On Cold Reading

1 Cold Reading to Build Relationships

As the type of person who would read a fine e-Book such as this, with an interest in
developing their social skills, I know quite a bit about you. I can ascertain, for example that
you have a tendency to criticize yourself, but then find solace in the kind words of others.
You have an incredible amount of personal potential that is just waiting to be tapped. You
are able to compensate for a few personality flaws with the ability to keep up appearances.
Your sexual development has presented some issues for you. You take pride in your
independence, and you have standards of acceptance regarding the opinions of others.

At times you can be extroverted, while at other times you are more introverted. You have a
part of you that wants to be liked by those around you. A shell of apparent strength hides a
few insecurities. You sometimes wonder if you made the right decisions. You have
developed more secrets as you have gotten older. A few of your dreams have already come
true, while a couple others are a bit fanciful. Finally, you seek variety in your encounters
and feel like a caged tiger when too many rules are forced upon you.

If you found yourself nodding and wondering how I was able to peer into your soul, you
have just discovered the power of Cold Reading. Cold refers to the fact that I know
nothing personal about you, dear reader. This relationship we have right now is so cold that
I cannot even see you, or hear your voice, and I have no background information on you.
That is as cold as you can get. Reading refers to the fact that I was able to open your
heart, and read you like a book! How did I do?

The script above is a classic reading, which has been passed on through generations of
fortune tellers, newly revised by yours truly in 2006. Swami lore has it that the original
version was culled from the best fortune cookies.

WARNING KEEP IT POSITIVE

Cold reading, if done well, is a hyper-powerful communication device. Some people will
believe every word you say with utter conviction, remember your reading for decades, and
even be motivated to take action. It is in your own best interest to always keep a positive
attitude when reading and never read a curse or demise, with intent to hurt or cause harm.
If you decide to use your new powers for the Dark Side, you will be subject to the Universal
Laws of Karma. Just dont go there.

Develop Instant Rapport

Cold reading quickly develops rapport and attraction with your audience by sounding like
you understand them intimately without ever having met before. The human need to be
validated by others is so strong, that when used properly, this technique can create the
illusion that you have known each other since childhood, which can turn a cold
relationship into a red hot one.

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 On Cold Reading

Apply the Fill-In Factor

Go up to someone, anyone, look them in the eye, give them a look like you caught them
with their hand in the cookie jar and say knowingly, I know about you know what!, then
squint your eyes. If they say they dont know what you are talking about, keep on playing
the attitude with statements of certainty like, Oh, yes! You know exactly what Im talking
about! You know what happened! Well, I found out, and now I know about you know
what! You might even add, You know that thing you thought no one would find out
about Im not going to recommend being cruel with this technique to extract all kinds of
dirty tidbits. The purpose of the experiment is to watch their face change from an
expression of Hmmm what are they talking about? to an expression of Searching
mental database. To an expression of, Ill bet they are referring to THAT thing!

This is what I call the Fill-In Factor. When given a generality, the human mind tends to fill in
specifics so that the thought will fit in with the rest of data in your noodle. Notice how all
the statements in the classic script are so general, that if said slowly enough, listeners will
fill-in details and examples from their own life that conforms to the statement. Did your
mind do that when you first read it?

Existing cold reading scripts are already general enough to incorporate the fill-in factor.
Keep this principle in mind when writing new scripts or in spontaneous reading.

To aid your memorization of the classic script above, use the techniques found in the
StyleLife.com e-Book On Memorizing Openers.

If you feel overwhelmed memorizing the entire script, just extract one of your favorite
sentences, and use it as a mini-cold-read. Once it is memorized, move on to two, then
three, and so on.

Assume an Authoritative Attitude

The most effective cold readings are done with a confident, authoritative, insightful tone.
This does not mean that you should be egotistical, overbearing or domineering. Be a gentle
giant. Demonstrate your telepathic powers with a veneer of humility.

Try an Experimental Attitude

If you are so positively nervous that you cannot control your anxiety during your first few
readings dont worry about it. If you cant fix it, feature it!

Hey! Howzit goin? Im so excited, I just read this new top-secret e-Book by Don Diego
Garcia about clairvoyance, and I wanted to try out these new powers. You game?

Control Your State

When you are relaxed, calm and collected, you will be able to read subtle clues from your
partner that you will miss when you are anxious, nervous, and jittery. If you like, before
you begin, take a deep breath to open your mind and perceptual range. It will also look like
you are concentrating more. This may also induce a deep breath in your partner, which will
make them more relaxed and suggestible too.
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 On Cold Reading

This e-Book and your rehearsals will put these resources in your head, but when you are
in a live field encounter you can read so much more from your partner by being outside
your head. If you have other rituals that help you to focus your internal state, by all means
consider making them part of the introduction to your reading. They can also build
suspense.

Seek Sources of Warmth

You and I, dear reader, are going to remain rather cold through the duration of this e-Book
relationship. But when you are face-to-face with someone, there is a fountain of clues that
will aid you in refining your reading:

Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Clothing
Accessories & Jewelry
Fingernails
Facial expressions and micro-expressions
Vocal articulations
Hand and body gestures

Its OK to close your eyes occasionally to concentrate, or help you read invisible energies,
but if you keep your eyes closed all the time you will miss valuable real-time cues from your
partner. Dont glare at them; use your peripheral vision and natural eye movements.
Whatever you do, do not stare at inappropriate body parts.

Pay focused attention on everything they say and do. Store it in your mental database for
retrieval later. Interpret their verbal and non-verbal messages, use your own wording, and
feed the information back to them later as if it was clear to you all the time. Let all the
information you take in from all your senses interact with your intuition. If it looks like a
duck and sounds like duck, its probably a duck. Just remember, when you call the duck out,
do it with a sense of knowing and not a sense of trepidation.

If you have a chance to do informal interviews with family and friends of friends before
meeting your new partner, by all means use that information too.

Polar Test and Drilldown

Some initial cold reads make a statement that contrasts two polar opposite qualities of a
personality scale. For example:

At times you can be extroverted, while at other times you are more introverted.

If you would like to conduct a polar test, make sure the descriptions are expanded so that
you have more time to let the ideas sink in and more chance to read their response.

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 On Cold Reading

For additional clarity, use the two-hand comparison: Lift, and indicate to one hand when
you recite the first type, then lift and present your other hand when you describe the
second type. Their eyes or nose will point to the hand they have more affinity with as they
consider each one.

At times you can be extroverted, outgoing, and social, while at other times you are more
introverted, solitary, and private.

While you are delivering the script, read your partners expression to see which quality they
associate with more.

If you are delivering a singular initial statement that is not bipolar, you will still need to
gauge their associative or dissociative reaction and then drill-down into the correct branch.

Associative Responses Dissociative Responses

Head Nodding Head Shaking

Eyebrows Raising Eyebrows Lowering
Eyes Opening Eyes Squinting
Smiling & Laughing Frowning
Body Turning Toward You Body Turning Away From You
Animated Expression Blank or No Expression

Already, within seconds after meeting a complete stranger, you can gauge their reaction to
your initial postulate and follow-up with a more specific observation that is customized to
their reaction. Its amazing how quickly two people can warm up to each other.

In the example above, if they responded more associatively to extroversion, you could drill
down like this:

You have a tendency toward taking action and exchanging warm fuzzies with others in your
life, with an occasional fear of being alone.

If they responded more associatively to introversion, you could drill down thus:

You have a tendency to enjoy meditation and quiet, peaceful places in your life, with an
occasional fear of social anxiety.

If they responded associatively to both extroversion and introversion, you could say:

Your flexible disposition adapts easily to your environment as you are in-tune with how to
act in various situations.

If they respond dissociatively to both extroversion and introversion, you could conclude:

While on the outside you make appearances that conform to your surroundings, on the
inside you are maintaining your own personal convictions.

The levels of drilldown continue as you refine and tailor your statements according to their
reactions.

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 On Cold Reading

Choose Your Words Carefully

Memorizing existing cold reading scripts is a great way to start. Later you may want to write
your own scripts, or just learn to read on the fly.

The best way to start a cold reading is with language that is so vague and general that it
cannot be interpreted definitively. This way your partner cannot catch you out:

a part of you infrequently periodically

at other times naturally regularly
at times normally some
every now and then not often sometimes
every once in a while now and again somewhat
every so often occasionally tendency
frequently on occasion there is a tendency to
from time to time once in a while there is an inclination to
generally ordinarily you have a tendency to
inclination parts of you you have an inclination to

If you have some idea of your partners disposition, you can use words with a bit narrower
range of interpretations:

almost always ofttimes

almost never rarely
commonly repeatedly
few scarcely
hardly seldom
many semioccasionally
many times sporadically
many times you will unusually
often usually
oftentimes you will often

Unless you know for certain what you are about to present, avoid absolute words:

absent every
all never
always none
completely totally
entirely without any

Exercise Warm and Hot Readings

As you can see, you can read warm information from strangers within seconds of meeting
them. For additional practice try your new skills on friends and family members, as well as
strangers. Havent you ever heard of the couple that was together for fifty years such that
they could finish each others sentences? They could read each other effortlessly. In the
same way, every minute you spend with someone gives you clues and patterns to their
behavior and moods. This information can make your readings even more precise.

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 On Cold Reading

Breakthrough with Enneagram and Inverseagram Reading

George Gurdjieff and his associates created a system of personality classification called the
Enneagram.

Enneagram Inverseagram

The Reformer The Bohemian

Perfectionist Relaxed
Rational Emotional
Idealistic Practical

The Helper The Constructor

Giving Saving
Caring Building
Interpersonal Objective

The Achiever The Philosopher

Performing Meditating
Succeeding Legislating
Pragmatic Considerate

The Individualist The Scientist

Romantic Chaste
Artistic Factual
Sensitive Certain

The Investigator The Host

Observing Enjoying
Thinking Feeling
Intense Free

The Loyalist The Visionary

Defending Independent
Committed Venturing
Responsible Experimental

The Enthusiast The Guardian

Adventurer Introverted
Busy Careful
Fun-Loving Conservative

The Challenger The Harmonizer

Leading Flowing
Protecting Inviting
Powerful Natural

The Peacemaker The Activist

Mediating Testing
Preserving Decomposing
Easygoing Interjecting

The Inverseagram is a Don Diego Garcia original for StyleLife.com .

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 On Cold Reading

Now, with our Enneagram and Inverseagram, along with our cold reading vocabulary, we
can compose cold reading polar testing scripts:

Reformer / Bohemian Cold Reading Scripts

Sometimes you personify The Reformer, a rational perfectionist with high ideals, yet parts
of you reflect The Bohemian, emotionally relaxed and practical-minded.

If they associate more strongly with The Reformer you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward integrity and balance in your life, with an occasional fear of
corruption.

If they associate more strongly with The Traditionalist you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward flexibility and status quo in your life, with an occasional fear of
insecurity.

Helper / Constructor Cold Reading Scripts

Sometimes you personify The Helper, a caring giver with strong interpersonal skills, yet
parts of you reflect The Constructor, frugal and working tirelessly on your projects.

If they associate more strongly with The Helper you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward loving, generous relationships in your life, with an occasional
fear of being unwanted.

If they associate more strongly with The Constructor you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward objectively getting the job done for a sense of
accomplishment in your life, with an occasional fear of loneliness.

Achiever / Philosopher Cold Reading Scripts

Sometimes you personify The Achiever, a pragmatic, successful performer, yet parts of you
reflect The Philosopher, a centered, considerate sage with a keen sense of judgment.

If they associate more strongly with The Achiever you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward noble and worthwhile endeavors in your life, with an
occasional fear of not being valued.

If they associate more strongly with The Philosopher you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward figuring out moral dilemmas in your life, with an occasional
fear of not contributing.

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 On Cold Reading

Individualist / Scientist Cold Reading Scripts

Sometimes you personify The Individualist, a sensitive romantic who lives your life as Art,
yet parts of you reflect The Scientist, a chaste individual who feels certain of what you
know.

If they associate more strongly with The Individualist you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward defining and expressing your identity in your life, with an
occasional fear of insignificance.

If they associate more strongly with The Scientist you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward being able to figure out the mechanics of the world in your
life, with an occasional fear of relationships.

Investigator / Host Cold Reading Scripts

Sometimes you personify The Investigator, an intense observer who likes to tinker with
ideas, yet parts of you reflect The Host, a free-spirit who enjoys the pleasures of life and the
company of others.

If they associate more strongly with The Investigator you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward demonstrating capability and competence in your life, with an
occasional fear of helplessness.

If they associate more strongly with The Host you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward coordinating events and bringing people together in your life,
with an occasional fear of rejection.

Loyalist / Visionary Cold Reading Scripts

Sometimes you personify The Loyalist, responsible, and defending those to whom you are
committed to, yet parts of you reflect The Visionary, an independent pioneer, who is willing
to experiment.

If they associate more strongly with The Loyalist you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward identifying with the personal support system in your life, with
an occasional fear of being misguided.

If they associate more strongly with The Visionary you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward the excitement of fresh, new experiences in your life, with an
occasional fear of instability.

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 On Cold Reading

Enthusiast / Guardian Cold Reading Scripts

Sometimes you personify The Enthusiast, a busy, fun-loving adventurer, yet parts of you
reflect The Guardian, a careful and conservative introvert.

If they associate more strongly with The Enthusiast, you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward fulfilling the wants and needs in your life, with an occasional
fear of deprivation and pain.

If they associate more strongly with The Guardian you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward protecting your territory, in terms of both land and people in
your life, with an occasional fear of loss.

Challenger / Harmonizer Cold Reading Scripts

Sometimes you personify The Challenger, a powerful and pro-active leader, yet parts of
you reflect The Harmonizer, an inviting, natural soul that goes with the flow.

If they associate more strongly with The Challenger, you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward protecting and controlling your lifes destiny, with an
occasional fear of being used.

If they associate more strongly with The Harmonizer you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward getting carried away with the current of your life, with an
occasional fear of confusion.

Peacemaker / Activist Cold Reading Scripts

Sometimes you personify The Peacemaker, an easy going mediator who preserves
relationships, yet parts of you reflect The Activist, a tester, who interjects energy into
causes and challenges authority.

If they associate more strongly with The Peacemaker, you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward inner stability and peace of mind in your life, with an
occasional fear of separation anxiety.

If they associate more strongly with The Activist you can continue with:

You have a tendency toward decomposing complex issues and choosing a side in your life,
with an occasional fear of being wrong.

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 On Cold Reading

There are a lot of scripts to memorize in the Inverseagram. Dont get overwhelmed. Work
on one set at a time, and try them out. Then two sets, then three. Dont get upset if you
forget part of the description, just use what you remember, and go with the flow. Even if its
only a fragment or even a different shade of the original, if you speak with assurance, they
will never know. I frequently forget many of the details of the scripts I write, but thats OK,
because I remember the main ideas and themes, and when I stay unruffled, I can ad-lib the
details.

Once you have all the sets memorized and you are familiar with the personality types, make
a judgment on which contrast would be most striking for your new partner and see if you
are right. If you want, you could make a deck of cards depicting each pair, or use a nine-
sided die, or sum the digits in their birthday, or have them think of a number from one to
nine.

Inverseagram readings have never been done before, so if you want to bring something
innovative to your Psychic Fair and make some coin while meeting new people, have fun
and dont forget to let us know how it went on the forums at www.StyleLife.com .

Ill leave it as an exercise for you to develop your own cold reading scripts for the following
personality classification systems that are already polarized for you:

Social Styles Personality Types

Analyticals versus Expressives

Amiables versus Drivers
Ask Assertives versus Tell Assertives
Control Responsives versus Emote Responsives

Myers-Briggs Personality Types:

Extroverts versus Introverts

Sensors versus Intuitors
Thinkers versus Feelers
Judgers versus Perceivers

Attempt True Energetic Reading

Im not going to tell you if true Psychic Powers or Spiritual Reading exist or not. Im going to
let you find that out for yourself. What I am going to do is relate to you a true story of an
experience I had not too long ago:

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 On Cold Reading

I was in a classy lounge, enjoying pineapple juice with a lovely young creature, discussing
investment strategies. She told me that she had a chronic medical condition that was
bothering her. I interrupted her and asked her not to tell me what the condition was. I then
told her I wanted to conduct an experiment to see if I could sense her condition. She
consented.

I asked her to close her eyes, breathe deeply and slowly four deep breaths, relax
completely, and let her mind go free, attached to nothing. She complied. I then did the
same thing. After I was in a state of reception, I merged our energetic bodies. The result
was definite. I felt it. I actually felt a throbbing sensation in my lower back, it wasnt painful,
but it felt as if a vibrating egg had been placed in my spine.

I took her hand and brought us back to reality. You have back problems. I stated. Her
eyes got wide and her jaw dropped. Yes! Upper back problems! That was a turning point
in our relationship. The rest, as they say, is history.

Practice Makes Perfect

You dont have to practice actual readings to improve your skills; you can practice mental
readings. Just like you dont have to practice actual openers, you can practice mental
openers. When you are out people watching, make an effort to deduce as much information
as you can about people you see and hear. What could their occupation be? Their family
status? Age? Attitude? Culture? Personal history? Even when you are at home, you can try
this exercise by watching television with the sound off. Can you read the storyline?

Take caution when performing more than one reading at a social gathering or for people
who know each other. If they compare notes later and discover that you used the same
script with each of them your reputation will suffer. Use different scripts for different people
or learn to vary your reading per the person you are with.

Find Connections

Every thing they utter is valuable information. Listen with your mental recorder, forming a
bright, vivid picture of your partner and their environment in your mind. Use the
visualization techniques with submodalities to record all the information. Later, when you
make a reading based on something they said earlier but they forgot that they had said it, it
will appear magical.

Ask and Dodge

Ask questions and take credit for the connections as a result of your psychometric powers
while deflecting the disconnections. Make the questions sound more like statements that
you are confirming. Never sound like you are guessing. For example:

Do you drive an American Car? or

There is an American Car, yes?
If Yes: Yes, yes, I sense you driving an American made automobile.
If No: Well, I get the feeling you have a relative with an American Car.

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 On Cold Reading

Did you used to be in the school play? or

I sense a school play.
If Yes: Of course, I can see you all dressed up in costume!
If No: Well, I sense you were in the audience of a school play
Still No: Or wait, no, someone from your school will bring you some sort of news. Wait
What kind of news is it? Its good news!

Form Statement Questions

Make statements that evoke information like questions would.

Im sensing a time when you were ill

Im feeling something about a monetary loss
Im getting the feeling a friendship or relationship isnt working out for you
Im reading a time when you were really happy!..

As they are talking, have the feeling that the information they are communicating has
already been known by you, like you both are relating the same story to a third party.

Spin Multiple Threads

Use copious amounts of silence to get your partner talking. While they are talking, keep
looking at them attentively, continuously nodding your head with a calm smile, and your
eyebrows raised showing interest. This extended expression will elicit the most information
from them.

After they have finished talking, store the information, and start a new topic, later you can
retrieve the information you stored in a reading as if it were new.

Pose Negative Questions

Asking questions in the negative allows you to be correct either way:

Youre not an attorney, are you?

If Yes: I knew it, I could sense it from your blue aura.
If No: Of course not, I could sense it from your pink aura.

Get it Wrong On Purpose

If you do find a way to obtain some specific background information on a new partner, you
can use that information in your reading. It will actually seem more authentic if you get the
reading just a little bit wrong. Lets say you got Aylahs phone number from her friend,
Marilyn and the number is 555-9234:

OK, Aylah, Im getting a signal Lets see (Closes eyes and clutches forehead in
concentration) Im getting a number, yes a seven digit number, Im seeing three fives, and
a 1-2-3-4 What is that, a phone number?

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 On Cold Reading

Share While You Read

In an unsolicited, unpaid reading, after you have wowed your partner, you can make a
choice. You can either continue to do some more reading, or you may choose to share one
of your stories. Now that you have some instant rapport, and some information about your
new friend, you can select an appropriate story that demonstrates commonality and
relation.

Beware of overusing any method, including cold reading. You dont want to be just that
psychic person. Reading someones mind may convince them that you understand them,
but if they dont know anything about you, then there is no substance to the oracle that
mystified them.

Read the Past, Present, and Future

In addition to demonstrating your perspicacious talents of reading your partners personality

and sharing problems, you can also prognosticate on the future destiny of your new friend.
The future is a boundless realm of possibility, no doubt, so it would help to focus on four
aspects of the future that most everyone is interested in:

Health
Happiness
Finances
Romance

Soothsay for Love or Money

If you develop your skills in cold reading, you can actually earn some extra income or even
make a living performing in Psychic Fairs, Magic Shows, Dinner Parties, and busking.

Perform Naked Readings

You can do different types of divination at a nudist camp, the beach, or anywhere with just
the information in this e-Book, a bit of rehearsal, and the right attitude:

Arithmancy (Numerology)
Astrology, Astromancy (Whats your sign?)
Chiromancy, Chirognomy (palmistry, or palm-reading)

Geloscopy (Reading laughter)

Geomancy, Feng Shui (Reading your natural and artificial surroundings)
Hypnomancy (Via hypnosis)

Metagnomy (Using visions)

Metoposcopy (Reading the lines of the forehead)
Moleosophy (By bodily marks - moles, birthmarks and blemishes, careful not to insult)

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 On Cold Reading

Oculomancy (Peering into the eyes shown to induce PEA, or ethylamine the love chemical)
Oneiromancy (Reading dreams)
Onychomancy (Via fingernails)

Ossomancy (Using bone structure can you say kino?)

Pedomancy, Ichnomancy (By feet can anyone say foot massage?)
Phrenology (Feeling the shape of one's head)
Stolisomancy (Reading clothing OK you cant do this at a Nudist Camp)

Consider Prop Readings

If you are having success with your cold reading career, and wish to take it to the next
level, you can acquire some props and integrate them into your performance. While you
might be able to wing it by reading whatever you would read without the prop, it may
behoove you to get some additional training in the way of the specific method:

Ashagalomancy (Casting small bones)

Astragalomancy, Cleromancy (Casting dice)
Biorhythms Divination (Need a computer program)

Carromancy (Melting of wax on body parts)

Cartomancy (Reading playing cards)
Ceromancy, or ceroscopy (Dropping melted wax into cold water)

Crystallomancy, Scrying (Reading crystals or crystal balls you could carry a small one)
Graphology (Handwriting analysis)
I Ching (You need the Chinese book of changes)

Knissomancy Libanomancy (Burning incense)

Lithomancy (Casting precious stones)
Oinomancy (Reading wine stains)

Pyromancy, or pyroscopy (fire)

Runecasting
Taromancy (Tarot Cards)
Tasseography, Tasseomancy (Reading tea leaves or coffee grounds)

Read on!

By Don Diego Garcia for StyleLife.com

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