Phase 1: START SIMPLE

The performer attempts to read a spectator's mind.

The performer displays a stack of index cards / business cards / napkins. Each card has an emotionally-charged word written on it. The cards are mixed. A spectator is asked to select one of the cards and remember a time they felt that emotion.

The performer begins to vicariously experience the emotion... vaguely at first... almost like a psychic reading... but the performer gets more and more specific and eventually names the emotion exactly.

Phase 2: BUILD ON IT

The performer attempts to transfer his/her psychic abilities to a spectator.

One spectator selects an emotion card and thinks about a time in his/her life when he/she experienced that emotion.

With the performer's help, a second spectator is able to intuit the emotion the first spectator is thinking of and name it exactly.

Phase 3: MAKE IT MEANINGFUL

The performer attempts to name specific details from a spectator's life.

The cards are mixed. A spectator removes one of the emotion cards. The performer asks the spectator to think of a specific name and a time period they associate with the emotion they have chosen.

The performer removes a notepad and pen. One-by-one the performer writes down the specific details he/she is sensing from the spectator's life. The performer is specific. His/her intuitions are committed to writing so there can be no mistake.

The performer is accurate to a degree that proves shocking to the spectator. This is an emotionally-CHARGED climax that can go in many directions. The performer is guaranteed three hits.

A Framework for Cold Reading

EI provides the performer with three phases and five guaranteed "hits". The methods Luke teaches are surefire and can be depended upon in performance. EI does not rely upon cold reading or guesswork.

That said, EI is ALSO an ideal framework for cold reading. Within the context of EI, performers can apply cold reading techniques without fear of failure. The three-phase structure of the routine and the FIVE GUARANTEED REVEALS ensure a great performance regardless of the accuracy of the cold reading.

"I wish I had a routine like EI when I was learning cold reading." -- Luke Jermay