The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading: The definitive guide to cold reading techniques used in the psychic industry
This month we are looking at smoke and mirrors and all the ways we allow ourselves to be fooled, making this weeks book The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading: The definitive guide to cold reading techniques used in the psychic industry by Ian Rowland. The accompanying cocktail is a Cold Fashion which is 1 oz coffee liqueur, 1 oz rye whiskey, 2 dashes orange bitters and an orange twist to garnish. So let’s do this.
Now, I feel like most people are aware that cold reading is how psychic’s get the job done. Or maybe I feel like they should be aware, which does not mean they are aware. South Park did an entire episode on it, “The Biggest Douche in the Universe, episode 6 of season 15, where Stan tries very hard to convince Kyle that John Edwards….This guy right here….is not, in fact, psychic, but is only using cold reading techniques to make himself look psychic.
And Stan actually does an outstanding job explaining the ins and outs of cold reading, like it’s entirely possible Trey Parker and Matt Stone read Rowland’s book ahead of this episode because Stan basically nails it.
Which brings us to the most excellent point that Rowland makes: Psychics are as real as you believe them to be.
There is actually not enough evidence one way or the other to say yay or nay to this phenomenon. Under scientific conditions, it’s likely a hard no. However, as Rowland points out, virtually every culture in the world has stories of psychic ability. That much anecdotal data is awfully hard to ignore.
So how is cold reading done?
As Rowland describes it, a full cold reading is when you know absolutely nothing about the person you are reading. So if you walk into a psychic’s shop and have never met them before, they’re doing a cold reading on you.
And he walks you through how to build up a cold reading. From set up, to common themes, elements, how to frame statements you make so that you are always a winner, presentation, putting it all together and how to handle sceptics, Rowland walks you through how to get a start as a cold reader and/or psychic.
Now, he is very clear that he is not a psychic. He has never sold what he does as anything other than for entertainment purposes. And I kind of get the sense that he looks down on those who claim to be psychics, because he understands how a vaguely worded cold read can be seen for real psychic insight.
Setting is pretty simple, the room you set up as your office should be atmospheric. There’s a reason most psychic shops have a palm on the window, crystal ball decorations, artfully draped scarves and table clothes, tarot deck tastefully fanned or stacked on the table. Even if you tell them “I’m not a psychic, this is just cold reading…” not everyone believes that. Psychic’s are as real as you believe them to be. And if someone is a believer and walks into your shop, they’re expecting to see tarot cards and astrology books. Candles, and close knit atmosphere.
There are, generally, four main themes you can tap into: Career, Health, Relationships, and Money. And truly, that sums up everything most people want to know about. And he tells you how to get out of traps:
“I wanted to know specifically if I will be marrying John Smith.”
“The cards are rarely so black and white. They might tell you if a marriage is coming, but they’re unlikely to spell out to whom.”
“Will my business be a success?”
“The cards can tell you if the circumstances are right to launch a business, but can not really foresee all the details of success. They do not know if your marketing will be on target, or if a pandemic might wipe out your business in two years.”
Rowland identifies 38 of the most useful and productive elements, which I will not list out here, but he breaks them into four smaller groups, which I will:
About Character
About Facts and Events
About Extracting Information
About Predicting the Future
I did find the subsection he dubbed “Trivia Stat” to be interesting because these are blanket statements that apply to most people, virtually guaranteeing a hit. Most people have toys or books as mementos from childhood. Jewelry or war medals from a deceased family member. Items associated with a hobby they no longer pursue. A scar on the left knee.
I read that one, and I looked and you know what? I DO have a scar on my left knee! I do have jewelry from my grandma, and a box of toys in the attic. This does not mean Rowland IS psychic, but rather proves his point about trivia. He expands that out to how you can find trivia specific for your area.
Like in England, where Rowland lives, most cars are blue. But in America, White is the predominant color for cars.
He provides statements as an amateur cold reader might say them:
“Tell me what’s on your mind?”
vs a professional:
“Most of the people who come to see me have something that has been weighing heavily on their heart, perhaps an area of life where they are looking for some answers and some light at the end of the tunnel. What would this be in your case?”
The artful dodge, meaning how to take a statement the client has rejected, and turn it into a win for the psychic. “I’m sensing someone named Mike or Michael who maybe lives overseas?”
“I have a friend Simon who lives overseas.”
“That must be who I’m sensing!” Accepting the overseas statement...but ignoring they got the name entirely wrong!
How to develop feedback, whether it’s non-verbal nods or head shakes, or definitive statements, whatever feedback the client gives you, how do you turn that to your advantage?
He is very upfront about all of this, has given multiple demonstrations and when he does, he insists that the person he is reading be told, tactfully, that he is not psychic, that they were part of a cold reading demonstration.
And at the end of the book, he provides transcripts of two...three? Cold readings. The first one was pretty straightforward, it was a tarot reading done in a studio.
The other one was an astrological chart he faked and drew up for two people as part of a cold reading demonstration for I think another studio, one was a Virgo and one was a Taurus, and that was literally the only word that was different between the two readings. Which...well look, I spent a healthy chunk of my misspent youth very into astrology and frankly what he described was neither a Virgo nor a Taurus. But, the individuals in question both claimed his chart described them at some absurdly high accuracy, like 95% accurate or something.
People really will believe anything.
At the very end of the book, he does go into hot reading, which is what a lot of the famous TV psychics do.
Look, I believe I read somewhere or saw a clip that before the show, you have to fill out a questionnaire. So it’s not even a subtle hot reading. You’re literally giving the man the answers. Allegedly. I have no idea how litigious he is and I don’t have South Park dollars to fight a law suit. So allegedly.
All I’m saying is, be aware. Not everyone is altruistic.
This book could be subtitled how to spot a con-man, but Rowland is so scrupulously honest that what he’s doing is not psychic, I would be hard pressed to call HIM a con-man.
I found this book useful. I can see where it would be useful in building bridges with people you haven’t met and he actually references another book he wrote, Cold Reading For Business, which is specifically designed to do just that.
But as he says repeatedly throughout the book, psychics are as real as you want them to be. For some, it’s all real. For others, nothing will convince them of the reality.
