The cold reading of a person, which is often referred to as psychic character analysis, enables the reader to apparently know the innermost secrets of complete strangers. Apparently you know things about a person you could not possibly know, and you have never met them before.

Before I go into a character reading let me say this. I do not think it is the best way of making money from a client, by telling them things about themselves that often amazes them. I think cold reading is the gateway. That is to say a character reading leads into some other type of reading, at which the reader specialises, and this is where the money is made.

To put it crudely, the reading sets them up, for whatever is to follow. If you give a reader a very short cold reading they almost always say “Oh are you psychic To which you reply, yes I read the tarot or (whatever it is you specialise in) they almost always say, can you give me a reading. To which you reply, yes is there anything in particular you wish to know about. – Joe Riding