Demonstrating cold reading for a Channel 4 documentary when I was young and had amusingly long hair

What Is Cold Reading?

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The term 'cold reading' usually refers to the 'psychic' industry. In simple terms, it means 'how to talk to somone as if you're psychic'.

In more formal terms: 'cold reading' is a set of communication techniques that allow you to make apparently meaningful and accurate statements to a complete stranger about their life.

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Every year, all around the world, people go for 'psychic' readings of one type or another. The reading could be based on tarot cards, astrology, graphology (your handwriting), palmistry (the lines om your palm), psychometry ('vibrations' from an object you own), the 'I Ching' (popular in Asia), spiritualism (pretending to relay messages from the dead) or many other things.

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The essential intrigue of these readings is that the 'psychic' seems able to make meaningful and accurate statements to the client, even though they've never met before. Clients often say afterwards, 'She told me things she couldn't possibly have known'.

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How does the 'psychic' do this? If you want to believe that psychic powers exist, then you need no further explanation. If you don't believe in such things, then the alternative answer is that the psychic is using cold reading techniques.

Just to explain the trade jargon: 
 

• 'Hot' reading means giving a reading to someone when you have secretly obtained information about them in advance. There are many ways to do this.

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• 'Cold' reading means giving the reading without any advance information.

I've written three books on cold reading that you can get from Amazon.

'The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading' describes how cold reading works in the psychic industry. Among other things, it describes 37 different techniques for making seemingly meaningful statements to a complete stranger. It's primarily a descriptive book and not meant to teach you how to give readings. 

'Super Psychic Readings' teaches the system I personally use. It enables you to give any type of reading you want, to anyone. The system is based on improvisation so the reading is different every time and there are no 'stock' or 'standard' lines to learn. Note: when I give readings, I call them 'personal' readings and never claim to be psychic. I only included the word 'psychic' in the title so that people would know what the book is about.

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'Cold Reading For Business' explaings how to apply some aspects of cold reading psychology to business contexts such as management and selling.​​​​​

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