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Psychic readings and fortunetelling are an ancient art—acombination of acting and psychological manipulation.While some psychics are known to cheat and acquireinformation ahead of time, our ten tips will focus on whatis known as “cold reading”—reading someone "cold"without any prior knowledge about them.Our primary source for this information is IanRowland's insightful and encyclopedicThe Full Facts Bookof Cold Reading (available at ianrowland.com). What wedescribe here is only a small sampling from this comprehensive compendium by a professional cold reader whois arguably one of the best in the world.MIchael Shermer prepares for his debutas a “Psychic for a Day.”We have also included information from other articlespublished by the Skeptics Society, most notably MichaelShermer’s “Psychic for a Day: How I Learned Tarot Cards,Palm Reading, Astrology, and Mediumship in 24Hours” written after his appearance as a ersatz psychic onBill Nye’s adult oriented PBS science series Eye on Nye in2003, and posted on our website . In it, Shermer answers thequestion, “Do you have to master the details of thefortunetelling arts, or are they only window dressing for themore down to earth techniques described in this booklet?”With only 24 hours to master palm readings, tarot cardreadings, astrological readings, and even talking to thedead, Shermer had no problem convincing subjectsthat he had never met that he was psychic. The factthat he could perform reasonably well with only one dayof preparation shows just how vulnerable people are tothese very effective psychological manipulations.Set the stagefor an intimate,c o m f o r ta b l e ,experience. Establishyour Psychic authoritywith props such asimportant lookingcharts, or bookcasesfull of referencebooks.1Provide comfortable chairs witha small table between them. Alace table cloth, candles, a softrug with soft colored lightingand incense will give your reading a “spiritual” feeling. Yourclient should feel they are thecenter of an important ritual.SKEPTIC.com

2Use a soft voice, a calm demeanor, andsympathetic and non-confrontational bodylanguage: a pleasant smile, constant eye contact,with head tilted to one side while listening. Facethe subject with legs together (not crossed)and arms unfolded. Call yourself a “PsychicIntuitor.” Explain that your “clients” come tosee you about various things that might be weighing heavy on their hearts (the heart being the preferred organ of New Age spirituality), and that as anintuitor it is your job to use your special gift ofintuition. Explain that everyone has this gift, butthat you have improved yours through practice. Torationalize your soon to come misses, come rightout and say that psychics cannot predict the futureperfectly: “While it would be wonderful if I was ahundred percent accurate, no one is perfect.Even Michael Jordan missed lots of shots!”Project a sympathetic personality.Put your client in a receptive,cooperative mood by Explaining thata reading is a team effort.There are seven thingspeople most want totalk about: love, Health,Money,Career,Travel,Education, & Ambition.3start with the “Barnum”reading that offerssomething for everyone:4!You can be a very considerate person, veryquick to provide for others, but there are times, if youare honest, when you recognize a selfish streak in yourself. I would say that on the whole you can be ratherquiet, self-effacing type, but when the circumstancesare right, you can be quite the life of the party if themood strikes you.!Sometimes you are too honest about your feelings and you reveal too much of yourself. You are goodat thinking things through and you like to see proofbefore you change your mind about anything. Whenyou find yourself in a new situation you are very cautiousuntil you find out what’s going on, and then you beginto act with confidence.!Stick to these themes byasking a lot of questionsand making plenty ofstatements from eachcategory. This will alsohelp you remember whereyou are in the reading.What I get here is that you are someone whocan generally be trusted. Not a saint, not perfect, butlet’s just say that when it really matters this is someonewho does understand the importance of being trustworthy. You know how to be a good friend.!You are able to discipline yourself so thatyou seem in control to others, but actually yousometimes feel somewhat insecure. You wish youcould be a little more popular and at ease in yourinterpersonal relationships than you are now.!You are wise in the ways of the world, awisdom gained through hard experience ratherthan book learning.art by John CoulterSKEPTIC.com

After general statements, you can begin to home in on specificsthat apply to most people by referencing such things as:5 Jewelry from a deceased family member Electronic gizmo or gadget Old medicine or medical supplies out of datethat no longer works Toys, books, mementoes from childhood Out of date note on fridge A box of old photographs, most not in albumsor near the phone Watch or clock that no longer works Books about a hobby no longer pursued Keys that you can’t remember what they go to Drawer that is stuck or doesn’t slide properlyAnd peculiarities about the person: Childhood accident involving water Number 2 in the home address Scar on knee Wore hair long as a child, then shorter haircut Clothing never worn Photos of loved ones in purse A single earring that is missing a match6Extract information from your clientby dISGUISING questions as statements.Doesthis soundright?Sowho mightthis referto ?canyou see whythis might be theimpression I mgetting?doyo uconnectwith this?OK?N owwhy wouldthat be?Please?H owmight this besignificant toyo u ?Is this making sense toyo u ?Whatmight this linkto in yourlife?Yes?W ouldyou say thisis along theright lines foryo u ?SKEPTIC.com

appeal to the authority of ancient wisdomand mysterious secrets by pepperingyour reading with esoteric jargon.7Ian Rowland labels this technique “The Jargon Blitz” and says it isone of his favorites. The use of arcane terms makes the reader’s presentation impossible to follow logically, and reinforces the idea that thereader is an authority figure with secret knowledge. Appealing toancient wisdom also promotes a sense of ritual that encourages cooperation and discourages any doubts or protests.The reader can then pump the client for information under thecover of revealing that “the cards” or “the stars” indicate a number of possibilities and then asking the client—who is distractedby the jargon—which best fits their situation. Rowland shows how thequestion is slipped in at the end in this example: “Interestingly enough,I see we’ve got the ‘Five of Swords,’ an important card within the lesserarcanum, traditionally associated with challenge and struggle in affairsof the heart. What’s intriguing is that in the same conjunction of thespread we’ve already had ‘The Hermit,’ originally one of the lowertriad cards, but now generally regarded as indicating not only solitude but also the accomplishment of personal goals It’s as if the cardsare suggesting your personal goals are, at this time, due to take priority over romance. I don’t know if this makes sense to you ”8Don’t be shy about using a little scientificknowledge from psychology or sociologyto deduce your clienT’s concerns.A seasoned professional, Ian Rowland offers this advise:“Don’t consult the musty books [on the occult and paranormal] that youuse as props! Books on therapy and counselling are moreuseful! My favorite is a bestseller written back in the 70s,called Passages, by Gail Sheehy. The subtitle says it all:‘Predictable Crises of Adult Life.’ ”Other mentalists swear by demographic journals thatreveal what interests someone of a particular age,sex, or social group will have.For his stint as a “Psychic for a Day”Michael Shermer used the Five Factor Modelof personality—Openness to experience,Extroversion, Conscientiousness,Agreeableness, and Neuroticism—along with Frank Sulloway’s research onfamily dynamics to predict, among otherthings, the birth order of his subjects(first-born, middle-born, or later-born).SKEPTIC.com

9ddon't forget the obvious. Flatter your subj ects .Tell them what they want to hear.“Your romance will turn out, your financial problemswill be solved, you are hard working, fair, independentand wise.” Sophisticated readers don’t just blurt outthese flattering statements—they weave them intoan elaborate presentation that disguises theirmanipulative nature. Clients hearing generalizedstatements that could be about anyone apply them tosomething very specific in their own lives, and perceivethe reading as startlingly accurate.And what if theromance doesn’twork out? Rememberthat people have atendency to remember the hitsand forget the misses, especially,if they are dealing with a lotof information.10Have your excuses ready. turn every outcome to your advantage.As mentioned earlier, admit at the start that youare not 100% accurate.If a client points out that the reader is wrong abouta particular statement, the reader could claimthat it was something that happened in the distant past and gently hint that it’s the subject’sfault if they don’t remember. Or they can suggest that it’s something that will happen in thefuture.Rescue a bad guess about a message froma departed loved one by claiming the spirit inquestion has had a change of heart that they wouldlike you to know about.Blame awkward pauses or lack of progress on badspiritual connections.Or, better yet, blame your subjects by suggestingthey need to try harder.Produced by the Skeptics Society.SKEPTIC.com. 626-794-3119 2008