A Simple Introduction To

Cold Reading
by Ian Rowland

The author teaching an Applied Cold Reading

(ACR) class in central London.

This is a free booklet from...

www.thecoldreadingconnection.com
The Cold Reading Connection is maintained by Ian
Rowland. The aim of the CRC is to bring you the best
information, training and resources about cold reading
and related fields.
This is a copyright document and all rights are reserved.
However, you can copy and distribute it as much as you
like so long as you keep it intact, give full credit, and
dont make money out of it or use it to add value to a
publication or website.
Ian

Dedication
I dedicate this simple introduction to cold reading to all my
many friends in what might loosely be termed the cold
reading community. Thank you for all the good times shared,
and for all those yet to come.

Publishing Details
A Simple Introduction To Cold Reading
First edition.
Copyright Ian Rowland Limited, 2015, London England.
All rights reserved.
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 way
whatsoever without the specific written permission of the
author.
This publication is free. It is supplied from this website:
www.thecoldreadingconnection.com
The authors personal website is:
www.ianrowland.com

Contents
Statement Of Values

An Enduring Fascination

The Joy Of Cold Reading

What Is Cold Reading?

Non-psychic Flavours

11
13

What is Applied Cold Reading (ACR) ?

14

Historical Perspective

15

Who Learns Cold Reading And Why?

15

How Do People Learn Cold Reading?

16

How Does Cold Reading Work?

Seven Steps

20
20

The Great 'Psychic' Debate

23

Related Subjects
Non-verbal communication (NVC)
Clear communication
Voice training
Pure language
Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP)
Persuasion skills

25
26
26
26
27
27
27

The Ethics Of Cold Reading

27

My Story: How I Got Into This

28

The Cold Reading Connection

Your Comments Are Welcome

29
30

Statement Of Values
This publication is supplied primarily from:
www.thecoldreadingconnection.com
Cold reading is sometimes used to give personal readings
with a psychic, psychological or mentalist flavour. In this
context, I only promote cold reading which is:

positive, responsible and benign

intended to help people to make sense of their life, as

well as providing entertainment

intended to help people to feel relaxed and confident

about themselves, their potential, their relationships
and their future

Cold reading can also be used in other contexts, such as sales,

management and therapy. I call this Applied Cold Reading, or
ACR for short. When I teach ACR, I say its purpose is to:

promote good communication, rapport and

understanding

ensure that each conversation results in a positive

emotional gain for both parties

These are my values, and the values promoted via The Cold
Reading Connection.

An Enduring Fascination
Welcome to what I believe is one of the most fascinating
subjects in the world!
Cold reading has been part of my life for over thirty years. It
has proved to be an enduring passion, as well as an endless
source of fascination and fun. More importantly, my interest
in this beautifully curious subject has enabled me to meet
countless wonderful and interesting people from around the
world, many of whom Im lucky enough to count as friends.
They come from many walks of life, but share my interest in
cold reading and related arts.
Cold reading is one of those areas where the more I know, the
more Im aware how little I know, and how much there is still
to learn! I look at this in a positive way. It would be a shame to
ever reach the stage where there was nothing left to learn or
share.
In this short introduction to cold reading, I want to tell you a
little bit about the subject and clear up a few common
misunderstandings. I also hope I can convey some of my own
enthusiasm for the subject, and help you to appreciate how
cold reading (in its many different forms) may touch on many
different aspects of your personal, social and professional life.
Perhaps you will find that cold reading becomes for you, as it
has for me, an enduring fascination!
So, lets get started

The Joy Of Cold Reading

If theres one point I ought to make crystal clear, its that cold
reading is fun. I love cold reading and what it can do, and I
have had a great time sharing this passion with people all over
world.
I know that Ive given countless readings to people that have
really helped them in one way or another (although I have
never charged any money). I have given readings in more
different places and contexts than I can remember, from a
busy nightclub in Londons West End to the streets of Rio de
Janeiro; from a quiet caf just outside Venice to a sleepy
airport terminal in Indonesia.
I have seen the way that simply gving someone a reading can
transform doubt into hope, and I cant into Maybe I can.
With my own eyes, I have seen readers bring people together,
and create connections and even friendships that wouldnt
have happened otherwise. Whats more, I have seen them
provide fascination, entertainment and fun in many situations
where these elements were in rather short supply.
Over the years, countless people have told me stories of how a
reading helped them to see things in a new and more positive
light, or deal with emotionally difficult times including
some of the most rational and sceptical people you could ever
meet. You dont have to believe in psychic powers to benefit
from a good personal reading.
I know from experience how the simple act of giving a reading
to someone can instil a sense of light, hope, confidence and
self-belief that wasnt there before or at least was in need of
a little boost.
Even if you just stop to give someone a free, short reading,
you are giving them some time and attention, showing them
that they matter and are worth taking an interest in. This
might be the most attention that anyone has given them for a
long time, a small spark of human connection that makes a
huge difference. It could be the best thing that has happened
to them that day, that week or that year.
10

I have seen the fun that cold reading can create the smiles,
the happiness, the laughter. In some ways, cold reading is a
gift you can give to more or less anyone, more or less
anywhere.
Cold reading, like music, can cross cultural barriers and
provide an international language of communication and
positive expression. I must have given readings to people of
forty or fifty different nationalities by now, and while the
cultural background may shift and change the results tend to
stay the same: intrigue, fascination, hope, smiles, confidence
and a sense of delight. These are all good things to bring into
the world.
The joy of cold reading is the joy of connecting with people,
and promoting feelings of self-belief and hope for tomorrow.
Its the joy of helping people to feel relaxed and confident
about themselves, their potential, their relationships and their
future. Its the joy of fun, shared laughter, good times and
good spirits.
Perhaps thats why people have been giving readings to one
another since forever. Perhaps thats why they always will.

11

What Is Cold Reading?

Because cold reading is a rich and complex subject, we could
define it in many different ways. Here is one good definition
that will suffice for the time being:
Cold reading is the art of providing a personal reading of
a psychic, psychological or mentalist nature without prior
information about the client.
The alternative is, unsurprisingly, known as hot reading.
This refers to cases where the reader (the person giving the
reading) does have some prior information about the client (the
person she is giving the reading to). The reader might obtain
this information either openly or covertly. There are lots of
ways to secretly obtain information about someone before a
reading ranging from the very simple to the very devious!
By the way, I tend to use the female pronoun when I refer to
either readers or their clients. This is purely because most
people who give readings, and most people who go for
readings, happen to be female. There are of course male
readers and clients, but they just arent as numerous. Its
interesting to speculate as to why this is so.
Cold reading is most commonly associated with the psychic
industry. Some readers use tarot cards, runes or a crystal ball.
Others give readings based on the palm of your hand, a
sample of your handwriting or an astrological chart. In fact,
readings can be based on just about anything. Many historical
types of divination sound rather weird, to say the least. For
example, ophiomancy is divination based on serpents, while
tiromancy is a form of divination based on cheese! Ive never
seen anyone give a reading based on cheese, but I expect Id
find it fascinating and hilarious.
The field of psychic readings is certainly wide and varied.
Most readings are given personally, one-on-one, but readings
can also be given remotely, via phone, mail or internet. I get
the impression that as soon as any form of communication is
invented, someone, somewhere figures out a way to use it for
cold reading purposes.
12

Personally, I think that cold reading in the most accurate sense

of the term involves real-time interaction between the reader
and client, either in person or via phone or internet. Where
this sense of live interaction is missing, such as when a reader
sends a written astrological profile through the mail, I
personally dont think of this as cold reading in its truest sense.
However, others would take a different view.

Non-psychic Flavours
Not every reader suggests that the readings they give are
psychic in nature. There are many readers who present and
frame their readings in other ways. For example, some say
their readings are psychological in nature, or spiritual. You
may or may not feel this makes much of a difference some
would say its a case of same bread, different wrapper. Its
very much a matter of personal opinion.
Cold reading also sometimes crops up in mentalism, so let me
take a moment to explain what mentalism is. There are many
musicians in the world, but they make many different kinds of
music: classical, rock, soul, jazz and so on. Similarly, there
are many magicians in the world, but they specialise in
different areas and do different things. Some magicians
specialise in close-up magic while others only do stage
illusions or kids shows. One branch of magic is called
mentalism. This is magic of the mind and imagination, and it
often involves routines with a psychic or psychological flavour
demonstrating telepathy, predicting the future and so on.
Many mentalists incorporate elements of cold reading into
their work, or give readings in informal situations. Just for the
record, Im a magician myself. Im a member of the Inner
Magic Circle, and mentalism happens to be the area in which I
specialise.
There are many other flavours of cold reading, but in this
short introduction I cant mention all of them. The main point
is that not everyone who gives personal readings is necessarily
claiming to be psychic. This is a common misunderstanding.

13

What is Applied Cold Reading (ACR) ?

Part of my fascination with cold reading stems from the fact
that it can teach us a lot about successful communication. This
is another of my passions, as well as being a large part of how
I earn a living.
I have been a professional freelance writer for most of my life.
When I tell people this, they tend to ask me what sort of things
I write. The answer is: whatever the person paying me wants
them to write. It really is as broad as that.
Ive worked in creative media, sales and marketing, the
software industry and many other fields. Ive helped
companies to sell everything from shoes to engineering
services, and Ive written plenty of those User Manuals that
no-one ever reads. Ive even ghosted complete books for
people, which I rather enjoy doing!
A long time ago, when I was working mainly in sales and
marketing, I started applying some cold reading techniques to
the business world. For example, I found ways to use cold
reading when meeting sales prospects, or handling
negotiations. I called this Applied Cold Reading, or ACR for
short. I define it like this:
ACR is a set of communication strategies, to do with the
psychology of communication, that enable you to influence
what others think, feel and believe.
The main purpose of ACR is to make sure that next time you
have any kind of professional meeting or dialogue, there is a
positive emotional gain (PEG) for both parties.
When I started teaching ACR in 2008, I was pleasantly
surprised by the sheer range of people that applied to study
with me sales professionals, therapists, students,
entrepreneurs, business development managers, housewives,
teachers, doctors, political advisors, charity workers the list
goes on and on! Quite a few students said they just wanted to
improve their people skills.

14

Historical Perspective
Whatever else you can say about cold reading, it certainly isnt
new. Its been around as long as cows.
You can look at every era in history, and every part of the
world, and youll find examples of divination of one kind or
another. The specifics may vary, because there are fashions
and trends in cold reading as in anything else: tarot cards
might be madly popular in one place, while elsewhere it might
be runes that draw the crowds. Nonetheless, wherever you
look you will find someone offering readings and someone
else willing to pay for them.
In every part of the world Ive visited, Ive found cold reading
thriving in one form or another. From America, Australia and
Argentina to Sweden, Slovenia and Singapore, Ive seen
people offering readings of many different kinds, both
formally and informally and always with plenty of
interested and satisfied customers. This shouldnt come as a
surprise. A fundamental component of human psychology is
the desire to know what lies beyond the normal scope of our
knowledge.

15

Who Learns Cold Reading And Why?

I always enjoy sharing what I know and learning from other
people. Im lucky enough to have made many friends around
the world who share my interests, and the internet makes it
easier than ever to communicate, share and keep in touch.
One thing I have found is that people learn cold reading, or
ACR (applied cold reading) for many different reasons. Here
are just a few common ones:

16

they work in sales or management, and learn ACR to

improve their communication skills

they perform mentalism routines, and want to

incorporate a bit of cold reading into their act

they are full-time therapists and appreciate that ACR

can help them to build instant rapport with their clients

they have a background in counselling, and want to

give personal readings as an adjunct to their other work

they just have an interest in the psychology of human

communication, and want to study cold reading in
detail even though they dont have any direct,
immediate use for it

How Do People Learn Cold Reading?

There are four different ways that people approach cold
reading.

Formal Study
One is what we might call Formal Study, i.e. the reader
chooses a discipline such as tarot and then studies it, either by
attending a class or buying a course of some kind. There is
never any shortage of courses on offer, as you will see if you
do a quick search online.
This approach suits those who invest some degree of belief in
whichever discipline they choose to study, and feel they are
genuinely gaining some sort of insightful knowledge.
On a personal note, I think a fascinating aspect of this
approach is what happens when you start to experiment with
it and test whatever you are taught. For example, suppose
you have formally studied the tarot, and then give a reading in
which you deliberately say the cards mean the opposite of
whatever they are officially supposed to mean. Some
demonstrations suggest that the reading will be just as
successful as it would be if you read the cards correctly. The
same goes for any other type of personal readings.
Im not saying this proves that formal study is a waste of time.
Some people get something from it and enjoy it, and thats
fine. Im just saying that it doesnt seem to be essential in order
to give very good and successful readings.

Stocks
Some cold readers rely on stock lines, known as stocks for
short. They can get these lines from many sources as well as
from their own accumulated experience of giving readings.
These stock lines can be categorised in many different ways,
e.g. demographic group, context, theme, age of the client and
so on.
17

Some readers find they can get by with quite a small set of
stocks, whereas others make it their business to build up truly
vast lists of stocks that they carry around in their head.
This approach is versatile, since you can apply the same stock
lines to just about any form of personal reading: astrology,
tarot, palm or whatever. People who use a lot of stock lines
like the confidence it gives them that they will always have
something to say, and never run dry.
I know that using a lot of stock lines can work very well Ive
met more than a few readers who love their set of stock lines,
which they have painstakingly acquired over many years, and
use them very successfully.
My only reservation with stocks is that they tend to involve
recitation by rote, so you need to be a good actor to make the
reading sound fresh and spontaneous. My other reservation is
that you can spend a long time learning stock lines without
ever understanding why they actually work. Ill come back to
this point later.

Trigger Systems
A trigger system, also known as an association system, is a
refined version of Stocks. The easiest way to explain it is to
give a simple example. Suppose that the reader has learned 26
stock lines, and associates each one with a letter of the
alphabet. She asks the client her name, and then delivers
whichever lines correspond to the clients initials.
Thats the basic idea of a trigger system: associate preset lines
with common variables. The benefits of a trigger system are
that the reader is never short of something to say, and each
reading is different (or at least as different as the system
allows).
There are countless variations on this idea. They are not all
built around the clients initials, and they are not all as
simplistic as the example given above. There are triggers
systems for giving palm readings, tarot readings, graphology
readings and many other kinds of readings as well.
18

My System
My approach to cold reading is a little different to the other
three. Let me explain the difference by using a couple of
analogies.
Suppose Im teaching you how to play the guitar (which I play
moderately badly). I could teach you the chords for Tune 1,
and you would then know one tune. I could teach you the
chords for Tune 2, and then you would know two tunes. We
could carry on like this, with you just learning each tune by
rote, but it would be a rather tedious process. Alternatively, I
could teach you a bit of basic chord theory and how it all
works. From that point on, you would be able to listen to any
tune and find the chords for yourself. Instead of just learning
lots of specific examples by rote, you would understand the
underlying patterns, and then you could play as many tunes
as you want.
A similar thing happens when school children are learning
about mathematics. At first, the teacher puts up one specific
equation or problem, and the class learns how to figure out the
answer. Then its on to the next equation, and the next.
Eventually, the teacher explains algebra, or how to think about
calculations in abstract terms, rather than dealing with specific
numbers. Once the student has understood algebra, she can
solve as many equations as she likes because she understands
the underlying principles.
My own approach to cold reading, as it applies to giving
personal readings, works the same way. It doesnt involve
learning any specific lines or things to say. It involves
studying the underlying principles involved, so you can give
any sort of reading you want.
This is the approach that I explain in detail in my book on cold
reading. Ive never given it a name, although I suppose I could
call it the Universal system or just stick my own name on it!
In the next section, Seven Steps, Ill attempt to summarise my
system in the space of a page or two, which isnt easy.

19

How Does Cold Reading Work?

Lets start with some common myths.
A lot of people seem to think cold reading involves shrewd
observation based on reading body language, fishing for clues,
or just making vague guesses that gullible people will easily
accept. In fact, these techniques have little, if anything, to do
with cold reading. However, these misconceptions seem
immovably entrenched in popular opinion.
Ten years from now, Im sure I will still see magazine articles
and online experts declaring that cold reading involves
deductions based on body language. It is rather unfortunate
the way some ideas enjoy immortality even though they are
baseless and incorrect.
So, with those myths out of the way, how does cold reading
work? As this is only a short introduction to my own approach
to cold reading, I cant go into the subject in great detail, but I
can at least sketch the outline.

Seven Steps
I divide my approach to cold reading into seven steps, as
explained below. Please bear in mind that this is a very
simplified overview of a 220 page book!

1. The Setup
There are several things a good reader can do before the
reading even starts to assist the whole process. These include
creating a suitable atmosphere, encouraging a co-operative
attitude, supplying a few pre-emptive excuses for either
failure or vagueness, and setting the client at ease.
The main point is to create a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere and
to establish a warm, welcoming tone that encourages the client
to regard the whole process as something to be enjoyed and
shared.
20

2. Main Themes
Most people who go for readings want to hear about one or
more of these four themes or subjects: career, health,
relationships or money (forming the acronym CHaRM).
The experienced reader therefore makes sure she touches on
each of these themes, and waits to see which one seems to be
of greatest interest to the client. This doesnt usually call for
any great deductive skills. Most clients will be only to happy
to openly state which theme or subject they want to hear
about. One client once said to me at the start of a reading,
What can you see about my trip to America will it be as
good for my career as I think it will?
There are other common themes as well, such as travel,
education (in the sense of self-development) and aspirations,
but these are not as important as the main four.

3. Main Statements
So, the reader tries to make sure the reading gets off to a good
start, and is smart enough to stick to the main themes most
clients want to hear about. But what does she actually say?
Well, having chosen a theme, she offers one or two statements
that the client is likely to find meaningful. Note that in each
case the reader offers the statement whereas the client provides
the meaning. This is an important distinction. In my book, I
describe four types:

statements about character

statements about facts and events

statements that are a disguised way to ask a question

and gain information

statements about the future

In my book, I list about 36 different types of statements in all.

Im not saying this to advertise my book. Im just pointing out
that its quite a big subject!
21

4. Revisions
In cold reading, the reader is never completely wrong. If she
offers a statement that the client thinks is correct, or broadly
correct, all is well. If she offers a statement that the client
thinks is incorrect, all is not lost. The reader can use what I call
a revision to turn things around, and make an incorrect
statement sound like it was right, or largely right, all along.
There are eight different revisions, such as changing the timeframe or changing the interpretation of some words in the
statement.

5. Presentational Touches
In cold reading, what you say is important and so is how you
say it. There are many good presentational techniques that
readers can use to assist the success of the reading, such as
using simple language thats easy to understand, speaking at a
relaxed yet consistent pace, and using sensory empathy to
imbue the reading with some feeling and emotion.

6. Improvisation
Cold reading is an improvisational skill, and good readers
tend to be good at thinking on their feet and shaping the
reading to suit the wants and needs of the client at the time.
Its not a case of drearily droning through a dry, preset script.
For example, a good reader pays close attention to the client
and everything she says, even down to the smallest comment
or bit of feedback, so she knows when to expand on certain
subjects (that the client is really interested in) and not talk so
much about others (that she apparently isnt bothered about).
Another important idea is that of bridging. Its supposed to
be one coherent reading, not just an assortment of statements,
so a good reader looks for ways to link the parts of the reading
together and bridge smoothly from one section to the next.

22

7. Handling Sceptics
Experienced readers dont often have to deal with sceptics or
sceptical attitudes, but every once in a while a client may turn
up who seems to have a negative attitude towards the whole
business. This isnt a problem for experienced readers, who
have several good ways to handle people like this. For
example, they may use a bit of re-framing to present the
reading not as something the client wont accept (e.g. a
manifestation of psychic powers) but as something she will
(e.g. a little bit of psychological insight).
Another smart strategy is for the reader to praise the cautious,
sceptical attitude and say she welcomes it, as it indicates a
very intelligent, enlightened mind. Theres always a chance
that this kind of gentle flattery might soften the clients
attitude, and at least the reader is making sure the tone isnt
confrontational or argumentative.
Thats a very broad, very loose and very generalised overview
of how my approach to cold reading works.

23

Interlude: Please Sneeze

Please tell your friends about this booklet.
In fact, please tell everyone you know. Im serious: every
person you know, or have ever known, or live with, work
with, love, cant stand or just met at the grocery store while
you were buying a cucumber. Tell everyone.
Tell them about this booklet, and about the website it
comes from:
www.thecoldreadingconnection.com
Why? Because word of mouth advertising is very
important to a small business like mine. One of my
favourite authors, Malcolm Gladwell, uses the term
sneezers to refer to people who are good at spreading
news and information so it reaches as many people as
possible.
So please, sneeze for me. Im asking nicely, and Ill even
beg if you want me to.
After all, Id do the same for you.
Thank you!
Ian

24

The Great 'Psychic' Debate

As I have explained, not everyone who uses cold reading is
necessarily claiming any psychic ability. Nonetheless, since
there is often an association with the psychic industry, people
often ask me whether I think psychic powers are real.
Ive been around long enough to have met many different
people with strong views on the subject. Ive chatted with
psychics, scientists, believers, sceptics, researchers and people
with interesting tales to tell all over the world.
Some people say, 'Psychic powers definitely exist'. The problem
with this view is that there is very little credible, peerreviewed scientific evidence to support it.
Some people say, 'Psychic power definitely do not exist'. The
problem with this view is that in every era in human history,
and in every part of the world, you find people reporting
'psychic' experiences of one kind or another. That's an awful
lot of human experience and testimony to simply ignore or
dismiss as meaningless.
My view is that it's a mistake to say that psychic ability is a
thing, like the chair you're sitting on, that either exists or
doesn't exist. In my opinion, psychic ability is a construct of
emotion, experience and perception. I say the truth is best
expressed in eleven words:
Psychic powers are as real as you want them to be.
The good thing about this view is that Im not asking you to
take my word for it. All the available evidence supports this
view, and none of the available evidence contradicts it.

25

Related Subjects
I have mentioned that I am fascinated by the subject of
communication. As a professional writer-for-hire, I have had
to learn a great deal about the difference between successful
and unsuccessful communication.
For this reason, I never see cold reading in isolation. I see it as
one fascinating area of study among many others, and I
believe readers can tell the rest of us a great deal about good,
clear and successful communication.
Here are some of the other areas that I have explored.

Non-verbal communication (NVC)

This includes, but is not limited to, body language and what
are referred to as tells: small, involuntary giveaway clues
about what someone is thinking and feeling.

Clear communication
A professional writers job often comes down to one simple
ability: to say what you mean, mean what you say, and get rid
of everything else. This looks like a very simple formula, but it
can be very difficult to achieve in practice. It applies to the
spoken word just as much as it applies to the written word.

Voice training
We tend to take speech for granted, but it is in fact a rather
remarkable and impressive human faculty. The sad thing is
that very few people ever learn how to speak clearly, or to use
their voice to their full advantage. This is a shame, because
learning to use your voice to its full potential can reap big
rewards. My friend Anthony Wade, who works professionally
as Dr. Voice, helps people from all walks of life to use their
voice to its full, rich potential.

26

Pure language
My friend Judy Rees teaches what she refers to as Pure
Language. Normal, everyday speech involves lots of
metaphors. You probably use half a dozen metaphors every
minute, without even realising it. This isnt normally a
problem, but it can be very unhelpful in some contexts, such
as some forms of therapy. Pure language is about speaking
without the needless clutter of unhelpful or distracting
metaphors.

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP)

Im not a huge fan of NLP, because I think some practitioners
make rather exaggerated claims on its behalf, or make claim
that have been checked out scientifically and found to be less
than well substantiated. However, I dont see it as my role to
get very sceptical about these things. If you study NLP or
anything else and get a few good insights out of it, and if it
helps you to communicate more successfully, then all to the
good. I take the view that good ideas are always welcome,
from any source.

Persuasion skills
Persuasion is a subject Ive studied in great depth, all the way
from Aristotles theories of motivation to meme theory; from
Gestalt psychology to sales techniques such as SPIN and yes
sets. In addition, I know about persuasion from the point of
view of mentalists and other stage performers, whose work
often depends on being able to make people do what they want
them to do, while seemingly exerting no control whatsoever!

27

The Ethics Of Cold Reading

Cold reading necessarily invokes some ethical issues. This is
why, on The Cold Reading Connection website, there is a
separate page about ethics. It summarises pretty much
everything I want to say on the subject.
I am quite sure that discussions and disputes about the ethics
of cold reading will rumble on until the end of time, and there
will never be complete consensus. I try to treat everyone in a
friendly, kind and respectful way, even if we disagree about
things. One thing I do know is this: friends can disagree about
things, and people who disagree about things can learn to be
friends. In my opinion, this is far more important than getting
snared and tangled in arguments and debates that never go
anywhere, and never will.

28

My Story: How I Got Into This

I often get asked about my own story, and how I came to
study cold reading. Heres the short version.
I got into magic when I was a youngster, and in my teens I
started to specialise in mentalism (mindreading magic). A few
magic shops sold booklets on cold reading, so I bought a few. I
started giving readings at parties, and found that I both
enjoyed it and was fascinated by how and why it works.
When I started working, initially in the world of creative
media and marketing, I started using some cold reading
techniques in my business life. This is what I eventually
named Applied Cold Reading, or ACR.
And thats really all there is to it: Ive been studying, using and
practicing cold reading ever since!
I have sometimes been asked by TV shows and magazines to
demonstrate how effective cold reading can be. Ive been
asked to act as an astrologer, tarot card reader, clairvoyant and
spirit medium. I am the only person in history to have
demonstrated for TV, under test conditions, that I can
apparently relay messages from the dead using cold reading.
(Talking to the dead is not something I go around doing in
real life.) I have three small claims to fame:

I taught mindreading to the FBI (including a session

devoted to cold reading).

I was hired by the British Ministry of Defence to teach

them how to tell if people are lying (which involved
touching on cold reading theory).

I was hired to teach persuasion skills, including a bit of

cold reading, to the coaches who work with the British
Olympics Team.

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The Cold Reading Connection

The main idea behind The Cold Reading Connection is simply
that final word in the name: connection.
I want to help people with an interest in cold reading and
related fields to be able to connect with one another.
I want to explore how cold reading connects with a range of
other subjects, such as communication skills, persuasion,
counselling and entertainment.
I also want to explore how cold reading, in many ways,
connects with peoples personal, social and professional lives.
I hope that you will sign up for the website Newsletter. I know
that you are wary about signing up for things, but I wont
send you any spam or pass your details to anyone else. The
Newsletter is my way to:

give you a lot of free information about cold reading

and related subjects

let you know about genuine discount offers from other

people that are worth knowing about

help you to connect with one another

Its true that I sometimes also tell you about new items Im
offering for sale, and Im not trying to hide the fact. But this is
only one, small part of what the Newsletter is all about.

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Your Comments Are Welcome

This is a living document. I hope it will grow, develop and
evolve over time.
I welcome your comments. If there are other things you think I
should include, or if you have notes or corrections for me, I
would love to hear from you.
Smiles and magic
Ian Rowland

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