Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • Chuck Hickok - Mentalism Incorporated

    Uploaded by

    András Kiss
    4K views92 pages

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    4K views92 pages

    Chuck Hickok - Mentalism Incorporated

    Uploaded by

    András Kiss

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 92
    Mentatison, Incomroreted (Chapter Seven, Derioasieation ‘Three: People Reading Plus Chapter Eight, Demonstration Four: Looks Galore. Chapter Nine, Demousttation Five Anything Can Be Learned, ‘Chapter Ten, My Closer: Final Forecast Hickoi’s Way-Ahead Envelope Chapter Hleven, My Disclaimer ppler Twelve, Three Bonus Demonstrations, Bonus Demonstration One: Learning The Almost Impossible Bois Dec atiun Tour Slay of Mind Bonus Demonstration Three: ‘Mega-Memory Miracle. Mega-Meory Kicker Appondis Tem |: Confirmation Letter em 2 Pres nfation Requirements Ite 3: Intrvduetion tear 4: Checklist tena 5: “Linstein’s Demise” Handout liom 6: “Leaming the Almost Lapossible” Handout . hen 7: Certificate Kent 8: Books urd Supplies 19 140 159 Fonaword Foreword By Barrie Richardson Yours ubout ta read a unique work, This bock differs Hom ether books on nventalismn and magic m four ways, First ofall, there ate only a few books uut of te thou sands published that are Focused on detuiled descrint of eommersial acts that have boon proven te he wuccessfil for corporate eves, Second, sn this book Chuck Hickok aor only describes. the actin grexe detail, but he also reviews al the small de= tails char professionals are most concord with iF they ate 0 consistently deliver a quality performance, Qualiyy is not an avcident, Chuck Hickok: pinpoinss step, beh lags and sinll, For exanple, he diseusses seleéting und choosing presentations that are approprive fe spee und thi are als in hoemeay with you snd petsona. This is arcly discussed in books on mentalism. Thave never read a bouk Una lakes time to explain the irmraance of such things asthe sizeof props and the siguificanve oF physical positioning of the Mentalicom, Inearpornted participants on the platform, He does not just make bis Points: he spells them out in prsctieal and precise fashion. ‘The third way that the book differ in many ways valuable as the routines he outlines is i his catty Chap (ers on presentaifon and showmanship. This material could stand alone, and the adviee he gives is relevant and in tmensely helpful to anyone who is going to muke w pu preseniation, whether he or she uses mestal stunts oF not The Fourth way this boek differs (ton traditional books ‘on mentalism is that the aet Chuck Iliekek describes is not justa series of modest mentel miracles,” but rather a pre- sentation that has a message, The eflects become Ways deepen the points he wants to communicate, and he this with wood humor and re intimation thet he hs pov: formal powers. Rather, he and everyone in attendance ate, for 45 minutes, celebrating the astonishing mental capaci ties that we all have. Wo is Chuck Hickok? Why is he an authority in this area? ‘Chuck (Tiokok has for over 25 years been a professional trainer and developer of leaders for organiations, both public and private. He (s a skilled und chariaing platform speaker: The frst time | saw him perform several years ayis at a PEA. ‘evavention, I recall thinking to myself oly tice anisnate to dis program, that Chuck Hickok did tal need any magical or mental demonstrations. His vitality, wt, anu! happy demeanor, aleng with his ability to cornmunicate ideas with eamestaess, made me vin 19 lisen and lear. 1 unmediately thoughs 1 vould ike to know this man better ‘My first impressions were comrert Foreword This is a book for people who want to learn how fo presen’ a piograim that will inspive, entertain, and generate happy customers. Bartie Richardson August 2002 Mentalism, Incerporatect Introduction Introduction ‘The purpose of this book is to advance the art oF mentalism by sharing with you my complete corporate araliset ac | detine mentalism ac a form of entertainment in which Fortier creates the illusion of extraordinary eayni- live ormeatl ailivis, such as perturening raptd pater cal ealculations, remembering every poge in a magazine, influencing another person's ehowwes, discerning a person's ttoughts, moving an ubject by thought slone, and eeu rately predicting upeoming events. be While shereare many Hinebooks of mental effets there: ‘ane very Few books thae describe a complete mentalisin act for corporate audienoes. In this book, you will eam what routines L perform in may corporate act. More importantly, vyou will leasn swhy Jperform my aet the way L do, You will uiso teeeive my full presentations for each routine in my ‘corporate ect Vs mos taking the m ing thom 10 ft my slyle of peeforming. Mos everyting in this book can be traced back to an effect or routine that mnpression on me over the past 20 years of an Sonhane: han a “ereaton” [ enjow thods and ideas of ethor people and resbap- 5 Mentalism, Incorporated Mootaliam is a form of emterisinment that works with y different pertorming sivles. Teall my style of per formning Light Mentalism. 1 introduce my somporste audi ences to “the untapped powers of the human mind.” My demonsirations focus on mental abilities that mast people believe could be real, My presentation is written to be in and infurmative | peefont Light Mentalism because it fits my’ person ality perfectly 1 enjoy telling stories ané thinking oa my fect. T enjoy involving eulienee members in my demon rations. T enjoy laugiter. [ enjoy making every demon Siratien noi only amazing but slso fan, fx rsaay ways, Light ‘Mentatisin lets wry audiences see the real mn Tam uncomfortable with Q & A routines und cold seud ins, Because of poor eyesight, Lalsu slay away Hoan blind Fold routines, While other mentalists excel at these classics ‘of mentalsm, I arm more comfonable with demonstrations that sre more believable and thar maich my personality Regardless af your performing style oresperience level {hope the ideas in this book help you gain a fetter under. stunding of performing mentalist lor corporate audiences, 6 ney Toward Pesormninee Chapter One My Journey Toward Performing 4o help you appreciate the ideas and routines in this book, it might be hefpfl for you to understand how I be- jane o peolessioul mentalist. Unlike inany people, | be- gan performing professionally much later i life. Jn fast, 1 bevame interested in magic much later than most. Thought my firs bock of card effeets at age 35. Within 4 year, | was taking close-up classes from Al Schneider, mnventer of the coin magic classic, “Matrix.” Al was nol oly a very creative magician, but a wonderful teacher as Well, Al chatleaged me to think ahout every aspect of a ‘magic routine. Within 2 shor peviod of time, I began eax perimenting with all the standard props (topes, cbins, cards, 1c) used by close-up performers, By age 40, | was a fit competent anatcur close-up performer About that me, [ performed my fies) mentalism ef lect: Dick Bany’s “Clairvoyant Cassette.” (Aa ungaifed Mentalion, Inewrnorated tandio cassette player is shown, A persen mentally selects| any playing card, When the cassette is played, the audience. hears tie performer's voice mame tye selected curd) Li mediately noticed the strong, impact this effect had on people. I quickly beyan learning as muchas possibly could about mentalis, {eventually asked myself, “Whal causes mentasm :9 have such a stay impacs on people?” The best answer | ame up with is tht many peeple helieved that whet they sav ane do was teal. Some people aetually believed | hed used my special mental abilities to make things happen, This reaction was different from what | expenenced ‘when performing close-up magic. For example, when | performed “Matrix” [talked about making the eains move invisibly fio one luvatiun Wo anodes, “Main” i a very sirong routine, The sieights are undetectable. People were amazed. But, when “Matrix” was over, very few people believed 1 had the ubility to make the eins move invisibly Even if they were entertained and amazed, most left be- laeving that what they had witnessed was skeight of hand or other deception. Less than one percent af the people left wondering, “How didhe make theevins become invisible?” Compare that experience with this simple demonstra tia of telepathy. 1 begin by calkiny about the possiblity mind-to-mind communication, 1 then ask @ person to sed me telepathically the name ofa good frend. When 1 cor reully ammounce the fiend’s name, sume people watching this demonstration will belleve that ming-to-mind comm nication has occurred. Ceriaialy, not everyone will believe, A few people will always suspect deception or sicight uf" fhand whenever they watch mentalist But some peuple 8 My Joawmnsy Towne Pexforming ‘will leave wondering, “How in the world dil ne read that person's thoughts” Creating this belet within people became more stima- lating for me then performing close-up magic. I’m rot say ing mentalism is more entertaining then close-up magic, oth canbe very entertaining, There areaudiences for both, | still enjoy performing both. But | find performing men- talism much more challenging and exciting Tn 1989, 1 was acospted into the Psychic Entertainers, Association, « worldwide organization af over 300 people wiv have a passion for mentalism. Many of the d stations in this book were inspired by materials and rou ‘nes crested by PEA members, Mare importantly, the help and suport I received from my friends in the PEA gave me se confadease w begin pertouning profession In 1995, ut the tender age of $2, | cid my first paid corporate meatalism show. It's ard to descrine how ex cited L fell afer that first show. I fulllled one of my per- sonal dreams. Imagine, geting paid to amaze people! With one show under my belt, I begaa marketing my- selfa organizations as a Comprste Entertainer (nota inci tells). Most omy work now comes from coatacting Meet g Plengers end Human Resource Directors, and promis- ing to make their events and meetings mote fun, memo- rable, and amazing, Since 1995, I've presented over 300 shows for organi- sof ull sizes. These suns gave me mimetous oppUT ‘tunities lo discover what routines worked best for me. and ‘wital rantines worked best for enrporate audiences, More Menvaitsm, tncorporated imponantly {also leamed what routines did*t create the reactions | hoped for ‘These shows helped mie to Fine-tune my own unique style for performing mentalism. {discovered that 'm more comnfortable with @ lighter, more conservative approach ts ‘exploring the untapped powers of the human mind ‘The aot deserited in this houk is almost eanpletsly different from the first act I presented in 1995, Only the book test remains, Will my corporate act change much inthe neal ue years {don’t believe it will, Why 90°? These demonstrations work very well for me. Together they ercate a very stiong impres- sion on cosporate audiences. Yet { constantly seurch fot now ‘ways lo make my act more fin and ehienaining, Again, Usineerely hope the ideas and routines in this book help you mote elfectively presen mentalisia to cor porate audiences, Chapter Two Entertainment and Mentalism for Corporate Audiences view myselt as 4 comorate enrenainer who special izes in mentalist, My main mission is to entertain people Mente im is may means to this end, ‘What follow ane questions I reviewed as I developed my corporate mentalism acl, The annawera presented are “ned on my own expetieiives ever the past seven years. Why do corporations hire an entertainer for ever [Entertainers are hired to take people's thoughts away trom their everyday worries and concerns, and offer taem an experience thal is relaving, fun, and enjoyable. Entertain scat iy ofier added to au event as & say of evading or thanking people. Entertamers are hired to make events spe- cial or memorable. My clients want their employces and veils to say, “That vas fan” or “That was great" when my aut is over: Therefore, as an emtercainer, | corstunlly look for ways to make my act enjoyable and fun n Menialism Incomorated Why do corporations bire 4 mentalist? Here are tour reasons why I believe mentalists are hited for an event or ‘meeting, rather than other types af entertainers: Menialism is smazing and unexplainable + Mentalism, when done wel, is fascinating to wateh, Menvalisim allows audience members to share the spotlight. Menvatism isa form ofentertatomnen: that few penple have seen, My clients also want their employees and guests to say, “Ubal was different and amazing" when my set is over Therefore: I strive to make every soutine in eny set intcxest- ing to watch and algo as sing as posible remind myself that Pm an entertainer first... and a mentalist second. [ wact people to relax and enioy each demunstration. [ ayoid the temptation to show ol? I want cach demonstration ts be mere than a puzzle tw figure oul | ware people to laugh. And L want people ta leave arnazee. Achieving all of hese outennies is hard work. Achie ing these outeoines takes more thin a collection ef books but mettalism. 1 suspect miany people reading this book ready are familiar with enough mentalisn ctfeets to per. form several mentalisn shows, strongly encourage anyone who wants to perfirut ineatalism for corporations ty aeguire a basic understanc- ing of theater, comedy, puisbie speaking, and commutes tions. Anplying ideas and insights from these allied dis plires will nike your performance of mentalist mnote ap- pealing and enenaining, 12 lalise jor Cosporane Aackences What kinds of events do corporations bring in a ‘nrentalist to entertain? [ have been hited to perform at Recognition and award dinners Communications meetings Celebrations of incividval, depadtment, and ‘ommpany achievements Meetings and dinners for clion and suppliees Training, conferences and meetings these events has a slightly different purpose. ill be asked to emphasize or reinforce the pir pose of the event during my performance, Laecumplish this by modifying my presentation or pater to include and 12 intone the purpase of the event Ninexy piercer uf he time, Tam the only emterteinorat ‘an eveat | ara asked to perform for a specific period of ‘ime, ranging ‘om 20 to 60 minutes, Is absolutely critical to honor this time eoramitment strictly, Often, my uct is part ofa longer program that mey also involve sort calks by company officials and the pre sentation of awards of gills. If 1 periom for 40 minutes when T've been hired fo perform for 25 minutes, {will an et most of my clients. J always double-check the length of lite 1am te perform witea [arrive atthe event Wirat is the size of « typical corporate audience? Wale mentalists can behired to present mentalism to small, 0495 01 people (close~p menial), Tam hired to present nny uct to everyene ar the event, Meatalism. Incorpareted Audiences range from 20-10 400 people, Many of my corporate audiences arcarounc: 100 people. Aucienes men bersare normally employees or guests of my clients. Some guests may be salued customers, Other guests anay be im portant business partners or suppliers Ikis critical to sefevt (and modify) each demonstration 0 that everyone in the audience can understand, follow, and appreciate what is being presented. ‘What does the typical corporate audicnee expect from # mentalist? Most people don’t kno what to expect from » meatalist. Few people have sen a mentalist por- Form a complete show, This wives mentalistsa great deal oF freedom to create acts that match their performing. styles sand skill levels, A menialist mast select demonstrations that can be pie sented with eonvietion and excitement. The more coar- Favtable you are with eack demonstration in your comporate act, the higher your chances of success as an entertainer. [ have exeated an act thal takes advantage of my publiespes ing and training background, And U've selected demwrsta- lions (hat are more Nelievable because | ean present them ‘convincingly. Other mentalists present demonstrations that fe sttonger or more unbelievable than mine, ‘here ure ‘opporunitics for demenstrations of varying impossibility ‘or impact, But, a8 you plan your corporate act, balance te impact (or amazement value) of each demonsirstion with ity entertainment value, Remember, corporate suilionces expect whatever is presented (o be interesting, fan, and fise-pavsd. They want 1an aot that is enjoyable and anim. Corporate audiences la cond Me tlie for Conpovats tudtonees ‘will become restless i? a mentalism act is slow, boring, or pledicrable, Can a meatalist influence the audience's expecta- tions before the act starts? Yes. | ask my elienis to list or pr or Cor porais Enterisines”” More impontantly, I give my elients the following description to use in their publicity: "Chuck Hickok has traveled the world, helping people better an- essland aud use the untapped powers of the human mind, urpeisee) and amazed by what you sez and ‘unique entertainment experience.” Ninety percent of the time, audience members are expesed to this escription before T perforin, un ws an “Entertainer This description (ells my audience that my act will be {any aua Gilferen, Yet ti SbIL aves Uhem wondering what specifically will happen. This is deliberate. T want people guessing what will happen when | wall on stage. Remember, [am tying to shape audience expectations, Iulsoden’: want people worried or concerned before I start. Therelore, T avoid using the wows “psychi” “ESP,” or ‘mind-eade. believe these words may cause apprehen- sion ip the minds of some stafienee members. T also don’t use mentalist” because mest audience members have never this team, My sell'deseription works Fo ‘and my shove. Yel know this des mentalist ne, Ht macelies ny style ‘ription isn’t approatiate Remember: Since most audience dun’ know waa to expect ofa mentalist, cousides putting lngother a brief clear eseription of you aund your act that tells your ancieuee 15 Montalion, Incarparaied ‘what to expect. Then, encourage your clicuts to use tis description when promoting you and your show: What do corporations expect of a mentalist beyond a great show? [ere are a few other things I've discovered nay clients also expect of me: Be Prenared Clients expect me to confirm all details in writing and to arrive erly enough to be ready to per- form well belors I'm scheduled to star Be Flexible Clients expect me to shorten oF lengthen my ace as their sched tule changes. Be Approachuble Clic talk with people before and aller any act, IF Pm asked witat Ldu, 1 say, “Is a surprise, hat T think you will he amazed." do not por Torm any close-up memalisin be- fore or after my act. Work Clean Profanity doesn’t go over well at most corporate events. Person ally, L avoid sexual and political ures, Work Sate Clients don’t wart material that is shocking or contoversial, ur that arakes fun of people. Work Fast (Clients dow’ want thelr people ‘becoming restless because 4 100 ting is toa long or eomples. 16 Eniertainniont andl Mentatiso for Corporate Auckences low do you develop now material for your corpo rite act? When comsidesing a new demoasir ccomporate act, | go though a two-step process. he first step involves seeking out feedback from Iknovledgeuble peers. To be a successful corporate mental- dete performer mus! be open to feedhack from others. In 1990, | put together a group of “fans of mental” in the ‘Minneapolis-St, Baul area called tie Minnesota Mindi. \We meet monthly to discuss and perfonn menialism. What makes their feedback invaluable to me is that these people understand my style af mentalism. They hove all con my eoeporate aet, They have a solid knowledge of inentalism. Ang a few are ful-time entertainers. So when someone says, "That sucks,” or “That isn’t you,” of “You teen du bottes" Hie o her feedback: means something tome 1 ffustaiing w ceveive this kind of feedback, But in the long ran it has helped me develop new material aster. The seeend siep involves evaluating a live audience's reactions, If offen takes me bebveen three and ten perfor ‘mumces fo detemnine whether a new demonstration comple. eats and strengthens my wel. Many'times I discover I can oma the demonstration effectively, bot the demoasira- tion just doess't generate the audience reaction Thad hoped for, Either it isn’t ac strong as I wanted or it isn't as enter- taining as 1 thought it would be. tn the last five years, 1 have put aside over twenly demonstrations that seemed fetartsining io mie burt failed the “live audienee” test Evaluating my impact on an audience isa very subjec- live process, Ping honest with myselfis AiMicult forme. particulusly when iLinvolves being hopest about something Monnatism, lncomporateat | created or developed. However, the more I perfirm far peuple, the easier it becomes for me co honestly gauge the ‘impact of a new demonstration on an audience. Free shows are a wonderful testiag ground for new rmatenal. [believe inthe mission and purposes of our local United Way. Exch year, T appear 20-30 times as a Unive Way spokesman. At these events, | resiew the mission of Ge United Way and also present & few quick demonswa- tions of mentale. Tonsider myself ta lave truly masicred a new demon: stration when {ave discovered all the mistakes a person ‘could possibly make. The first time T do ¢ new demoasira tiow isn’t uonally my best effert, But by my fiftecnth at leaupl, Enormally have mate most oF my mistakes, These fie showshave been a safe (Ins-rsk) place for mete lear from my oven raistakes, These five shows are a in-win sitvation for every fone. The United Way gets the services of a professional ‘entertainer to support its fundraising. And these shows help ing grow und develop faster as a compotaie entertainer. How do you get started doing five shows? Identify a cause you believe in. Meet with the local executives, Ex- plain how you, as an entertainer, can make their eveatsimaxe fn, al no eost to them. This works best with organizations that need you for maliple appearances. How docs a mentalist yet hired by corporations? | pinot an expert al manketiny mysclfasan entertainer. Most ‘of my wore comes as the result of contacting corporations directly. Teontact their Meeting Planners or Human Re souree professionals 1s We parare Audiences raicai aud Mentalis for Co or me, marketing isthe Fardest part of hing, 8 corpo- rule enlerluincr, Profossicnally designed marketing mater als are very helpful. Most potential clents will expect to receive a promatignal kitwitha video and leters of recom rmendlation, L strongly recommend the marketing materials by Randy Charoch and David Dee, in the "Books and Sup. plies" section in the buck of this book, for practical sug sions on marketing mentalism © corporations Mentalism, tacorporuwal In addilioa, 1 have watched many of the best mentel~ ists present their wets, More importantly, Pvc haul the op- prtunitics 10 talk with the performers shout the dhinking, behind their acts as well a5 how and why they selected their style of performing Alka, for over thirly years, [have given presentations, to corporate audiences of all sizes on the tops of comin nications. leadership, and living your dreams. These expe riences have helped me understand what ik cakes co cou ‘municate with a corporate audience. Reflecting on these experiences, the fist ing dis ‘covered about performing entertaining, mentalism ko porate audionces is that there are nv absolutes, That is, there are no guidelines oF principles tha: apply w every performing situation or every mentalist. In the end, each, performer must carefully decide how he ot she will present mebialisi wa eomporate audience Given that di the guidelines I've developed for planing and perform= ing an entertaining corporaie mentalism ack These guide- lines represent those ideas that work best for me. These guidelines have helped me enlevtain corporate audi- fences of all size elaimer, in the nent fev pages t present Understanding these guidelines will help youbetter ae derstand why I pecform say act the way Io. These gatde= bo presented to get you thinking aboat how you are curranlly performing, your mentalism ue Tsaspset that you may disagree wilh a few uf these gallelines. Remeber, 1 said thete are no absolutes. Du belore you dismiss a guideline, | encourage you so re-read 2 Bight Cuieelinew the guideline completely and thes think very carefully about why you disagree If your disaureement is driven by your desire to con- ‘inne performing your act “the way you've always done i yone act nsight be improved by making a few simple cheniges. | encourage yout keep an epenimind as you think about each guideline At the end of exch guideline, T offer one or mare sel snc questions, These questionsare des ‘you determine lhe extent to which you are applying ench louilcline ia your current act, L hope that seviewing thes

    You might also like