Zodino - Cold Reading Primer

Cold Reading Primer Cold reading is a huge field of human interaction. This primer shall give a quick overview of some key elements. In cold reading there is no information available. That is opposite to hot reading where additional information is available, e.g. through peeking of information.

Rainbow Ruse – Statement that credits a participant with a character trait and it’s direct opposite. Examples: • "You can be a very considerate person, very quick to provide for others, but there are times, if you are honest, when you recognize a selfish part of yourself." • "On the whole you can be rather a quiet, self-effacing type, but when the circumstances are right, you can be quite the life and soul of the party if the mood strikes you." • "There is an inherent capacity here for neatness and tidiness and order, which is to your credit, but at the same time I can see some indications that this capacity does not always prevail, and you can, in some circumstances - mmm, how shall I put this delicately? - appear a little deserted by this instinct?!"

Jacques Statement – A generalized character statement based on the current life phase of a participant Examples:

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~20yo: "If you are honest about it, you often feel a sense of frustration that your own ideas and talents and abilities aren't given their full recognition. There have been more than one or two occasions when you had to struggle to get people to let you show what you can do. While you are mature enough to recognize that you have plenty to learn, and are willing to put the time in to learn new skills, you often find other people too set in their ways, and unable to appreciate the contribution you could make - if only they would let you". ~40yo: " If you are honest about it, you often get to wondering what happened to all those dreams you

had when you were younger; all those wonderful ambitions you held dear, and plans which once mattered to you. I suspect that deep down, there is a part of you that sometimes wants to just scrap everything, get out of the rut, and start over again - this time doing things your way."

Barnum Statements – Is a generalized character statement that many people will believe describes them Examples: • "You have a strong need for people to like and respect you." • "You tend to feel you have a lot of unused capacity, and that people don't always give you full credit for your abilities." • "Some of your hopes and goals tend to be pretty unrealistic." • "You are an independent and original thinker; you don't just accept what people tell you to believe." • "You tend to be quite self-critical."

Forking Technique – Depending on the participants reaction go into different directions from there Examples: • Start off with: "You tend to be quite self-critical." • If your participant nods, continue with: "You often give yourself quite a hard time over mistakes and shortcomings which perhaps other people wouldn't worry about. You have a tendency to be your own worst enemy in this regard, and this self-critical side to your character has held you back on more than one occasion." • If your participant disagrees, continue with: "But this tendency is one you have learned to overcome, and these days it rarely comes to the fore. You have learned to accept yourself, and to be reconciled with your own special mix of gifts and skills. You have learned how damaging it can be to be too self-critical, and all credit to you for having matured past the self-critical stage." For further insights into cold reading, have a look at: Ian Rowland’s book: The full facts book of cold reading.