There are dozens of general assessment information items that will help you to profile the individual. Think of Sherlock Holmes – he didn’t have ESP, he just noticed things. [2] X Research source That’s all. A slight tan line on the left ring finger. A pen mark on the left hand. He would now trust that this person is either divorced or separated and right-handed. Trust those snap judgments!
Dilation or constriction of the pupil of the eye (dilation is associated with positive emotion; constriction with negative). [4] X Research source Where the person gazes Rate of respiration Heart rate Relative perspiration of the body
When you think of a positive memory, your pupils should dilate. When you think of a negative experience, they should constrict. Imagine both of these scenarios and see what happens. Think of an answer to this question: What do you like about going to the beach? Once you’ve come up with your answer, note where you looked. If you said something like fire, you probably visualized it and looked up. If you said something like the sounds and the smells, you probably remained at eye level. If you said the sand in your hands, you may have looked down. Visual answers generally go up, aural stays level, and hands-on memories draw gaze downward. Make yourself nervous. How does it manifest in your body? What is your heart doing? Your breathing? What are you doing with your hands? Now run through other emotions too – sadness, happiness, stress, etc.
John Edward and other TV personalities are great at this. They start with, “I’m seeing a 19. Does that mean anything to anyone?” They start out vague until someone latches on. Then, once someone does, he’ll ask questions like, “You were very close to him, weren’t you?” and the person answers, feeling like they’re understood. He’s just asking very vague questions and the person is filling in the gaps for him!
If you see one or two people near the door, they may be socially anxious. See a person whose body language is clearly focused on someone else? They’re interested in that person, probably sexually. And if everyone is aligned toward one person in the room, you’ve found your alpha. And that’s just three examples. If you can, record something. Start with small segments, observe, record, then view again several times to find what information you missed the first time.
An easy example is think of naturally flirty people. When they’re comfortable, they may be touching, laughing, and poking away at someone they find attractive. Other people, while comfortable, might consider that a violation of a person’s bubble. Both people are feeling the same way, they just show it in very different ways.
If you’re nervous about professing your mentalist ways, you gotta kick that nasty habit! What you’re really selling here is yourself. People are looking to you to be convinced – they’re not looking for the most accurate or logical information. When you realize it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it, a lot of the pressure falls away.
An important part of listening and being an effective mentalist is reading between the lines. Seeing what people really mean when they’re talking. If your friend walked up to you and said, “Oh my gosh, I worked out soooooo hard today,” they’re actually saying, “Please give me a pat on the back. I need to be told I’m fit. " It’s this underlying text that will clue you in when people don’t realize you’re any the wiser.
If anything, be slightly amused. Think of those actors giving interviews that constantly have a slight smile on their faces and are prone to little bouts of subdued laughter. They’re totally relaxed and they just seem, well, cool. Be that guy!
Start experimenting with this on small levels, like the example above. Grab a friend or two and see if you can come up with a few scenarios on your own where they don’t know they’re getting ideas planted in their brains. Once you come up with half a dozen or so words you can easily plant, you can impress anyone at a moment’s notice.
Don’t accidentally give it away, either. “Ah, I see you looked up and to the left,” gives away that you’re monitoring their eyes, even if you don’t tell them what it signifies. You want them to think there’s something extra-sensory about you, something that other people don’t have. So be mysterious. You’ll only increase their intrigue.
Consider learning new skills, too. Look into hypnosis,[12] X Research source palm reading, and other people-reading skills. Then when you’re being your mentalist self, you could always truthfully say, “I could hypnotize you, but I shouldn’t have to do that. "
Use the Internet! Visit sites like Lumosity, Khan Academy, Coursera, and Memrise and make sure you train your mind regularly. Deductive reasoning and critical thinking are two skills that aren’t necessarily used while being a mentalist, but they get the skills you do use going a lot faster! Sherlock may be able to notice that lack of a wedding ring, but if it takes him a day and a half to put it together, Watson’s dead by then. So keep mentally agile and stay on top of your game.
If you haven’t thought about it before, start! Get to reading How to Be a Magician, How to Be an FBI Profiler, How to Be a Detective, or even How to Get on TV. To learn from real professional mentalists, read about Master Mentalism. If Honey Boo Boo can do it, you certainly can!
