby claiming their answer as your own. You can even go further by saying, "Yes, that's right. It's been troubling you for a while now." The more information the subject volunteers, the more information you can claim.
- Use pregnant pauses. One method of fishing around for information is to pause long enough for a reaction from your subject.
- For example, if you mention that a decision needs to be made with her husband, you can wait a moment to see if the person has anything to say about that. She may immediately tell you you're right or wrong, or they may be expecting you to tell them more. In the latter case, watch their physical reaction. If you see some reaction that tells you you're on the right track, take up where you left off with a statement such as, "He's worried about the decision."
- Cover your errors. Sometimes a question will simply be off the mark and this can ruin the illusion if you don't recover quickly and gracefully.
- Suppose, for example, that the person says they are not on the verge of making a big decision. There are a number of ways to handle this. One would be to say that the spirit you're communicating with must be talking about someone else that you both know. Another would be to change the time frame with a statement such as, "But you made a big decision in the past year, something of a new start." You can also subtly change the way the question is framed with a statement like, "I'm sensing something new is happening in your life or is about to happen." Twist the questioning until it makes sense to the subject.
Tips
- Practice your showmanship. Learn some buzzwords. Learn how to be a convincing actor. Set the mood.
- Choose people who believe in psychics, or are desperate to believe something is true or false. It is easier to trick them since they are more likely to believe and/or respect you.
- Employees with name tags often forget that they have them on. A simple cold read is to guess the person's name. Most of the time, the person's mother will have been the primary name-giver. You can mention this and it may reinforce their belief you have special powers.
- Keep the encounter brief and mysterious. If you know you will encounter the person again soon, develop other points based on future visual and response cues.
- Props, such as a Tarot deck or tea leaves can heighten the drama and take some of the attention off the actual process of cold reading.
- Remember, the subject likely wants to believe in your "powers" and you just have to foster that belief. He or she will then attribute more knowledge to you than you actually displayed.
- The "rainbow ruse" is similar to Barnum statements. In a rainbow ruse, you make a general statement about a personality trait that the subject has, but you also hedge your bets (and invite the subject to open up) by also attributing the opposite trait to them. For example, you might say, "You like to make decisions carefully and patiently, but sometimes you're impulsive."
Warnings
- There are many unscrupulous cold readers and "psychics." While many just want to scam a little Make-Money some are more dangerous. Cult leaders and criminals, for example, have been known to use these techniques to dazzle their victims.
- Be aware of the effects you may have on someone. Be very careful about giving advice, predicting bad news or opening up emotional wounds. After the reading, let the subject know that it was just for entertainment purposes.
- Be very careful whom you choose to use this technique on. There are people who will not respond well when you reveal this is just a trick (and you must always reveal it as a trick). If you pick the wrong mark, they may respond with Release-Anger or hurt. Messing with people's emotions in any way is cruel and there are often consequences.
- Some skeptics will volunteer just to make a spectacle of debunking the cold reading myth. If you hear someone talking proudly about his or her skepticism, or if a potential subject seems too haughty, choose someone else.
- This should be used just for fun. As good as you get at this, it is simply a gimmick.
Related Articles
Sources and Citations
- randi.org Examples of exchanges between celebrity cold readers and subjects
- DenisDutton.com A good discussion of the Barnum effect
