cold reading 101
DESCRIPTION
Cold reading is the process of gaining information about someone without that person realizing that they are actually giving up the information themselves.TRANSCRIPT
What Is It..?
• Cold reading is the process of gaining information about someone without that person realizing that they are actually giving up the information themselves. This is achieved using a series of tricks and psychological manipulations to coax information out of the interviewee, and then to pass it off as being generated by psychic powers or other means.
CHARACTERISTICS
The reading is 'cold' because it does not depend on any prior knowledge of the client.
The 'psychic' combines careful observations of the client's characteristics and behavior with a series of guesses that are based on deduction, knowledge of probabilities, and use of general ('Barnum') statements that are readily accepted by large numbers of people as being true of themselves.
TECHNIQUES OF COLD READING
Setting the scene
Observing characteristics
Making deductions
Pigeon-holing and focusing
Using Barnum statements
Fishing
Observing responses
Using verbal tricks
Reinforcing successes
Using 'outs‘
Clinching the deal
1. SETTING THE SCENE
• The cold reader must set the scene for the client, manage client expectations, and elicit client cooperation
PRESENATION
It is vital that the client has full confidence in the professionalism and ability of the psychic or medium and this can be encouraged in various ways,
Through advertising.
By displaying testimonials, photographs with celebrity clients, in brochures or on the walls of the consulting room.
By using professional props - e.g., tarot cards, crystal ball, pendulum, runes, or other "mystical" or spiritualist items.
MANAGING EXPECTATIONS
Expectations must be managed by briefly explaining to the client what they may receive from the reading, for example:
"We will aim to contact and receive advice from the spirits of the dear departed."
"The tarot cards will show you possibilities for your future life."
"I will try to answer any questions you have about your past and future.
ELICITING COOPERATION
Cold reading will only succeed if the client is cooperative and actively assists the psychic. This needs to be explained to the client at the outset. For example:
"You will need to help me to read the signs."
"The spirits will need your cooperation."
"It is important that you remain open and receptive."
2. OBSERVING CHARACTERISTICS
The cold reader carefully observes the client. Important characteristics to note are:
Gender.
Age.
Ethnicity.
Weight, apparent health, personal hygiene and any noticeable disabilities.
Any scars, bruises or skin blemishes.
Evidence of smoking, drug taking, alcohol use, etc
Clothing, hairstyle, jeweler and badges, body
decorations.
Any transfers on the clothes (e.g., animal or human hair, grasses, mud, oil, or stains).
Voice quality (regional accent, pitch, pace and modulation).
Vocabulary
3. MAKING DEDUCTIONSFrom these observations, the psychic will be
able to make some highly probable guesses about the client. This is sometimes referred to as the "Sherlock Holmes" technique. For example:
An engagement ring will generally indicate an impending marriage.
Signs that a wedding ring have been removed (e.g., by noticing lighter skin tone on the ring finger) may indicate a recent separation or divorce.
Educational level may be inferred from voice and vocabulary
Affluence may be inferred from clothing and jewelers.
Particular interests may inferred from T-shirts, badges, etc.
If the reading is done in the client's home, much more information can be gleaned (e.g., from family photographs, bookshelves).
4. PIGEON-HOLING AND FOCUSSING
The cold reader will generally aim to pigeon-hole (stereotype) the client into a particular category of person.
The most basic categories are based on gender and age (e.g., teenage female; middle-aged man; elderly woman).
More specific categories and stereotypes can also be useful
Having pigeon-holed the client, the reading is then focused around areas stereotypically of concern to people in this category, and also around any specific deductions that can be made based on observations of the client.
For example:
A mid-teen female is likely to experience difficulties relating to popularity, peer pressure and boys.
A middle-aged, poorly-dressed man who is rather overweight and wears no wedding ring, may have low self-esteem.
A man wearing a wedding ring whose breath and clothes smell of alcohol is very likely to have marital problems
5. USING BARNUM STATEMENTS
So-called 'Barnum statements' are named after the American showman P.T. Barnum who is often credited with coining the phrase "there's a sucker born every minute.
Barnum statements are those that seem to relate to a particular individual but actually apply to everyone, or almost everyone. Such statements are a typical feature of horoscopes and they are used extensively in cold reading.
• Research by psychologists (e.g., B.R. Forer) has shown that such statements are readily accepted by a person if led to believe that the statements apply specifically to them. Because they are easily accepted by the client, such statements also serve to enhance the client's general faith in the psychic.
Examples of Barnum statements are:
"You have much unused potential."
"You get a little anxious in new social situations.“
6. FISHING 'Fishing' refers to making some very specific,
seemingly improbable, statements that may or may not be true of the client.
If the statement turns out to be true, the strength of the "hit" will greatly impress the client, and the statement will be clearly remembered.
If wrong, then the psychic can simply move on to something else and the 'miss' will very likely be forgotten by the client. Alternatively the psychic may prefer to use an 'out' to excuse the failure.
7. OBSERVING RESPONSES
Especially when fishing, you can see the accuracy of your statements by observing carefully how the client responds.
In particular, watch the face and hands, and also look out for any uncomfortable shuffling in the seat.
These responses can often give away how the client is feeling about what you are saying. In this way it is generally quite easy to tell if you are on the right track, or completely wrong.
If you are right, then continue along the same line; if wrong, then subtly change track.
8. USING VERBAL TRICKS
There are certain tricks and subtleties in the way that language can be used that will greatly enhance a cold reading.
Verbal ambiguities
Some words have more than one meaning that can be usefully exploited by the cold reader.
By observing how the client interprets an ambiguous word, the reading can then follow up that particular meaning.
REPEATING INFORMATION GIVEN BY THE CLIENT The cold reader should file away in memory every
bit of information that the client gives during the reading.
This not only allows further deductions to be made from the information given, but the psychic can also exploit the fact that clients will often forget that they have said certain things.
This enables the cold reader to repeat back to the client, at some later point, information that the client has given, as if this information was being received psychically.
9. REINFORCING SUCCESSES
Whenever the client confirms one of the psychic's statements, this should be clearly reinforced by saying "That's right", or "Yes ", or "Good", or something similar.
This will help to convince the client that the reading is succeeding.
10. USING 'OUTS'
Sometimes the psychic will say something that is contradicted by the client. When this happens, the cold reader should come up with a plausible explanation or excuse for the apparent mistake.
This will help to convince the client that the reading is succeeding.
BLAME THE CLIENT
Often, the psychic can save face by subtly blaming the client for not understanding or not agreeing with a statement The implication is that the statement is true, but the client doesn't realize it, and is wrong to disagree with it.
This strategy can generally be used whenever there is a possibility, however remote, that the original statement is true.
• E.g. "You will understand this better later."
• The psychic can also directly blame the client for any resistance to statements, for example:
• "You must open your heart to these messages, my dear."
• "The spirits will find it easier if you are open to what they have to say."
11. CLINCHING THE DEAL
At the end of the reading, the psychic should briefly summarize the key (correct) information that was given (including that which came from the client) aiming to do so in a positive way that will provide comfort to the client. This should be combined with a statement that reinforces how accurate and genuine the reading was.
BECOME AN EXPERT Much of your success at cold reading will
depend on your observational skills, on your ability to read character and non-verbal behavior, and on your verbal fluency and capacity for quick thinking.
Some of the techniques mentioned can, however, benefit from good preparation.
