A&Q by Mohamed Khaled [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

Introduction: Suppose you met a talking parrot, who told you, in its little parrot voice, “I am a human being.” Would you suddenly treat him like a real human, like anyone else? Would you share your secrets with him? Would you take him out for a fine dinner? Would you let him borrow your car to pick up his girlfriend for a movie night out?

The answer is probably “No” to all of the above questions, and the reason is, simply, because it doesn’t matter if a thing claims to be something different than what it obviously is.

I will begin by saying what is probably most important to be able to teach this effect, which is what the effect is ​not​. This isn’t a prediction effect.

I really can’t, for the life of me, stress this point enough. This isn’t a prediction effect. If you are into mentalism, as most people reading this will be, you might be thinking now “isn’t there a question that is written ahead of time that acts as a prediction?” and you would be 99% right. It’s just that the 1% you got wrong is 99% of what makes this routine matter.

What if that parrot really was a person trapped in a parrot’s body? How would you know? Well, you’d have to spend some time with

it, and get to know it. Then, you would learn that it is no ordinary parrot, and maybe you will come to know it as the person it is inside, worthy of your secrets and sharing dinner (though maybe not borrowing your car)

When I tried to share this effect, I saw that people were seeing it as nothing but a new prediction to show off some mind powers. I have to thank Aaron Alexander who helped me to talk about what it really is and why it is so powerful and important to me. And, of course, why so many people had trouble seeing it for what it is.

A&Q is really about connecting with your participant and actually having a quality time with the human being you’re doing this for. Many times, when I perform this then followed by a couple of other pieces of mentalism, the participant becomes less challenging or skeptical. Everything just runs as smooth as butter when doing effects after this.

The reveal acts not as a prediction but a confirmation, a confirmation that the participant has the ability to see into people’s lives, and know stuff about them, a confirmation that your participant has a very strong intuition, and most importantly it acts as a confirmation that the participant got to know you a bit better. It confirms the connection that you are making and the quality time that you are spending together.

I can say over and over what A&Q is to me, but all that will matter is if you are able to spend enough time with it to see past its first appearance. I love A&Q so much and I want you to experience

why I feel that way towards this effect. I hope that you will come to love it as I do, or at least see that this is no ordinary parrot.

A&Q “Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers -Voltaire

This effect was inspired by Matt Mello’s great effect ​one image​, from his ​psycho-logical​ manuscript. His thinking on the universal image plot is really good. Matt is a genius.

After reading the effect and performing it for a while, I thought to myself: wouldn’t it be great to create a similar routine, but instead of having a universal image it would be a universal answer to a question merely thought of by the spectator.

To be completely honest I don’t know how exactly this idea led me to create this routine, but I am really glad it did.

Here’s a description of the effect: The performer tells the participant about himself as a young boy and asks the participant to think of a simple question regarding the performer’s childhood then the performer asks the participant to use their intuition to answer the question they are thinking of. Both the question and the answer are confirmed to be true. There is nothing written down other than the question, previously written by the performer that remains sight unseen, face down on the

table, from the beginning of the performance, which will serve as a kind of prediction.

Performance Performer: ​“Something that’s really interesting about us and human beings in general, is the act of giving different meanings to different signs; for example, what does this sign mean?”

(Here the performer makes the universally recognized hand gesture of a ‘thumbs-up’ sign with one of his hands) Participant: ​ “Good or okay” Performer: ​ “What does that sign mean?” (A Thumbs-down) Participant: ​“Not good!” Performer: ​“……and this sign?” (The performer points to a question mark on the back of a business card) Participant: ​“A question?”

Performer: ​“Yes! On the other side of this business card, there's a question that has to do with me when I was a little boy. Because you don't know me that well, I will tell you a little about myself as a young boy. You will then think of a simple question, and we will see how things go from there, ready?" Participant: “​ Let’s do it” Performer: ​“When I was a little boy, 10 to 12 years old, I was a very active child. Unlike other kids who spent most of their time playing video games constantly and staying indoors, I spent my time doing something much more real. I wasn’t interested in school, simply because it lacked a certain spirit that I loved if you know what I mean?”

“My Father and Mother supported me all the way. My mother even used to call me “the little champ”, and my Father, though he traveled to Singaspore for work, he would always call to check up on me, because he wanted to see me the best in the world.

As I said, as a young kid, I was a very competitive and active child. My parents were always there and cheered for me whenever I needed it, and what else?...... Ahhh school, school was really boring for me because it lacked the necessary spirit.”.

“From what you know now, just think of a simple question about something you want to know about me as a young boy. A simple question that can be answered by a specific one-word answer…. done?” Participant: “​ Okay, I’ve got a question” Performer: ​“Here comes the most important of all. I want you now to use your intuition to answer the question you have in mind. Let your intuition lead you to that answer” Participant: “​ Okay, I have an answer” Performer: ​“Tell me, what’s the answer that your intuition led you towards?” Participant: “​ Soccer” Performer: ​“Okay……that’s weird (slight pause)…Be honest with me now, have you ever thought that you have a very strong intuition or psychic-like abilities?” Participant: “​ Yeah, my friends always tell me that I have a sixth sense”

Performer: ​"I am asking this because soccer is, actually was, a very big part of my childhood. (Slight pause) Speaking of soccer, one time my dad was coming back home from a 6-months work trip and the flight was delayed. I tried so hard to stay awake because I really missed my dad, but I reluctantly fell asleep.

“The next thing I know, my dad was gently waking me up. I jumped out of bed to hug him real tight. After I fully realized that my dad was actually here and it’s not some silly dream, my dad grabbed something from his luggage, hid it behind his back, and approached me slowly with a cheeky smile on his face.

"What he brought out from behind his back made me jump in happiness. It was a rare soccer ball, and it was signed by Ronaldinho, a soccer legend. I will never forget this day ever.

“Somehow, you must have picked up on this memory from what I have told you about myself, yes?” (The performer nods subtly) Participant: “​ Yeah” Performer: ​“That’s amazing, but you wouldn’t have reached this point unless you had used your feelings to think of a question that was close to the one on the card or maybe even the same exact question, true?”

Participant: “​ True!” Performer: “​Turn over the business card, and read what’s on it, out loud”

(The participant flips the business card and starts to read the question on it, which is “what sport you played when you were young?” the participant reacts while reading the question) Participant: “​ Yes, that’s basically the question I thought of” Performer: ​“I honestly have no idea how you got all of this; you did an amazing job! The fact that you came that close to me, I feel obliged to show you something (The performer takes out his wallet and takes out a photo of a young boy playing soccer and then continues) that’s me in one of the team practice” (Hands the picture to the participant then says)

“You know, we all have this incredible ability to see life through other people's eyes. It's incredible, isn't it? Wouldn't it be incredible if we all used this power as often as possible? Think of how unnecessary conflict we'd avoid.

“I’d like you to do me a favor. Never forget this moment, and always try to look at life through other people’s eyes, ok?”

Method and breakdown: Before I spill the beans on this one, I want to state that I am a sucker for any effect that has a good/emotional story as its base. I’ve always wanted to create such effect and here we are.

Also, this routine is 100% impromptu. All you need is a single business card and a pen.

What I prefer to do is to prepare the card beforehand by simply writing the question on one side, and on the other side, I put a huge question mark.

There are three main pillars that this routine stands upon, which are: 1. The sports force 2. The trap principle 3. The confirmation principle

The sports force The sports force is a psychological force disguised as a short story. Here it is:

“When I was a little boy, 10 to 12 years old, I was a very active child. Unlike other kids who spent most of their time playing video games constantly and staying indoors, I spent my time doing something much more….real. I wasn't really interested in school, simply because it lacked a certain spirit that I loved if you know what I mean?"

"My Father and Mother supported me all the way. My mother even used to call me "the little champ", and my Father, though he traveled to Singaspore for work, he would always call to check up on me, because he wanted to see me the best in the world.

“As I said, as a young kid, I was a very competitive and active child. My parents were always there and cheered for me whenever I needed it, and what else?...... Ahhh school, school was really boring for me because it lacked the necessary spirit."

Let’s break it down:

The first thing that came to my mind when constructing this force is: what are the activities that a 12-year-old can do? Top 3 activities that sprung into my mind are school, sports, and video games

I want to force sports, so I decided to use school and video games as ​bounce walls. I​ did just that in the first paragraph, and the reasons I state for not doing and liking either video games or school puts the participant where I want them to be, psychologically.

For example, look at this statement: "School wasn't my thing, simply, because it lacked the spirit I love if you know what I mean"

I am not saying “I didn’t like school because I had to wake up early” I am saying “I didn’t like school because it lacked the spirit” which means something else provided me with the spirit I love so what can that be?!!!

It must be whatever is left out of the possible activities a child may engage in, once they have been eliminated by the simple act of dismissing these as important in the script.

In the second paragraph, I go into the family side of the story. How my parents supported me which is a vital element to an athlete's general performance. My mom calling me "the little

champ", in my opinion, this is the most direct thing in the whole force. It is not extremely direct and it's not the most subtle thing but I feel it gets the job done.

I am not sure if you have noticed but "Singapore" is misspelled. In the story, it is written "Singaspore". That is purposely done. You might disagree with me on this, but what we hear can greatly affect how and what we think, just like with any psychological force. It can be substituted for any other Country or word that can be said incorrectly to sound like the word “Sport”.

The main purpose of the third and final paragraph is to highlight the major and important parts of the whole story. It is like restating your thesis statement when writing a research paper.

The trap principle This is something I first read in the very popular book, ​influence: the psychology of persuasion ​by Robert B. Cialdini. I thought it to be a very interesting and smart thing to do in real life to have people comply with whatever you are asking them to do.

Here’s an extremely simple example:

Jack: “Are you a fun person?” James: “Yes” Jack: “Would you like to go to that fun party down the road?” James: “Of course, yes!!”

The basic idea is that because James committed that he is a fun person, like most people will do, he will feel obligated to answer positively to the second question. If James would have said "no" to the party question, that instantly means that James is not so fun after all and this would break his internal logic.

I like to refer to this idea/principle as the trap principle because it “traps” the participant into going down the road you wish for them to take. In this case, it appears that the participant had successfully picked up on a personal memory of yours. The trapping process is a two-part process. This is the first part: Performer:​ “Okay……that’s weird (slight pause) be honest with me now, have you ever thought that you have a very strong intuition or psychic-like abilities?” Participant​: “Yeah my friends always tell me that I have a sixth sense”

90% of people, when asked this question sincerely, will answer in a positive manner. The reason for this is the fact you are

qualifying their answer as only needing to be true some of the time as opposed to asking if this is a fact one way or the other. You are asking if they have ever felt that it might have been a possibility. This is very different from saying something as polarizing as: "Do you feel you are this way (or the other)?"

The second part: Performer: ​“Somehow, you must have picked up on this memory from what I have told you about myself, yes?” (The performer nods subtly as a way to encourage the spectator to also answer in the affirmative) Participant​: “Yeah” Answering the first Question the participant indirectly admits to having a strong intuition or psychic-like abilities, so when asked the second Question they are trapped into answering positively again.

When delivering the second part of the trapping process the participant must feel that you are desperate for affirmation, as if they have picked up on something that is of a huge emotional impact. At this particular moment, the participant is the psychic and the performer is the subject.

“Once we have made a choice or taken a stand, we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to behave

consistently with that commitment. Those pressures will cause us to respond in ways that justify our earlier decision.” -Robert B. Cialdini Note by Fraser: Even if they don't agree with your first statement and doubt they have ever had a psychic-like experience or lack such abilities, you can still state the second part of the trap principle as proof' that they were indeed able to somehow pick up on the specifics of your thought of memory by showing that their thought of Question matches the one written on the card, which relates to your life/ childhood memory. End of note*

Something that has just popped into my mind as I was writing the above quote that you may want to try, just to show you how efficiently the trap principle works

Write the number 7 on a business card and place it face down on the table. Performer: ​“On this card, there's a single digit that means to me more than anything else and I want you to try to pick up on it. Think of a number, most would go for 3, but I can tell you it's not a 3. Got a number?"

Participant: ​“Yes” Performer: ​“what is it?” Participant: ​“7” Performer:​ “Okay……that’s weird (slight pause) be honest with me now, have you ever thought that you have a very strong intuition or psychic-like abilities?” Participant:​ “Yeah my friends always tell me that I have a sixth sense” Performer: ​“I am asking this because I was born on the 7​th​ of July. Or you could say

“The first time I crossed a road alone is when I was 7 years old” or both!

You ask them to turn over the business card and continue,

Performer: ​“Somehow, you must have picked up on all of this the moment we sat together, yes?” Participant: ​“Yes!” Now due to the trap principle, they will have to confirm they somehow picked up on your date of birth or whatever additional information you add to the reveal.

Try it and see the results yourself.

Back to the main effect, Of course not every participant will say soccer. You have two options, either to work on your feet when you hear the answer, or you can sit down and prepare/write your own script for the different sports out there, all within the frame I have constructed. All you have to do is to edit the ​special memory

The confirmation principle This principle is not mine to share, so I will not do so! It is a great principle by Kenton Knepper that has been fleshed out beautifully in various works from the brilliant Peter Turner. If you want to know more about it, check both Kenton's and Pete's work.

What I will do though is that I will briefly outline how this principle works in favor of ​A&Q. At this part of the routine, you say to the participant that there's no possible way that they could have reached this point unless they have thought of a Question that is close to the one written on the card or maybe even the same exact Question and they will agree.

You then ask them to flip and read what’s on the card. You know that because they said Soccer, or whatever sport they arrived at, that the question they thought of is one of two things: it is the same question or one that is very similar and still about Sport in general.

Here’s how the confirmation works in this routine. Let’s assume in this case that the participant is thinking of the same exact Question which is:

“What sport did you play when you were young?” The participant has agreed with you, a moment ago, that there’s no way that they could have reached this point unless they have thought of an either a similar or the exact same question.

So when they read the question and it happens to be the same question they thought of, it confirms all of the previous events/ stories to be completely true​.

One last thing that will help you visualize and comprehend this principle, even more, is this statement:

It is a reverse domino effect

Everything will tie together perfectly and each piece of the puzzle will confirm all of the other pieces, respectively.

Their answer will confirm that they somehow knew intuitively that the question written down was pertaining to a Sport you played as a child and that they must have also known the Question as well as the answer. As well as your story, even though it is made up on the spot based on the answer they give, it will appear to be true as it is also confirmed by both the answer and Question the spectator formulate in their own mind.

The last two things to discuss are the picture reveal and the closing lines.

The picture reveal is achieved via a simple multiple outs wallet or a normal wallet with a couple of empty compartments.

I fill them with pictures of young boys each engaging in one of the popular sports: soccer, tennis, swimming, rugby, running, etc... Here’s one example I Googled that you could print on a small Polaroid format and use. You may age it of course or print it in a vintage-like format.

Soccer:

OR-

And this is a thought by Aaron Alexander, you could digitalize the whole multiple-outs system by simply creating a new album in your phone gallery containing 4 or so pictures of the desired sports. You have both options!

I used to perform this effect without the picture reveal and you could, but when I added it, the routine became so much stronger, whether it’s the digital way or the physical way.

Lastly but not least, the closing lines, which are:

“You know, we all have this incredible ability to see life through other people's eyes. It's incredible, isn't it? Wouldn't it be incredible if we all used this power as often as possible? Think of how unnecessary conflict we'd avoid.

“I’d like you to do me a favor. Never forget this moment, and always try to look at life through other people’s eyes, ok?”

I want to credit Tomek Grudzinski for those lines and for also telling me that it should end by something meaningful to them. So thanks Tomek for that.

I hope you enjoyed the effect until now, and I wish nothing more than for you to go out and try it. You will see the results yourself.

Here’s how the effect should go from beginning to end: 1. The sports force 2. Trapping part one 3. The special memory 4. Trapping part two 5. The confirmation principle 6. The picture reveal 7. Closing lines

Phasmatic A&Q: This is, if not obvious, A&Q using the basic phasma principle by a man whom I can’t praise enough no matter how creative I get, Phedon Bilek. He gave me permission to include the application of phasma on this routine which I think works perfectly, thanks Phedon.

Essentially the phasma principle makes this routine as sure-fire as it will ever get. And it works perfectly in this routine due to the fact that the participant is trying to “know” stuff about you, which gives this routine more flexibility and room than it actually needs.

Here’s how the phasma addition works:

After explaining what is on the other side of the card, instead of saying “you will then think of a simple question”, you will say “you will then think of a question or a couple of them” which is this part of the script:

‘‘Yes! On the other side of this business card there’s a question; this question has to do with me when I was a little boy, because you don’t know me that well, I will tell you a little about myself as a young boy, you will then think of a question or a couple of questions, and we will see how things go from there, ready?’’

Just the simple remark of them might think of more than one question

Here you apply the sports force.

Then you say: “From what you know now, just think of a simple question about something you want to know about me as a young boy. A simple question that can be answered by a specific one-word answer…. done?”

Let us assume they are thinking of a wrong question, such as "where did you go last summer?"

I ask them to use their intuition to answer the question they have in mind. They say “Malaysia”

Now obviously them saying "Malaysia" means they are probably thinking of a question that doesn't pertain to sport.

I counter with “Okay…..think of another question, but this time allow what I have told you to ring into your mind while creating that simple question….done?”

This time, for example; we hit it, and they are thinking of “what sports you played when you were young?” then they use their intuition to say “Soccer”

I say “Good…. Now think of one final question with its answer” The question: “what was your favorite cartoon?” Answer: “Mickey Mouse”

What phasma added here is that by including a sentence to the original script, it essentially triples the probability of the force to hit.

Now I have 3 answers and one of them is the one I need to bring the routine to fruition. I will provide two ways to lead the participant to the answer but it's a matter of personal preference, feel free to use any technique you know to lead them to the answer you want, but please keep it simple.

The first option of the two is the popular equivoque method, which is as simple as saying pick up two and hand me one and there’s the second option, which is the way I would do it, and I think you will appreciate this option more.

I say this:

“So the answers we’ve got are Malaysia, soccer, and Mickey Mouse. Now just imagine one answer here, one here, and one there (performer points to 3 different places on the table) again one here, one here and the last one right there.

“You’re probably wondering how you will arrive at the right answer. This cannot be any easier. You are simply going to let your thoughts and feelings, because they are two entirely different concepts, to lead you in the right direction.

Which answer do you feel (pause) is related to me? Just point to it (Participant points to Malaysia)

Okay…and which answer do you think (pause) is related to me? (Participant points to soccer)

“Both of your feelings and thoughts should unite to lead you to the right answer, so please give yourself a moment to feel what you’re thinking right now…..and that should lead you to one answer, yes? (Participant agrees)

“Which answer is that?”

“Soccer”

Feelings and thoughts:(F.A.T) This is a pretty simple equivoque technique. It contains three possible outcomes, which I will explain briefly 1.

Participant points to the sport from the first time

2.

Participant points to the sport on the second time

3.

Participant doesn’t point to the sport at all

Now you might be asking, how you will know which answer they are pointing to. ​Pay attention: The order you will state is the same order they will imagine them in. If you were to tell them: soccer, Mickey Mouse, and Malaysia. Imagine one here, one here, and one there. They, in their mind, will go: “okay…soccer, Mickey Mouse, and Malaysia.”

If you want to know MUCH MORE on the above principle, get Matt Mello’s insanely good book state of mind. It’s so f$ckin’ good.

You know which answer is which, but they don’t know that you know that, which makes you a couple of steps ahead.The first outcome is the perfect situation, which is when they point at

soccer first. At this point, you ask which answer is that and continue the script accordingly.

The second outcome is what’s outlined here. It takes advantage of the idea that feelings and thoughts are two different things, and it expands upon it. If your participant ​thinks ​that soccer is the right answer you say: “Both of your feelings and thoughts should unite to lead you to the right answer, so please give yourself a moment to feel what you are thinking” and that should lead them straight to soccer simply because they are thinking about it If your participant​ feels​ that soccer is the right answer you say: “Both of your feelings and thoughts should unite to lead you to the right answer, so please give yourself a moment to think about what you’re feeling” and that should lead them straight to soccer simply because they feel that it is the right answer.

The third and final outcome, which is when they don’t point to the sport at all, goes as follows:

“Would you like to change either your feelings or thoughts?” If they say “yes” Then you would use the 2nd outcome script. If they insist on sticking to their choice, you counter with:

"Both of your feelings and thoughts should unite to lead you to the right answer. They will unite in a very unique matter. They will unite by canceling each other out due to the fact that they are very distinct and independent from each other. They act that way to take all the variables out of the equation. So please allow them to unite in this unique way, and that should lead you to one answer, yes?”

Participant: “Yes”

Performer: “If your thoughts and feelings were any different, we would have arrived at an entirely different answer than the one you have now"

(participant agrees)

“Which answer you arrived at?”

“Soccer”

Recap of FAT: ● If the participant ​feels ​that soccer is the right answer here’s the line that will act as a guide: “Please give yourself a moment to think about what you’re feeling right now and that should lead you one answer, yes?” ● If the participant ​thinks t​ hat soccer is the right answer here's the guideline: "Please give yourself a moment to feel what you’re thinking right now and that should lead you to one answer, yes?” ● The participant doesn’t point to soccer at all: "Both of your feelings and thoughts should unite to lead you to the right answer. They will unite in a very unique matter. They will unite by canceling each other out due to the fact that they are very distinct and independent from each other. They act that way to take all the variables out of the equation. So please allow them to unite in this unique way, and that should lead you to one answer, yes?"

Again you could use any principle you know to lead the participant to the answer you want.

When you’re down to soccer you will continue the script as you would normally.

Fraser's thoughts When Mohamed first showed me his routine I instantly fell in love with the idea of essentially reversing the classic Q&A plot and having the spectator use their intuition to know the answer along with whatever Question they intuitively knew the performer was thinking and had written down ahead of the performance.

I also loved the use of Peter Turner's Confirmation principle as a way to make the effect that much bigger in the minds of everyone watching.

Although Mohamed uses his specific scripting with success I feel it may be a little heavy in terms of the amount of verbal forcing present in the script and would prefer much less of the actual force to be present in the script.

I feel you can get the job done in a much more subtle way.

I also feel it is important to create other possible outcomes for the thought of Question and subsequent answer, within the scripting, or at least the illusion of it.

My change of scripting would be as follows. I would perform the effect the same as Mohamed up until the verbal force and before telling the participant a little about my life I would add on:

Performer: “I want you to allow a few different Questions to come into your mind based on what I tell you about myself now”.

I would then lead into the force making sure to say something about my Childhood that relates to sport first. I would typically only include the line about being a very active Child and dismissing video games and School in the process.

​ ctive c​ hild and was very ​competitive Performer: “I was a very a and ​outgoing,​ not like my friends who always stayed in-doors and played video games. I also didn't like school very much because I felt it didn't fit with what I wanted to do". This is all I would say to force a Sport. In fact, you can afford to use the word “competitive” and be a little less subtle here because in a moment this will be washed over with other details surrounding your life that could lead to different Questions and answers.

I would pause for a few seconds after delivering this first paragraph of scripting and then say “Okay” as a way to suggest to the spectator that they should now have a Question in mind relevant to the details I have just given. Then I would repeat this process making up a few other details about my childhood, again

pausing between each of these statements in order to give the spectator time to formulate other Questions relevant to my life.

I now bring everything full circle theatrically, whilst also ensuring the spectator can only choose the Question pertaining to Sport.

Performer: "So right now you have a few different questions in your mind that may or may not relate to my childhood based entirely on your intuition, correct?!"

They will answer with a “yes”.

Performer: "It is important when using your intuition that you always trust your first impression and don't change your mind … So just focus on whatever Question first came into your mind as I was describing elements of my Childhood and formulate a one-word answer that would answer that question … You've got one!?"

This is how I would handle this routine. Of course, you may wish to add more of the force to the beginning statement to be sure you get a hit on the Sports force – such as the inclusion of the line “They used to call me their little champ!” – But this is how I would handle creating the illusion of multiple Questions being in play as well as a better way to hide the force among other details surrounding my earlier life.

It is also worth noting that when you create a false story based on whatever sport they name that you choose a real story from your life and only substitute one element. For example, you may retell a real memory of when you received a gift from one of your parents – but change the actual gift to a Soccer ball or whatever item relates to their answer. This will make your storytelling that much more believable which will, in turn, increase the overall impact of the routine.

Back to Mohamed-

Here are a couple of additional ideas that you might like to add to A&Q

Additional ideas: - This is a really good idea by Nico Heinrich. If you were sitting with 3 participants, you could do the sports force and then ask each to think of a question, and then whoever comes up with the sport answer, you simply continue the effect with them! That’s it. It’s so good. Check Nico’s work out, especially “​Dopamine”,​ such a great book. - Another idea that flew under my radar that Tom Phoenix pointed out when I spoke with him is that: treat this like the simple seven force, meaning, and that will increase the hit rate, after I do the sports force I would say something like:

“Now most people would think of the question “what was your passion when you were young or what did you do when you were young” but I don’t want to you to be most people, so from what you know now, just think of a simple question about something you want to know about me as a young boy. A simple question that can be answered by a specific one-word answer…. done?” This idea is the same as throwing out the “3” in the seven force.

- Another brilliant additional idea by Aidan O'Sullivan goes as follows: get a manila envelope, put on one side the "?" and on the other side of the envelope write the question. Inside of the envelope there will be a business card that has on one side; for example, "rugby" and on the other side "swimming". So it is, basically, a double-sided prediction containing the two most popular sports in your region, and with slight changes to the sports force, you can lead them to either sport. You would have a very clean and powerful revelation, for both the question and the answer.

A few things to remember: -Deliver the script with confidence and conviction. If you don’t believe what you are saying they will not too. I promise you that.

-When re-stating the answers when using FAT, I like to put the sport in the middle. In that way it is easier for my brain to track it.

-Connect with the participant and enjoy the experience because every time will be different.

-You could always play with the sports force till you feel most comfortable with it, it works for me that way, but other than that I think everything is covered.

-This is a pretty flexible piece so use that to your advantage by adding personal touches to it that will make you more comfortable performing it. i.e. Adding or taking away out of the memory reveal.

-Contact me, whether it’s about mentalism, causal talk, questions, etc… [email protected]

One last thing I want to address real quick, which is a ​vital p ​ oint to put into your frame of thinking, is upping the hit rate. If you were to examine ​closely​ the tools provided to up the hit rate which are: editing the sports force to suit you, phasma, Fraser’s thoughts, Nico’s idea, Tom’s idea, and Aidan’s idea. If you were to mix and match between those ideas, you would have a pretty solid and stable hit rate.

Credits: - One image by Matt Mello - Devil’s picturebook by Derren Brown - The confirmation principle by Kenton Knepper & Peter Turner - Influence: the psychology of persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini - Phamsa by Phedon Bilek - Closing lines by Tomek Grudzinski - State of mind by Matt Mello - A moment from memory in time by Peter turner - Think backwards, be controversial essay by Peter Turner - Additional ides by Nico Heinrich, Tom Phoenix, and Adian O’Sullivan

Thanks to: ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Fraser Parker Aaron Alexander Drew Backenstoss Peter Turner Phedon Bilek Nico Heinrich You, thank you.