Effect
The performer displays an envelope with a prediction sealed inside and places it for all to see. The performer invites the front row of the audience to play a game of word association. The performer asks the first person in the audience to start the chain off with a random word. For example the first person might say, “Father.”
The whole front line of the audience name random words, right up to the last person and the chain happens to end on the word “Dry.”
The performer then asks the spectator who said the word “Dry” to open the envelope and reveal its contents. Sure enough it is the word “Dry.”
Please read the performance as that is where the main methodology lies.
Preparation and Partial Method
Usually this is done pre-show, though I will give you another option in a moment. You will make up a set of word cards by writing a single word on the back of each business card. The words you write can be any words at all. There needs to be a force word among these cards. In this example the force word will be the word WET. See the end of this description for other words to use.
WET is a binary word in that it has a clear opposite word. What is the opposite word that comes to your mind when I mention the word WET? Yes, chances are the first word that comes to your mind is the word “dry.” The opposite of the binary word that you force
is what makes up the prediction.
In this case we are going to predict the word “dry” but turn it into a sort of company slogan or fake company logo. DRY Goods Inc. perhaps might be the name of the company you predict in the envelope. You might instead predict DRY Diaper Company or DRY Eye Solutions Inc. Have some fun creating a logo or imaginary company name. If you are working for a company you might see if their name or any of their slogans might be incorporated instead as the prediction.
You will force the opposite word (in this case WET) from your deck of word cards on someone in the audience before your show begins. As you do so say
“Later I am going to play a game based on a chain of words and I was wondering if you could help me out. As I am going to attempt to guess a word from your mind later on, I would like you to select one whilst I look away. Good. Now remember the word on that card. Repeat it in your mind being sure you recall it. When we play the word game and you are asked to state your word say that word only. It is essential you donʼt write it down or tell anyone else what your word is until I ask you to say a word. Until then, just
With that done and your prediction made, you are set to perform the effect anytime during your act.
If you do not wish to use a pre-show force then Kenton suggests using an old ploy by Dunninger. Go out to the audience and grab people to help you in this demonstration. You will want an even number of people from four to eight in all. When no one is paying much attention, take one of the helperʼs arms, or steady their shoulder, and say quietly to them
“Your word is the word WET. Just say WET when it is your turn...Iʼll explain it later.”
In context of this routine this sort of prompting of a helper will not be seen as stooging an audience member. Just be sure that this one person hears you clearly but not other people nearby. You want this single person to hear what you say, and no one else. Ask for a round of applause for each person and then quietly state your instructions to the helper under cover of the applause.
The routine is about how corporations and advertisers use one or two people to say something that influences their peers and the Public as a whole. As you explain this openly to the audience, the helper who was prompted understands that you are exposing the method, as it were, and so has nothing left to expose.
Performance and Additional Methodology
The performer states to the audience that when you perform as a thought reader, there is a certain amount of influential psychology that has to be involved. Influencing people is essential to making sure a chain of events go correctly and the outcome is one that the performer has predicted.
“Psychology and influence used to be applied by the select few. Today corporate influence and sales shills secretly make comments about their product in social situations to get others to talk about that product. It seems as if a group of peers have
gathered in a casual setting, but the truth is that one or two peers are being used by companies to mention a product trait during the conversation. This influences others until everyone starts talking about the product the company wants the Public to talk
about. The Public starts doing the advertising work for the company without their knowing participation, and the company only needs to pay one or two people to get
mass advertising going the way that they wish. Devious, isnʼt it?”
Whether an audience has heard of such advertising influence or not they tend to find this idea fascinating, if not somewhat disconcerting.
“I will influence a member of the audience to think of a seemingly random word which will ensure a chain of events will go as desired...using a technique known as ʻcorporate positioning.ʼ Youʼll see what I mean. It happens so quickly and casually...but there is real
Go into the audience and get four, six or eight people to help. If you did not do pre-show this is the time to go into the audience and use the Dunninger Ploy to influence one of those you have come up to help you.
Move the people helping you into a row, facing the audience. As you do so, secretly position the person with the known word into the second to last position in the line.
“Now a real secret helper or influencer never reveals who they are, what their secret is, or what company they work for...unless a law makes them tell you. There is no law enforcement up here and you all came at random from the audience, but just to be
sure...let me ask you - do you work for me? Are you in on it?”
Go down the line asking each person, including your helper
“Do you work for me? Are you in on it?”
You might also add
“Did you write down a word ahead of time or tell anyone else a word?”
Even though you forced a word on the secret helper they never wrote a word out nor should they have told anyone.
If the secret helper at this point says that they are the secret helper, the audience will laugh. Be sure to laugh and shake your head as if you find this hilarious too saying
“Uh, I hate to tell you this but secret helpers never says they are one. Nice try though. I could tell you were going to be trouble...I am keeping my eye on you!”
This gets an additional laugh and sets you up for other uses of this gag as the routine goes on.
“For this to work we have to work in pairs, a bit like each pair is on a date. This is an artificial situation of course, but thatʼs how the influence is generally structured for social
settings.”
As you group people, ensure the second to last and last person are together. You do not need to physically group people into pairs but rather simply point out the pairs as they stand next to one another in the row.
“To play the association game the first person says a word, then the second person of the pair says something that is associated with that word. Each new pair starts a new set of words. At anytime the first person of a pair can change the subject or direction of the words. The first person of a pair is the leader and the second person is the follower. The second person simply must say something associated with the first personʼs word.
“For example if the first person says, ʻOpenʼ the second person must try to say the opposite associated with the word, such as ʻClosedʼ in this case. If I were to say, ʻNightʼ
the next person of the pair must say? Audience? Thatʼs right...ʻDayʼ! You see how the game is played tonight then? Good. Letʼs begin.”
The first person of the row can say anything at all. You do not care what anyone says, but pretend that each word means something or is somehow what you expect. When the game gets to your secret helper be sure to remind them subtly by mentioning
“Fine...now say your word.”
You might sprinkle a few such comments in before getting to the secret helper so that the reminder is less obvious.
The helper will say the word “Wet” and this will lead the last person to say the force word “Dry.”
Sometimes the words, based upon the principles of association and meaning, seem to make sense so that the helperʼs word blends in naturally with the word spoken before his or her planted word. However, if it seems to stand out, you might frown, shake your head and say something such as
“Oh, I had a feeling youʼd be trouble!”
This will get a laugh and nicely suggests this person is a troublemaker, rather than a secret helper.
When the last person says, “Dry” ask whether all the people helping felt that they were under your influence. The secret helper usually wonʼt say they felt influenced either, but if they do, use the “I told you they were trouble!” running gag as a retort. This will suggest yet again that this person is not a secret helper by your blatant interaction with this person.
Reiterate that the last word in the game was DRY and then reveal the company name or product prediction. All will be duly impressed, often including the secret helper.
“How did I do it? I didnʼt! THEY did...and thatʼs the reason it is so devious and successful! Give all of my helpers a huge round of applause!”
The truth is right in front of everyone and no one believes it. An audience may try to push the last person to see if they were in on it, but after constant prying they will be convinced that this person has no clue about the situation. You may offer two hundred thousand pounds to anyone who can prove the last person was the secret helper, if you
You may change the prediction each show by using a new secret helper and a new binary set of words.
Here is a list of a few binary oppositions you might use for the second to last person:
Hot/Cold Dark/Light Up/Down Left/Right Black/White Day/Night Open/Close Cat/Dog Plus/Minus Good/Bad Uncle/Aunt Win/Lose Life/Death Happy/Sad Fast/Slow Read/Write Dark/Light Tall/Short Front/Back Yes/No Asleep/Awake Fast/Slow Male/Female First/Last Question/Answer High/Low Clean/Dirty In/Out
Finally, for those ever-doubtful types, just wear a nail writer and hold a blank business card so you can write in a final answer if it happens to be different from your planned upon prediction.
If you make the rules clear, you wonʼt have any problems at all.
Corporate or advertising influence is highly topical and as a search of these matters show social interactions as secret influence is a powerful and often used tool. It only makes sense that a mentalist or expert in influence would use such things as well.