You have probably watched tons of fortune-tellers use crystal balls in movies, claiming to have psychic abilities to read your character, see your future, or even talk to your loved ones who have already passed.
You might even have been at the receiving end of one of those spiritual readings, and were probably shocked at how some, if not most, statements were or might have been correct.
Are fortune-tellers’ psychic powers for real?
I hate to disappoint some of you, but the truth is they aren’t.
If there’s one thing fortune-tellers and mentalists have in common, it’s cold-reading skills.
Cold reading is a mentalism technique that uses likely assumptions and guesses to give the impression that the reader has mind-reading capabilities.
In this article, we will share tips on how to do a cold reading – mentalism explained. This way, you can practice and build on this technique.
So shall we?
6 Tips on How to Do a Cold Reading
Below are 6 tips on how to do a cold reading and how to be good at it.
1. Observe and pay attention to your subject
Your subject will be an integral part of your reading. Try your best to pick a person who is neither too introverted nor extroverted. You will want to work with someone in between those personalities.
A highly introverted person may be skeptical, and because of their mysterious aura, it may be difficult for you to “read” them. An overly energetic person, on the other hand, may distract you and cause you to lose your focus.
Now, you won’t have any prior knowledge of your subject, but you can have an insight into their personality through their body language, facial expression, hairstyle, and even clothing.
A person crossing their arms or perhaps wearing simple, monochromatic clothes may suggest introversion, while someone who prefers dressing up in bold colors may be the extroverted type.
Pay attention to your subject. Before doing the reading, you can also make small talk to try to subtly nudge them to open up a bit. Observe their movements, make eye contact, and see if you can deduct something from your short conversation.
2. Have a balance of confidence and modesty
People tend to believe someone with credibility, which is why you need to be confident when doing a cold reading. No one wants to listen to a person who doesn’t look knowledgeable. Engage them with some witty humor if possible.
However, do not boast. Have a balance between confidence and modesty. Do not make bold claims about your psychic powers. After all, you have just met them, and they don’t expect you to be 100% accurate.
Say something like, “I can see that there are things that are deeply troubling you, but right now, it all seems blurry to me. Does it perhaps have anything to do with your family?”
In this video, you can learn some phrases and sentence starters that you can use in cold reading:
3. Shotgunning and Barnum Effect
Mentalists use several techniques in cold reading, but the most popular ones probably are shotgunning and Barnum Effect.
Shotgunning is named such because it mimics a series of shots fired in the hope that at least one will hit the target.
An example would be the statements on the previous tip we discussed, “Does it perhaps have anything to do with your family?”
You can continue in that course and add something like, “I can sense that someone has fallen ill.” Make sure your statements are vague enough. Later on, you can refine them as you see fit based on your subject’s responses.
Meanwhile, the Barnum Effect is named after the psychologist P.T. Barnum, who discovered the psychological phenomenon in the late 1940s.
From his study, he learned that people tend to believe in general characterizations and perceive them as personal, even though the statements could have applied to anyone.
The Barnum Effect explains why we are gullible to things like personality tests and horoscopes. We unknowingly associate generic statements with our personal experiences.
An example of a Barnum Effect statement is, “You praise other people’s strengths so easily but tend to be critical of yourself.”
4. Pick up on signals
Once you have successfully used either technique discussed above, you will begin to get subtle responses from your subject.
They could be simple nods, head shakes, or other body movements or facial expressions that may suggest that they either acknowledge or reject the statements.
Pick up on these signals, and you will know whether you are in the right direction.
5. Let your subject do the talking
You can also make your subject reveal things about them by concealing questions as statements. Like the examples we gave above, you can fish for information and hope your subject takes the bait.
Others may not respond, but some people will confirm your statements easily, especially if they feel that they can confide in you.
When your subject starts to open up, don’t butt in, just listen. They might begin to elaborate on the generic statements you made. Pay attention because you might be able to pick up something that can help you impress them later.
6. Keep practicing
Finally, keep practicing. Your cold reading skills can only improve if you keep doing it.
You can ask a friend to show you a picture of their friend you don’t know and practice cold reading through their photo. You will be surprised at how much you can assume about a person just by looking at their photograph. Then, ask your friend to rate how well you did.
Find ways to practice these tips we mentioned above. If you do so, you’ll become an expert in cold reading.
Conclusion
Cold reading is an important skill in mentalism.
Even if you’re not trying to become a professional mentalist, this technique can still be of help to you in your daily life.
By learning cold reading, you will have a deeper understanding of human psychology, and you may even develop better relationships with family and friends.