They use soft statements
Maybe the best tool that fortune tellers have at their disposal to build trust is something called soft statements. Essentially, they will refrain from using concrete terms and will instead hedge what they’re saying, to make backtracking when off-base easier. For example, they will say “You have experiences with low mood” rather than “You experienced depression after the death of a family member.”
They do research ahead of time
Many people don’t seek out a fortune teller by themselves, they are instead referred to one or gifted a reading by a friend/family member. This added level of distance makes it easier for the fortune teller to gain information about the subject ahead of time, such as their profession, their priorities and the people no longer in their life that they miss.
They speak slowly on purpose
If you’ve ever wondered why psychics and fortune tellers speak so slowly, it isn’t just to give them an air of mystery and solemnity. Speaking slowly, with long gaps between words, gives the subject time to interject with new information and correct misunderstandings. This lets the fortune teller change tack in the middle of a sentence, therefore appearing to have never been wrong.
They treat corrections as clarifications
No matter how good a fortune teller is, they can’t go an entire session making zero incorrect assumptions, which is why they’ve developed strategies for covering mistakes. Not only will they start sessions with disclaimers that there’s bound to be some slightly off info, but they will respond to corrections with things like “yes it’s becoming clearer now”, reframing it as info they knew all along.
They draw inspiration from your house
If you invite a fortune teller into your home, they might ask to use the restroom before they begin, or request that they be left alone to cleanse the space you’ll be using. Some use this time to subtly check for family photos of lost loved ones or other contextual info like medication and pets, in order to make their readings seem more personal and less universal.
They watch for facial expression changes
If you’re looking to book a reading and see what a fortune teller really knows, the best thing you can do is keep your face as neutral as possible. Throughout your reading, a fortune teller will watch for widened eyes, smiling, frowning or tears to indicate when they are correct about your ambitions, insecurities, relationships and priorities.
They make bigger swings in bigger audiences
While a one-on-one reading is likely to be informed by some pre-work and begin with universal statements that slowly get more personal to you, group readings are an opportunity for fortune tellers to make more specific swings. They might start with certain specific work stresses or first name initials, knowing that they’re likely to apply to someone in the audience.
They guess things based on clothing choices
A fortune teller can get a lot of information from your wardrobe. If you’re wearing a cross, for example, they may tailor their reading to ideas of the Christian afterlife, and focus on the idea that loved ones can see the path you’re on and approve. Someone wearing a lot of flowy garments might instead get a reading about how the universe and nature are influencing their choices.
They mostly lean on positive statements
One commonality between fortune tellers and other kinds of psychics is that they will lean on positive statements rather than negative ones. Since most people go to a fortune teller for clarity and reassurance, they are far more likely to say “After this period of change and uncertainty you will find a fulfilling job” than “you will struggle to advance your career until your 30s.”
They pick subjects based on body language
If you’re at a group reading, you might wonder how the fortune teller picks their subject from the dozen or hundreds of people assembled. It’s actually pretty simple: they use body language. People leaning forward, who chose to sit in the front row and don’t have their arms folded in front of them, are likely to be more susceptible to and engaged with their reading.
