Resources

Your unique insight reading - This is  poster which explains the experiment conducted by Bertram Forer that demonstrates the Forer effect as seen when Barnum statements are used.

Not-so-Psychic checklist – This is a bingo card with a difference. Use this during a pychic reading to see if you can spot potential cold reading. The more you cross off, the more likely it is that the Psychic isn’t as psychic as they think.

Activity One – Read peoples minds!

It’s addictive, fun and a great way to engage with people over what Barnum statements are and how they might encounter them in their day to day life. Remember, you’re probably not able to read minds, but with our tips you could be very convincing (so, if you’re reading this, Sally…)

Doug Segal teamed up with us to provide you some examples of statements that fit most people. We dare you (double dare, in fact) to turn to the person sitting next to you and try to cold read them. Choose one of our statements, or copy what Doug says in the video and see if you can convince people you are reading their thoughts and personality, and then teach them how to use Barnum statements too.

Activity 2 – The Horoscope Challenge!

Take part in the Horoscope challenge and learn how easy it is to make Barnum statements feel personal to you, then try the challenge on your friends to demonstrate the same. This challenge provides great insight into why people believe psychics are accurate, and how easy it is to be fooled into thinking that vague statements are deeply personal.

Step one: cut out the horoscope page from your newspaper or magazine. Separate the individual star sign readings.

Step two: Write the star sign on the back of each reading, and then cut off all identifying information (pictures, birth dates and star sign titles). Shuffle the individual readings up and try to work out which one belongs to your star sign. It’s very difficult because they can all apply to you. This is how Barnum statements work.

Step three: Try this on your friends and demonstrate to them how this is similar to things a psychic might say to them. (This is very effective when demonstrated to people who have had a psychic reading in the past.)

Useful documents: [The Barnum statement poster] [Four sets of Barnum statement cards] [Our guide to cold reading]

Here is a demo video:

Keep your eyes peeled for future activities and resources as we release them!