Posted By: Fred Askew <faskew@yahoo.com> (208.251.33.194)
Date: 4/3/02 at 8:50 a.m.In Response To: Mr Prince of Evil, sir (Hayward)
I’m not a cold reader (and I'm not Bob either), but back when I used to do a lot of amateur magic I learned something about mind manipulation. Cold reading is just magic without the props and the formula is in many ways identical to high-pressure sales techniques.
(1) Ask a lot of questions, anywhere from 50-100 per person, depending.
There are three reasons for this.
(A) People tell you things about themselves even when they don’t think that they are doing so. And listen not only to the content of their answers but also to accents, word choices, etc., which can indicate where they grew up, education level, base intelligence, and so forth.
(B) Like a good sales person, you want them to answer yes over and over. You’re presenting a social interaction that says, “I am your friend. You and I are going to explore the secrets of the universe together. Trust me. Help me. The more you agree with me, the better your life will be.”
(C) People are more alike that we think we are. If you ask abouit 50 general topics with a person, you’ll probably get at least 10 "hits" that are very specific to their life. But the numbers don’t matter. If you use 100 topics and only get 2-3 that are applicable, the subject will be amazed that you got any. Once you get close at all, the subject will fill in even more details and give you credit for knowing them.(2) Never take “no” for an answer.
If the subject attempts to disagree with you, shift the nature of your question until you get a yes.
Example:
“I see an old man? Your grandfather?”
“No, my grandfather is still alive.”
“Another member of your family perhaps? Was there ever an older neighbor in your life?”
Keep backing further away into general areas until you get a “yes”.
If the subject is truly stubborn, tell them to work at solving the question. Maybe later they’ll think of someone to fit your description.(3) Don’t tell them where you’re going next.
You’re looking for opportunities. If the subject reveals something, you need to be able to jump on it and follow it up. Being too specific beforehand is too limiting. Cold reading is somewhat like extemporaneous comedy in that you must constantly gage the audience and alter your act based on their responses.(4) Stay in control.
You set the pace, you set the timing, you say when the subject is correct (agrees with you) or not correct (disagrees with you). Most important, it’s up to you to say when the session is over. Just like any other magic trick, you want to end with a “Ta-Da!” flourish. Hey folks, look what WE just did! Isn’t it wonderful? Aren’t you happy that you came to me?Showmanship
In magic, in sales, in politics, in cold reading, and in all other mind manipulation fields, showmanship is more important than technical skill.The Barnum Effect
People will interpret what you say so that it fits them, even if it doesn’t. This has been verified in lab studies. It’s a normal human trait, so don’t worry about being accurate on your end. Let the subject do the work for you. The only thing you have to do is make them want to please you. If your subjects like and trust you, you’ll get the performance you want from them most of the time.Mind Manipulation
It’s a social interaction, like hypnosis or suggestion. You set up the social situation. You define who you are (their new best friend). You tell the subjects what you expect from them (indirectly). You reward them with praise and closeness when they agree with you and you withdraw when they disagree. In just a couple of minutes, you will be in control.Next time you see a high-pressure sales person at work, watch their technique. Even telemarketers use mind manipulation. You don’t have to see the subject to be effective, although it helps. The only thing you really need are responses and reactions.
If you really want to mess with a high-pressure sales person (or psychic), don’t give them any responses. Or better yet, give them false ones. (No response at all is too suspicious.)
There’s lots and lots more to cold reading. Entire books have been written about it. But this is Fred's-Quick-Cold-Course. 8-)
Fred Askew
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