Hey guys,long time reader but first time poster here.I need a little help with the way I should introduce myself as a mentalist to strangers in a way that I do not get challenges right away but at the same time not looking like a cat and making 0 claims about what I do.Basically I do not want the audience to think I am just another type of magician nor I would like to introduce myself as that.But hey,I know you guys don't help people without knowing a little about them so there you go:I started with magic when I was 4 years old,I performed a lot on the streets(the country I live in has very few magicians and like 2 mentalists so I was making them a bit more familiar with the subject I should say)and having a great time with magic until I turned 14(I am 16 now)and started learninng mentalism since then,it really is something I want to do.I have a pretty good knowledge in mentalism,my style is like a mixture of cassidy and banachek.I am always looking forward to be a better entertainer,the way I am introducing myself now is something along the lines of:Can I try some weird stuff with the mind with you?Nothing scary I promise you,you will have a great time.ORRR in a very different way:I read thoughts.So,there you go,if someone could help me out with this one it would be really appreciated.

Kleqy

I can't imagine a mentalist having to (go up to someone and) say: "Can I try some weird stuff with the mind with you?" No mentalist I know would ever do something like this.

This is what magicians do.

"I started with magic when I was 4 years old..."

This is what magicians do.

Hey MindPro,I honestly never said this line before actually,I was using weird psychological stuff before,but I saw that Robert Watkins does use this exact same line so I thought about changing it,it didn't seem like a good decision based on what you have said😊Thank you for giving me your opinion on it!If
you can give me some ideas on what to use instead of saying that I am a magician not a mentalist would mean a lot!


Kleqy

"Hi, my name is Kleqy. What's yours?"

...but as a mind reader wouldn't he already know?

As far as I know Watkins performs a lot on the street?
If that is what you are interested in why don't you try to contact him?
Maybe he can help you with this matter.
I am not sure how many of the people here are at your age and share your perormance conditions.
For example: I am 44 and perform mostly on stage.
If I meet people privately I usually don't introduce myself as a mind reader because I'd like to have a normal conversation.
One idea I'd have for you though:
Try to come up with some nice stories you can let drop into conversations.
Don't make them about your profession. Let some other topic be the main thing in your story and your mindreading a sidenote.
For example: "Yesterday I was hired to perform at a private party. And the guy who owned the place had a real Picasso on the wall."
100 % of the time people will ask you what kind of performance you did.
Then just start performing, don't explain.
"It difficult to describe what I do... I entertain people using their thoughts and their imagination. Maybe it's easier if I show you something if you like..."
Don't know if that's helpful to you...
Take care and good luck to you!
Axel

Philemon,of course I do say this come on man,I was just talking about the way I need to introduce the idea of mentalism after that I meet the group

Alex,I do perform a lot on the streets.There is one thing I want to tell you,you are amazing!This would suit my style of performing so well,especially the 'imagination' part!can't thank you enough sir,it is something I might use forever!

MindPro,I was performing just yesterday and used a ploy I saw on youtube.I was just meeting up with a group and I said:I am a mentalist,a mentalist is someone who knows how people think and sometimes even what they are thinking let me just show you an example.Your name is?Joya,I would have already known that if I was a PSYCHIC but I am not...And then I performed something amazing.

You can say “I’m learning to be an entertainer. Can I try something with you?” If asked after, it is possible to say something like “acrobats are usually very physically gifted, but they still need to train their abilities and also learn to make them fun for an audience. This is kind of the same thing, only with the brain instead of a trapeze.” Find your own words, but imply that you have natural abilities and are learning to make them entertaining instead of threatening.

My assumption is that right now you are looking for opportunities for “flight time.” If you are soliciting tips, I have no idea how to do that with hit and run mental tricks.

Patrick

Hi Kleqy,

Despite the (admittingly funny) mocking you receive I think that's actually a good question. The answer depends a lot on where you perform. So which country, what setting (bar, park, mcdonalds, emergency room) and for complete strangers or people you sort of know. For example if you live in certain parts of europe it would be quite strange to just approach people on the street and start talking with them, in some parts of south america on the other hand it would be pretty normal.
This then leads to the answer if you should state from the beginning that you want to show them something or if you could let it just come up in a conversation. The best thing for you is probably to just try many different ways and select what you like most.
Since you implied that you use the psychological approach (which btw automatically makes you a magician with magicians thinking) you could have a clipboard with some note paper on it and ask people if they want to take part in a psychological experiment. Start with a routine that you framed in that way anyways and then go on from there. I don't know if this works, it could also set up your spectators in the wrong way (they expect science and get mentalism -> whats wrong with that guy?) But it may be worth a try.

Dylan

Sure. That leads into the second part:

"Funny. I had a feeling that I would meet someone named [participant's name] today. In fact, I had a premonition about it, and some very interesting things happened in my vision. Would you be interested in seeing if any of those turned out to be true?"

Dylan raises the points I was curious about, what context is all this in exactly? If you’re just a stranger and you walk up to me and tell me you had a dream about me (for example), you’re getting ignored no matter what follows. If we’re at an event and you say you’re the entertainment then you get lots more time to say odd stuff. I know that many “mentalists” think an odd or unique opening line is critical to setting the mood but I think that really only applies in a controlled setting (on stage, you’re a known performer, you’re part of the entertainment) otherwise you run the risk of being quite off putting. I would imagine, like some have mentioned, some derivation of the truth would much better. That doesn’t mean a life story about how you started in magic because you’re a magician in their minds from that point forward (no time for story development with strangers even if it is an applicable story).

Now I don’t make a habit out of going up to random people to perform but that’s a thing I guess, which, for the record, is different from busking. Good luck, it seems like a hard sell outside of a Ren fair or something like that. I guess I’m thinking that, outside of some sort of shared context, I have no idea what an effective introduction by a “mentalist” would look like. Which is why I’m going to just lurk on this thread from now on.

I think a good amount of you guys misunderstood me .I am not dumb to go up to people and tell them that I used to be a magician but now I am a mentalist,I was just telling the café about myself cause I have seen people getting ignored when they ask questions on here because everyone else doesn't know about them,so I thought I would give you a little overview on what I have been doing.

You are correct, I misunderstood, my bad, I'm pretty dumb sometimes or even a lot of the time. I still think it's good advice, just not for you. But you're taking that one part out while ignoring the rest, which is an interesting position to take.

I think it would beneficial to everyone including yourself to let us know your age, length and level of performing experience, and where you are from as it has a direct impact on the answers others here will provide and how much they are willing to share.

The other thing that comes into play with what you are asking is performance dynamics. This plays a huge role in how one performs or operates and how they are accepted. This is exactly why I am not a fan of street performance or ambush performers. There are no performance dynamics.

Mentalism, like many other forms of performance art is best when both the performance dynamics and the expectation are properly in place.

In what your asking no one is there to see a performance. So the expectation is zilch, zero. As several have even stated here, you may be even creating a negative, off-putting, uninviting, defensive and even angry response because of this. That is not a performance dynamic that I would want any part of and really doesn't serve you well with mentalism. It also doesn't help you work out real-world material very much at all either.

Magicians always seem to think everyone always wants to see a magic trick at any time, anywhere. They don't. Many don't. This alone creates a negative performing dynamic. This is exactly what you get with any type of street performance. At least even a busker is set up and people come near or approach them with at least the expectation of curiosity. In ambush performing no expectation is present, so not only do you have to disarm them, but you them have to set-up who you are and what you do, and what you are wanting of them. Why? That is so much working against you before you can ever get to the art.

This is why mentalism plays much better onstage. People have a designated expectation, they know what they are coming for, you know they are there to see you perform/a/show, there is supportive cooperative environment of others in the audience, and both the expectation and performance dynamics are in place and favor the performer.

So this is much more than just an opening line or two, it is about controlling the performance and its dynamics, knowing the right expectation is in place, and that your attempted performance is welcomed, invited, and accepted.

No one called you or insinuated you are dumb, but rather are just trying to assist (with very little information) you to more about performance just just opening, patter and lines. We haven't even touched o the right type pf performance material to help you in these areas (performance dynamics and expectation). There is much more to performing than just your performance material.

I would say pretty much all mental effects presented solely in a busking-style environment or table-hopping environment play as mental magic, as the vital component of believability is missing. That being the case it would probably be better to introduce yourself as a magician.

MindPro,I have already mentionned my age at the top of the thread,I am 16 years old,from Lebanon.I have been doing purely mentalism for 2 years now and most of the time spent was on learning from the masters in our field.I wouldn't say I am a professional mentalist,but I definetly behave and get myself out of akward situations just like one.In Lebanon,we have few magicians and very very few mentalists,but the people are always taken by the idea of psychic phenomena as there are a lot of people who do palm reading and fortune telling,and by a lot I mean every 1 in 5 families has a member who got basic knowledge in palm reading.Especially that a guy named Michel Hayek literally predicts everything that is going to happen worldwide,you can google about him.

I do agree with you,a stage is a much better place for mentalism,but I am still young I would have to build some sort of reputation and film few mind reading videos for youtube to get it going shouldn't I?I usually find people are instantly interested with whatever I am going to do when a camera is rolling.

Martin,I understand what you mean,but I see guys like Peter Turner,Fraser Parker,Lewis Le Val and many other people who perform a lot in these situations and I am pretty sure they don't introduce themselves as magicians

Kleqy

Just so we are all on then same page, who are these masters in out field that you have been learning from.

Sorry, I didn't remember catching your age from the first post. Without any spaces between paragraphs it was hard to read and catch everything.

As far as your belief about using youtube and filming mind reading videos, no, that is not how most mentalists have started. I get you are young and you probably are wanting to be a local youtube star in your area, but there are far better ways to do what you are referring to and to do stage work that being on youtube where the vast majority of poor to terrible mentalism is showcased daily.

Again, you need to make some foundational decisions that will determine how to proceed and the best way to attain your goals. You seem to be guided by street and ambush performers, so it seems that is what your interests are, correct? If stage is your goal one would typically not go about it in the same way.

It is very hard to monetize and be a professional be doing just street and ambush performance, and as others have previously stated it will almost always be seen as magic.

As a newbie you are at a very important place as you are in the process of establishing yourself. However, you must be careful as if you are seen as a magician, you will always be a magician in the eyes of your audience. So choose your path carefully while you are able to create the positioning and perspective you want while you can.

I will have another question for you soon.

If you had a fully fleshed out performing persona, that persona would tell you exactly what to say. If you are savvy enough to be asking about your opening, you are probably engaged enough to understand how having a well fleshed out character would benefit you, though you probably haven’t given it much thought.

If you have a film-crew with you when you approach people then the dynamic changes.

In reference to the names you mention; whilst I've never heard of Lewis Le Val I can assure you no one thinks Fraser Parker or Peter Turner are Mind Readers or even mentalists. Do a quick google search for either of them, which their audiences will do, and you won't find anything to lead you to believe they can read minds. Instead you will find references to them on the Café and magic shops selling magic tricks to magicians. I'm fairly sure Peter Turner has playing card tattoos, he may as well walk around with a bunny and a top hat. Video editing may give the impression they are mind readers. Speak to the audience after, they'll know its a trick.
Never allow your performing name be associated with magic.
Playing cards can possibly be used in mentalism (I choose not to use them) but never, ever, ever when working close up. The second you pull out a deck of cards your audience will be prepared for a card trick.