Scattershot Technique

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The question I probably get the most is: What do you say when you want to show someone a trick?

I perform semi-frequently for people I don’t know. People who just happen to be near me at a coffee-shop or in some other social environment. I’ll strike up a conversation and at some point transition into a trick.

It’s that transition that people ask about. They can’t imagine me just saying, “Want to see a magic trick?!”

Out of 1000 magicians, maybe 201 are completely comfortable just saying, “Want to see a magic trick?” to someone they don’t really know. One of those people is just so self-possessed that he can deliver that line without a trace of self-consciousness. The other two hundred are just so socially awkward and clueless that they don’t realize how that statement might be ill-received by people.

The most natural transition is just to talk with people, and then when the subject of what our hobbies or interests are comes up, I can plant some seeds there, and if they show interest, I can follow that up by offering to show them something. But this works best when I can count on a longer conversation.

Sponts are another transition technique. Sponts are these little things that let you introduce a trick by coming at it indirectly. (Ctrl+F and search for “Sponts” to see other posts on the subject.)

Ideally, they will open the door for a performance based on something they say. If they say something about: astrology, psychology, games, or anything “mystical,” I can capitalize on that.

But if I’m Spont-less and no doors are opened during conversation, then my go-to technique is to ask for their assistance with something I’m working on. “It will just take a minute.” When you ask someone generically for help, you need to make it clear they're not going to be committing 45 minutes or two-hours.

I usually say something like:

“I’m testing out an idea for something I’m working on. It’s kind of a magic trick. But it’s more like a psychology game… like a mind-reading game.”

Obviously, this wouldn’t work for Cups & Balls, but it’s the type of general statement I could make work for a lot of the types of tricks I do casually. “Mind-reading game” is, I’ve found, a very intriguing yet nonthreatening way to phrase it. And when dealing with a virtual stranger, intriguing and nonthreatening is what you need to emphasize for their comfort.

If there’s no “mind-reading” element, I can throw in another word, “fortune-telling game,” “personal development game,” “a color-perception game.” It can be very vague and doesn’t even need to be hyper-accurate. You can also just stop at “psychology game.”

If there’s no possible psychological element to the trick, you can just say: “It’s kind of a magic trick… more like a game.”

This isn’t something I memorize. I’m sure I’ve never said that exact sentence in bold above, but that’s the general idea of what I say.

If it sounds a little unfocused and vague, that’s intentional. The reason I call it the Scattershot Technique is that I’m throwing out a bunch of words and hoping that there’s one of them that captures their attention. Usually they’ll focus on that and ignore everything else.

So they may be intrigued by:

  • magic

  • mind-reading

  • psychology

  • games

  • “helping”

Or, if they’ve decided they like me by that point of the conversation, just seeing “something I’m working on” may be enough to intrigue them.

The idea is simply to verbally cast the widest possible net, and allow them to catch themselves in it.

For me, this works far better than directly asking them if they want to see a trick. Of course, if it’s someone who has been in my life a while and knows what to expect, then I can be more direct if I choose to be.