At a quick glance, the subject matter or the topic at hand is quite perplexing.

  It is in a way
questionable in the sense that there seems to be no such thing.  It’s a combination of two
alienated words with no relation to one another.  Is it something in our mind that keeps us into
believing that there exist no such thing and that these are all products of the mind?  Is it mere
sign of ignorance, perhaps? As it is felt initially the drawing out of a conclusion to move away
from the subject matter because of the lack of proper information or maybe the will to approach
the unknown matter in order to have a good knowledge of it.  The outcome of such syllogisms
and queries of the mind can be greatly affected on the intuitive mind as well as the hunger or
thirst one has.  It is a mere word or a collection of random thoughts put into words to signify a
certain meaning that is known only to the person who formulated it and a big question to those
who do not. How does one feel if the lack of proper knowledge and instead ignorance is felt? 
The main objective could and can be achieved once a fraction of the true idea is drawn from the
one who made it as I can see your eyebrows are getting twitched already and so curled up
already…..

What I did right there was a practice of my newly learned method called “cold reading”.  It is a
certain method that one uses to draw out information from another person.  This method is
extremely popular nowadays as it is often used by “psychics” and fortune tellers to draw
information to “unconscious” number of people.  These unconscious ones can be anyone of us. 
So famous that this technique has already reached its “commercialization” level as lots of people
who claim to see the future or possibly talk to the dead are already gaining profits by exercising
cold reading and putting it into some sort of business.

Considerably, cold reading is a way of interacting with another person and drawing out some
information on the interaction with the notion or behavioral pattern being given or formed to
make it believable that the reader really knows something or in such cases, know a lot about the
other person that is being interacted.  In common terms, it is a “make-believe” pattern, method or
technique often used by “mind-readers” to make their clients or victims believe that they are
telling the truth or at least, know something about the client’s personality or any other aspect in
his life.  Still unclear you, guys?  Let’s plunge into it and have a look and maybe offer some
techniques that each one can practice.  This technique starts with the drawing out of the subject’s
attention and full cooperation to the reader.  The reader will try to convince the subject that the
success of the procedure will mainly depend on the subject’s full cooperation and the readiness
to give the needed information.  The reader would usually analyze the subject and draw
questions based on what the reader initially sees.  The reader draws out his initial batch of
information through the subject’s appearance, body language, manner of speech, sexual
orientation and such the like so it is important that the reader must pay attention to these minute
details.

Since the reader’s aim is to draw convincing and true facts about the subject, the process requires
the reader to formulate questions.  These questions are formed or constructed in a way that it is
so general or vague in nature.  Formulating these questions are the very core tools that needs to
be practiced in order to draw a near to the truth answer to the subject.  Proper technique and lots
of practice is necessary in mastering this technique.  However, it must be noted that this rather
“abused” technique is intended to be used for entertainment purposes only, as advised by some
experts in psychology and those in the mentalist branch of the performing arts.
To date, there are various ways to learn and eventually master cold reading.  Experts on this field
have devised a technique or two over the years.  These different approaches all point to the same
agenda which is to draw valuable information from the subject by asking questions and making it
so believable that the reader is a real mind reader or a “psychic” in nature where in fact, it is the
subject himself that unconsciously gives the information.  It should be understood that the
success of cold reading on a particular subject will highly depend on the reader’s questioning and
keen sense to the signals and information that the subject gives.

Shotgunning

One of the most famous techniques in cold reading is called “Shotgunning”.  This technique is so
common in the practice of cold reading as the reader gives or throws an entirely general question
to elicit bits and pieces of information (as if firing a shotgun, thus the name).  An example of a
shotgun technique would be:  “I’m sensing someone here who has a long lost friend who
desperately wants a visit or a call.”  It’s a general fact or a very obvious idea that all of us at least
one time in our lives have old friends whom we really love to see after a while.  The technique
may sure hit something about the subject or it may not touch any.  The thing is, the technique
that was just thrown was very vague in nature the probability of soliciting a positive response
from the subject is high.  One of the key aspects in getting a good response in cold reading is to
be able for the subject to magnify the hits and forget the misses.  What’s basically important
among the subjects are getting really to know if the reader knows a lot about the subject.  The
shotgun technique is so vague that a reader hardly misses.  This technique is mostly applied and
cold readers find it very effective in a large audience or a group of subjects.  Again, an example
would be throwing a shotgun on an audience by telling them or asking them: “I see someone
who is still grieving from a loss of a loved-one or someone dear that passed away a year or two
ago.”  Trying or using this technique will surely hit than miss more than one person in your
audience.

Rainbow ruse

This cold reading method is often used by the reader to draw information by presenting both
ends of a particular characteristic that the reader believes the subject possesses.  This method is
quite tricky and would involve creativity on the part of the reader.  It is applied in order to draw
out what kind of characteristic the subject has by presenting or formulating an essential guess by
the reader.  Through this method, the subject is faced with the distinction of which character best
describes him and those that which are the ones that are merely retained in the memory.  That
alone would give a strong hit and would make the reader more believable when in fact; he is just
making a guess.  The Rainbow ruse technique is used on a wide variety. One of its forms is the
“appeal to flattery” where the subject is being rewarded with a pleasant characteristic drawn by
the reader.  Example:  “Something is telling me that you are a very approachable person and a
nice one although it is sometime in the past that you had to turn down an offer from a friend or
from someone.”  This approach of the rainbow ruse method always gets a positive response
because no subject would ever admit that he really is that unapproachable and thus flattered by
the fact that the reader blatantly admires his being approachable.  Another method of drawing out
a subject’s character is thru the use of Barnum Statements.  Derived from P.T. Barnum the
showman, the reader draws out the information by throwing generalized character statements. 
An example of this is:  “I strongly believe that you are a very much talented person that
sometimes people don’t recognize it.”

The fact that cold reading does not only dwell on the generality of the reader’s guess, it is also on
the manner that the reader construct statements that the subject is drawn more to provide not just
the basic information but the details as well.  These bits of important information can be easily
drawn by the reader by building or guessing facts that are specific and those that are vague. 
Readers would also throw a lucky guess.  A fact drawn by using statistics and jargons as most
fortune tellers or tarot card readers would normally do is also a good technique in cold reading. 
These psychics can draw a nod out of the subject through the use of a seasonal touch.  An
example of a seasonal touch method would be a reader telling the subject that “I see some
disease on the skin coming and a few traveling in a few months.”  The reader could be very good
in a sense but what he really tries to “see” is the truth based on the season.  Summertime would
be nearly coming and would mean sunburns and skin rashes due to sun exposure and the same
would entail some enjoyment at the beach which would surely require traveling.  Again, our cold
reader hits the spot.  Information and events can also be drawn out through a momentary
reminiscing of the past.  And what best way to remember than going back to your childhood
days.  The cold reader can always form a statement like: “I see a struggle, a struggle in your
personality during your adolescent life and you seem you have been imprisoned in that time in
your life.”  More ways than not, a nod is on the way.  As if nobody experienced that event during
that time!  The most effective method of extracting information on the subject that the cold
readers usually practice is the “Incidental Question” technique.  This is the “chat-type” of
technique where a deep sense of reply is required from the subject.  Questions are mostly crafted
as a “trap” and force the subject to lay down the information needed by the reader.  A simple
example would be: “I’m sensing a great amount of pressure during your past relationship as
compared to now, what do you think?”

As stated above, fortune tellers often use cold reading to trick their avid fans.  They either go for
certain predictions such as: “I see someone you know passing away in the near future.”  A cold
reader would also throw a 50-50 prediction like: “I see a heart problem in the future so better
take care of you health”.  It is most likely to happen in reality, isn’t it?  Psychics would often
give a likely kind of prediction on a 40 year old man: “I sense that you will finally meet your
future wife this year.”  Physical appearance and other attributes cannot escape a master reader in
giving a “Sherlock Strategy” prediction.  An example of this is: “I sense that you’ll be having a
lot of relationship related problems in the next few months.”  This statement is made on a good
looking, mature and outgoing type of woman as a subject.

It must be taken notice that the subject’s ability to recall the hits the reader made during and after
the cold reading session will greatly make or break the reader’s success.  The reader should
always try to vaguely tackle all possible angles from the elicited information given by the
subject.

From all those methods and techniques that were randomly described above, the possibility of
learning the art cannot be that difficult.  Cold Reading, just like any craft, can be learned by
almost anybody. And this word “anybody” really means everybody.  If you happen to be a “new
kid on the block”, below are some quick tips on learning how to “cold read” the very easy level
(just like in the games) way:

Tip # 1.  The Persona

Since it is an accepted fact especially among mentalists that cold reading is just a form of
entertainment, you being the cold reader or “psychic” should first practice of having or exuding
the aura or persona of being one.  It does necessarily mean that you have to be too serious on
everything as your prospective subjects may opt to look for an alternate reader upon seeing that
look of seriousness in you.  Try to look as normal as everyone else.  One of the cold readers
which best epitomizes our tip would be Derren Brown.  He dresses and speaks just like anyone. 
This easy “personification” won’t be hard to learn as acting as natural as you can is already your
nature and subconscious.  What if someone, a strange unknown person suddenly comes up to
you and suddenly gives you a million bucks?  You’ll be surprised, isn’t it?  Ideas of greatness,
humility or generosity and other good ones are immediately formed in your mind afterwards. 
The thing is, a certain persona, a persona of one that has great powers is conditioned in your
subject’s mind upon knowing that this “natural” reader actually has “psychic” powers! 
Projecting simplicity and being natural like anyone else are the initial cold reading talents that
you should develop.

Tip # 2. Open eyes

For someone new who’s eager to learn and master the craft, being very keen to details that your
subject gives is among the important factors a student reader should learn by heart.  The success
of your “psychic” career will depend on how you are able to pick-up the signals and the bits of
information that your subject has.  Remember that the subjects are unknown individuals and
drawing or eliciting information is quite difficult that an “open eyes” should be always present. 
A student reader should be wary of every detail (consciously or not) that the subject projects. 
Seeing the subject crossing his arms or legs upon mentioning a certain subject matter would
somewhat say that what’s being discussed is something private or something that the subject
does not want to talk about.  Looking away or avoiding eye contact would imply that the subject
is either lying or afraid to tell the truth.  What Psychologists’ say that actions do speak louder
than words still do apply in this tip.  Being able to pick-up these minute but important details
would also enable the reader to formulate his next move.

Tip # 3.  Throwing out the big ones

As all these tips are vital for a student reader, mastering this particular tip involves a lot of work
and wits.  In either eliciting or giving information, a sudden reader “must” always generalize or
broaden up everything.  This tip is best recommended for cold reading on a group of subjects.  A
subject or question that is so vague or generalized in nature will surely hit your subject one way
or the other.  Being so vague in formalizing your “moves” is the best tip for a student reader’s
psychic success.  Try throwing a vague question to a group of subject such as: “I see a person
who has this great talent when it comes to formalizing new ideas but is afraid to show it for fear
of rejection but if someone so close would tap it, then that talented person will definitely succeed
in life.”  With eyes closed, 99% of your subjects will magically turn to talented ones!  The
reader’s statement was so generalized that anyone in the group agrees of having it and accepting
the “Oh, that was actually me!” notion.

Anyone who’s alien to the art and wants to learn it must always be ready for failures.  Just like
anything that one wants of perfecting unto: an art, method or technique, the athletes’ and the
expert’s advice still resounds: “practice makes perfect”.  It is sometimes through failures that one
really learns that’s why its very important to practice, practice and above all, practice.

And now, the downside part of it.  The fun and enjoyment that cold reading brings as well as its
mastery was not as entertaining as one thought of as the craft was abused and mishandled by
person who’s main purpose of using cold reading is for greed.  Sad to say, that many have
already and are currently benefiting on it and using it in its unintended purpose.  Ironically, these
greed driven “psychics” are the best practitioners of the art.

Guide to Cold Reading
By Ray Hyman

There are many people who promote themselves as psychics or clairvoyants, and who claim that
their powers enable them to read your character, make contact with dead relatives, or provide
insights into your life and your future.

Despite their claims, there has never been a successful demonstration of these powers in a
laboratory, under properly controlled conditions. Indeed, the National Committee of Australian
Skeptics offers a cash prize of $100,000 for any PROVEN demonstration of such powers. See
The Prize.

By far the most common method employed by psychics who have been put to the test is called
cold reading. This method involves the psychic reading the subject’s body language etc, and
skilfully extracting information from the subject, which can then be fed back later, convincing
the subject that the psychic has told them things they couldn’t possibly have known!

The following is our 13 point guide to cold reading — Study them well, then amaze your friends
with your new found psychic powers!

1. Remember that the key ingredient of a successful character reading is confidence.

If you look and act as if you believe in what you are doing, you will be able to sell even a bad
reading to most subjects. One danger of playing the role of reader is that you may actually begin
to believe that you really are divining your subject’s true character!

2. Make creative use of the latest statistical abstracts, polls and surveys.
These can provide you with much information about what various subclasses in our society
believe, do, want , worry about etc. For example, if you can ascertain a subject’s place of origin,
educational level, and his/her parents’ religion and vocations, you have gained information
which should allow you to predict with high probability his/her voting preferences and attitudes
to many subjects.

3. Set the stage for your reading.

Profess a modesty about your talents. Make no excessive claims. You will then catch your
subject off guard. You are not challenging them to a battle of wits - You can read his/her
character, whether he/she believes you or not.

4. Gain the subject’s cooperation in advance.

Emphasise that the success of the reading depends as much on the subject’s cooperation as on
your efforts. (After all, you imply, you already have a successful career at character reading — 
You are not on trial, your subject is!) State that due to difficulties of language and
communication, you may not always convey the meaning you intend. In these cases, the subject
must strive to fit the reading to his/her own life. You accomplish two valuable ends with this
dodge — Firstly, you have an alibi in case the reading doesn’t click; it’s the subject’s fault, not
yours! Secondly, your subject will strive to fit your generalities to his/her specific life
circumstances. Later, when the subject recalls the reading, you will be credited with much more
detail than you actually provided! This is crucial. Your reading will only succeed to the degree
that the subject is made an active participant in the reading. The good reader is the one who ,
deliberately or unwittingly, forces the subject to search his/her mind to make sense of your
statements.

5. Use a gimmick, such as Tarot cards, crystal ball, palm reading etc.
Use of props serves two valuable purposes. Firstly, it lends atmosphere to the reading. Secondly,
(and more importantly) it gives you time to formulate your next question/statement. Instead of
just sitting there, thinking of something to say, you can be intently studying the cards /crystal ball
etc. You may opt to hold hands with your subject — This will help you feel the subject’s
reactions to your statements. If you are using , say, palmistry (the reading of hands) it will help if
you have studied some manuals, and have learned the terminology. This will allow you to more
quickly zero in on your subject’s chief concerns — “do you wish to concentrate on the heart line
or the wealth line?“

6. Have a list of stock phrases at the tip of your tongue.

Even during a cold reading, a liberal sprinkling of stock phrases will add body to the reading and
will help you fill in time while you formulate more precise characterisations. Use them to start
your readings. Palmistry, tarot and other fortune telling manuals are a key source of good
phrases.

7. Keep your eyes open!

Use your other senses as well. Size the subject up by observing his/her clothes, jewellery,
mannerisms and speech. Even a crude classification based on these can provide the basis for a
good reading. Also, watch carefully for your subject’s response to your statements — You will
soon learn when you are hitting the mark!

8. Use the technique of fishing.

This is simply a device to get the subject to tell you about his/herself. Then you rephrase what
you have been told and feed it back to the subject.
One way of fishing is to phrase each statement as question, then wait for the reply. If the reply or
reaction is positive, then you turn the statement into a positive assertion. Often the subject will
respond by answering the implied question and then some. Later, the subject will forget that
he/she was the source of the information! By making your statements into questions, you also
force the subject to search his/her memory to retrieve specific instances to fit your general
statement.

9. Learn to be a good listener.

During the course of a reading your client will be bursting to talk about incidents that are brought
up. The good reader allows the client to talk at will. On one occasion I observed a tealeaf reader.
The client actually spent 75% of the time talking. Afterward when I questioned the client about
the reading she vehemently insisted that she had not uttered a single word during the course of
the reading. The client praised the reader for having astutely told her what in fact she herself had
spoken.
Another value of listening is that most clients that seek the services of a reader actually want
someone to listen to their problems. In addition, many clients have already made up their minds
about what choices they are going to make. They merely want support to carry out their decision.

10. Dramatise your reading.

Give back what little information you do have or pick up a little bit at a time. Make it seem more
than it is. Build word pictures around each divulgence. Don’t be afraid of hamming it up.

11. Always give the impression that you know more than you are saying.
The successful reader, like the family doctor, always acts as if he/she knows much more. Once
you have persuaded the subject that you know one item of information that you couldn’t possibly
have known (through normal channels) the subject will assume that you know all! At this point,
the subject will open up and confide in you.

12. Don’t be afraid to flatter your subject at every opportunity.

An occasional subject will protest, but will still lap it up. In such cases, you can add, “You are
always suspicious of those who flatter you. You just can’t believe that someone will say
something good about you without an ulterior motive”.

13. Remember the Golden Rule — always tell the subject what he/she wants to hear!

The Barnum Effect

The Barnum effect is named after P.T. Barnum, the showman who declared "there¹s a sucker
born every minute." He found many ways to separate "suckers", as he called gullible people,
from their money.

The Barnum effect in psychology refers to the gullibility of people when reading descriptions of
themselves. By personality, we mean the ways in which people are different and unique.
However, it is possible to give everyone the same description and people nevertheless rate the
description as very very accurate.
They way I used to run this test was to give people some personality test on paper, then give
everyone an envelope with a printout of their personality, have them rate the accuracy, and then
reveal to everyone that they all got the same description. So, how can it be called accurate?

Here is an example of such a Barnum description:

 You have a great need for other people to like and admire you.
 You have a great deal of unused capacity, which you have not turned to your advantage.
 Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside.
 You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by
restrictions and limitations.
 You pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others statements without
satisfactory proof.
 You have a tendency to be critical of yourself.
 At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the
right thing.
 At times you are extroverted, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved.
 While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them.

Whenever I ran this in class, one student would invariably raise his or her hand and declare:
"Well, I was right to rate it as very very accurate because you gave everyone MY description!"
And the rest of the class would laugh because they all felt the same way.

This shows how easy it is to be fooled by psychics, quack psychotherapists, fake faith healers,
and others who use this technique to make people think that they really know and understand
them when in fact it is just a "Spiel" or "game, played as a prank." Magicians use a method
called, "The Art of Cold Reading" to give people the impression of a very accurate psychic
reading. This same method is used by quack psychics and others to separate the gullible from
their money.

This same Barnum demonstration has been played on introductory psychology students for over
50 years (Forer, 1949), and for some reason, it never ends up in the public conscience, thanks to
the systematic misrepresentation of psychology in the popular media. It even works with
personnel managers, who should know this effect by training (Stagner, 1958). It is in our
textbook by Kalat, and it should be described in all other Introductory Psychology books.

You might occasionally find a TV program featuring magicians who are exposing fakes, but you
will rarely see a psychologist attacking the phony "radio and TV" psychologists who listen to a
person for 30 seconds and then proceed to give them a phony diagnosis followed by a public
dressing down on the air. Real psychologists are horrified by this practice, but there is money to
be made by radio personalities, so that game goes on and on.

Now I run the test by a computerized personality test, and even have it programmed so that the
skeptical person can take the test over and over, trying different answers to see what happens.
Some of my students have learned to be skeptical and check it, but an amazing number continue
to rate the description as very very accurate.
There are two kinds of magicians, the honorable kind and the unethical kind. The ethical
magician admits that he or she uses tricks to create illusions. The unethical magicians use the
same devices to claim to have magic powers. Magicians do not reveal how tricks performed by
ethical magicians are done, in order to preserve the mystery. However magicians make an
exception when unethical magicians use their methods to defraud and deceive. Harry Houdini,
Amazing Randi, Penn and Teller, are examples of real magicians who reveal secrets to expose
phonies, quacks and frauds who claim to have psychic powers, mind over matter, or to
communicate with the dead.

The moral of the Barnum Demonstration: Self-validation is no validation. Do not be fooled by a

psychic, quack psychotherapist, or a phony faith healer who uses this trick on you! Be skeptical
and ask for proof. Keep your money in your wallet, your wallet in your pocket, and your hand on
your wallet.

References