Full facts book of cold reading

Full Facts Books are supplied from the website of Ian
Rowland Limited. At the time of printing, the website
address is:
www.ianrowland.com

The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading
by

Ian Rowland

Third edition
Website: www.ianrowland.com

This book is dedicated with love to my Mother and Father, two
exceptional, wonderful and admirable people.

The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading(third edition)
Copyright © Ian Rowland 2002 London, England
1st edition published 1998
2nd edition published 2001
Published by Ian Rowland Limited
All rights reserved. This publication may not be copied or
reproduced in whole or in part by any means or in any manner
whatsoever without the written permission of the author.
At the time of printing, Ian Rowland's website is:

www.ianrowland. com
Like everything else on the web, this is subject to change. You
can always track down the current version using your favourite
search engine, or your psychic powers.

Contents
Section 1: Welcome to the Psychic Circus
The Greatest Scam In History?

8
8

Overview: what you will find in this book

10

Three things this book is not about

11

Section 2: How Cold Readingworks
Defining terms
What is cold reading?
What is a psychic reading?
Readings categorised by type
Readings categorised by content
Readings categorised by delivery
Readings categorised by client
Terms used in this book
Five popular misconceptions
1. Body language
2. Shrewd observation
3. Fishing for clues
4. Vagueness and generalisation
5. Stupid, credulous and gullible?
How it works1/7: The Set Up
1. Meeting and greeting
2. Encouraging co-operative interpretation
3. Establishing an intimate atmosphere
4. Establishing psychic credentials
5. Establishing the belief system
6. Supplying a pre-emptive excuse for failure
7. Checking for recent readings
8. Setting the client at ease
How it works 2/7: The Principal Themes
How it works 3/7: The Elements of the ReadingElements about character
1. The Rainbow Ruse
2. Fine Flattery
3. The Psychic Credit
4. Sugar Lumps
5. The Jacques Statement
6. Greener Grass
7. Barnum Statements

14
14
14
14
15
16
16
17
18
19
19
19
20
20
21
24
24
25
25
26
27
28
28
29
30
31
32
32
33
35
37
38
39
41

Elements about facts and events
1. The Fuzzy Fact
2. The Good Chance Guess
3. The LuckyGuess
4. The Stat Fact
5. The Trivia Stat
6. The Cultural Trend
7. The Childhood Memory
8. Folk Wisdom
9. The Seasonal Touch
10. The Opposites Game
11. The Push Statement
Elements about extracting information
1. The Direct Question
2. The Incidental Question
3. The Veiled Question
4. The Diverted Question
5. The Jargon Blitz
6. The Vanishing Negative
7. The Sherlock Strategy
8. TheRussian Doll
Elements about the future
1. Peter Pan Predictions
2. Pollyanna Pearls
3. Certain Predictions
4. 50/50 Predictions
5. Likely Predictions
6. Unlikely Predictions
7. Factual Predictions
8. Self-fulfilling Predictions
9. Vague Predictions
10. Unverifiable Predictions
11. One-way Verifiable Predictions
Special section: Public Predictions
12. The Neverwas Prediction
How itworks 4/7: The Win-Win Game
1. Persist, wonder and let it linger
2. I am right, but you have forgotten
3. I am right, but you do not know
4. I am right, but nobody knows
5. I am right, but it's embarrassing
6. I am wrong now, but I will be right soon
7. I am wrong, but it doesn't matter
8. I am wrong in fact, but right emotionally
9. I am wrong in fact, but right within system
10. Wrongsmall print, right headline
11. Accept, apologise, and move on

43
43
47
49
52
53
56
60
62
62
65
65
68
68
69
70
72
74
75
77
81
84
85
86
87
88
89
89
90
91
91
92
92
93
94
97
97
98
99
99
99
100
100
100
102
103
104

How it works 5/7: Presentational Points
1. Cultivating feedback
2. Sensory empathy
3. The cream principle
4. Emphasising the...