I thought it was high time I give a bit back to the community, so I'd like to give a few quick pointers on a much debated, often misunderstood, and occasionally maligned topic: The Cold Read.

I am not great at a great many things, but I am absolutely a badass when it comes to cold reading. Without getting deep into my CV, I will now offer a simple method for the substance of an excellent cold read. This method is field tested, literally over fifty times, and without a single embarrassing outcome. For the sake of time, I'm not going to get into the transitions that I use, other than to say I almost always use the ring routine. I have modified it slightly and it's a thing of beauty.

So, you're about to cold read, and you need something to say, but what? For some of us with a touch more experience, the clothes a girl wears, as well as the way she carries herself, certain responses to questions, even eye movements and body gestures are all subtle clues. However, you can't just develop these skills overnight, so what do you do?

Simple: Look at her shoes! Seriously, think of three adjectives to describe her footwear, then lace these adjectives into the cold read. Think I'm full of shit? Think again.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/judge-90-percent-people-personalities-shoes-researchers-192903995.html

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/06/15/shoe-choice-shows-personality-traits-study.html

Yeah. Not only does science back this technique, I have personally tried it many times with great success.

Example: chick wearing flats: "Comfortable, Practical, Sensible"

Okay, now here's my secret sauce, (use wisely) I use the Stewie Griffin "Compliment Sandwich"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewIT_KAQQlU

So in the above example I'd say,

Bread: "I bet you tend to be considered the more practical one of your friends. Do you have a lot of crazy friends?" (every girl secretly thinks her friends are bat shit crazy)

Meat: "I'd guess, if given the choice, you would value comfort over style" (very subtle neg, very effective. Use caution)

Bread: "Finally, I'd guess that while most ladies tend to act on instinct, you probably rely on your sensible side more than others." (Okay, so what are you really saying here? That you consider her more rational than other females, who's going to disagree?)

"What if she calls me out?" It's happened to me several times, and you know what I've found? Chicks kind of dig the effort/novelty of it all. A girl I was seeing recently said to me, "Huh, that was a pretty good cold read." Guess what? Didn't change the escalating attraction one iota, because even if you get called out, you didn't fail. Quite the contrary, unlike the other assholes at the club, dog park, etc, you tried something other than random compliments, canned openers or what-have-you, AND because you heeded the advice of your dear 'ol interweb pal, Irish_Machiavelli, you have almost certainly delivered a better cold read than any of the AFC's who've tried just making hedging generalizations in hopes of striking pay dirt.

tl;dr want to cold read, but not sure what to say? Look at her shoes for clues

I leave you now with the master of the Cold Read.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjPsnfysrp8

Edit: Alright, so I’ve gotten a decent amount of interest in my modifications for Style’s famous “ring routine.” When I began this post, I wanted to offer a nice piece of easy advice, and certainly didn’t intend on giving out strictly proprietary information! All jokes aside, this modification is a great point of pride for me. I happily and willingly share it and in exchange, I simply ask that you think about why it works and attempt to implement it as best you can. Also, guess what? I’m not going to sacrifice detail in favor of a short post; there will be no tl;dr for this bit.

The thing I’m about to share doesn’t merely assure cold read success. It is a great DHV, it’s an excellent bridge from boring small talk to making you seem intelligent and intriguing, and, if you’re smart, it also serves as the perfect transition into more sexual topics and endeavors.

Okay, here we go! Just so we’re all on the same page, here is the original ring routine.

http://www.stylelife.com/challenge/2012/TheRingFingerRoutine.pdf

From the article

II. POCKET GUIDE THUMB = Poseidon, representing individuality INDEX = Zeus, representing dominance, power, and energy MIDDLE = Dionysus, representing irreverence, rebelliousness, and decadence RING = Aphrodite, representing love and romance PINKY = Ares, representing war

Okay, skim it so you get the idea, but don’t commit that shit to memory, we’re about to go all freaky on it. Did you read all that bullshit about what the rings actually signify? Disregard. The rings she has on signify whatever her shoes tell you. Period. Don’t be Orson Welles and start to think you actually are psychic. Rings = vehicle. Shoes = personality. Got it? Good. Okay, here’s the script. Personal comments throughout.

(A Natural lag in conversation has set it, you feel out that long pause to make sure it’s real and it’s a good time to speak without interruption)

You (formerly me): I see you wear a ring on your (blank) finger(s). Why?

Honey: Yeah, (some trite anecdote about where the ring is from)

You: Interesting. I once read an incredibly dense book on the fall of the Roman Republic, and learned something intriguing about the rings people wore; I’m fascinated by ancient Roman history. See, in ancient Rome, there were no religions, but rather cults to certain gods. Basically, whatever finger someone wore a ring on symbolized the god they were trying to represent.

(Take note of exactly what’s happening here. First, suggestive language: “Interesting, fascinating, intriguing.” AFC’s simply don’t talk like this, and these types of words not only hook her interest, but will also become associated with you in her mind for that very reason. Second, will she think you’re a nerd? Hell yeah. Is that a bad thing? Fuck no! You’re displaying an intellectual curiosity and believe it or not, if you package it right that shit is a turn-on. Finally, I’ve run the routine in front of groups and one on one, this set up never fails to silence the audience, meaning you just became an alpha.)

Honey: Really?

You: Yes. Haven’t you ever thought about it?

You calmly extend your hand, turn your wrist, and open your palm

You: Give me your hand, I'll show you (DHV/Kino)

She complies. If she looks hesitant, simply say, “Oh grow a pair! I’m not gonna bite…at least not yet.” She’ll then comply. Now, you’re deep into the sales routine.

Slowly, methodically, you apply a firmly gentle touch to each finger as you speak. Your voice is butter on hot bread. You start with her ring finger. Always start with the ring finger!

You: We all know Henry VIII was the first to put a ring on his lady’s finger. Do you know why he did that?

Honey: Because there’s a vein leading to the heart! (If she says she doesn’t know why, then you say this part, but I’m pretty sure all “western” girls know this)

You: Very good! (You just became a teacher) Well, guess what? Roman battle surgeons knew about that vein a thousand years before Henry put a ring on it, and that’s the real reason we wear the wedding ring to symbolize love, because the ring finger represented the cult of Venus.

(Now you pause. Assess reaction)

Honey: Hmmm

You: It doesn’t stop there. (touch her pinky now)This was for Mars, the god of war. Have you seen the godfather? Do you think it’s a coincidence that all mafia dons wear a ring on their pinky finger? It’s not. This tradition dates back to ancient Rome.

(This should really have gotten her attention by now)

You: (taking her thumb) Neptune was granted his own kingdom in the ocean, and the thumb represents this independence. (take a moment to make really solid eye contact. Imagine puppies when you do so… your eyes should be smiling. Now take her index finger) This was the finger upon which all Roman generals wore a ring; the ultimate sign of authority, because the index finger represents the god of gods, Jupiter. (then her middle finger) And this is Dionysius, god of partying. His followers found truth in wine and worshiped revelry. (pause)

You: You see, the crazy thing is that these traditions didn’t end with Rome. I believe that these traditions have almost…(appear to be searching for words) transcended time and space and imprinted themselves onto our collective unconsciousness. That means that if I’m right, (you're hedging against a cold read misstep here) I can tell quite a bit about you based on the rings you wear.

(Pause… you’re waiting for something here)

Honey: So what does that say about me? (PS, I have literally never witnessed someone not ask what this all means about them or shrug off this routine. She wants to know, nay she needs to know!!! After all it is about her most favorite topic: herself)

You: Well, clearly you are representing (insert rings on which fingers are worn) This typically indicates (insert shoe adjectives) because (tie gods to shoe adjectives)

Example. Girl wearing flats (see above) with a ring on, let’s say, the thumb, and index finger, or Neptune and Jupiter respectively.

You: So you’re clearly following Neptune, who was known for his independence, and Jupiter, known as the leader of the gods. Because you’re rocking Jupiter, I would guess you’re very sensible. Do your friends usually come to you for advice? (hint: girls talk something like 7 times more than men, with their close friends and loved ones. Some of this is statistically certain to be advice)

Well, Neptune needed his own kingdom to be comfortable, and I’d be willing to bet you’re the same way. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that, given the choice, you value comfort over style, right?

(See if she gets the neg or not)

Then, because you have two of the three main gods, I’d guess you’re very practical. Do you see yourself as having more common sense or maybe intelligence than the average female? (hint: a recent study indicated the vast majority of people see themselves as smarter than “average.” As mathematically impossible as it is useful to know when in the field)

(BTW, you still have her hand in yours and you have for quite some time. Did she notice? Did you? No, because you're doing it right)

This is where you’ve got to decide where to go. I’ve literally used this routine to entertain a group of people who watched me # close a gorgeous blonde at a house party, in front of them. I also used it to F close a girl from a bar when we were back in her place, not but three weeks ago. I suggest using this as a lead up to a K-close, because if you’ve done it right, you’ve created an amazing connection, kino’ed like a mother fucker, and also shown that you’re smart, charming, and super interesting.

Ah, now for housekeeping

Item 1. What if she’s not wearing a ring? run the routine exactly as before, but when it comes time for the cold read, you say:

You: Not wearing a religious identifier was unheard of in ancient times, meaning that even no rings represented someone: Mercury. See, Mercury was the messenger god, meaning he couldn’t be weighed down with such trinkets.

(Guess what else? Mercury’s expeditious nature also happens to line up perfectly with whatever adjectives her shoes are screaming at you… weird, huh?)

Item 2. If you’re going to do this routine, don’t you think it might be wise to wear a couple rings yourself? I always leave the house with one on my middle finger (I’m a man-whore) and one on either my pinky (I’m a baller) or my index finger (I’m a boss) Be sure to display your rings while explaining what they mean.

Item 3. Why did you change them from Greek to Roman? Because the gods are the same, Rome is more identifiable than Greek culture, and of course, to avoid detection as we're using a widely publicized cold read. Also, ancient Rome is coo.

Item 4. Yeah that’s it. This is some of my A material, guys. I hope you enjoy it and make good use of it. I’ll send a prayer to Dionysus on your behalf.

Edit 2: Hey guys, thanks so much for all the love! I hope it helps you out. One final clarifying point: The ring routine is the routine The information you get from her shoes is information these are not two distinct routines. Think of the Ring Routine as the car, and the "shoe info" as the gas you put into the car. Okay, hope that helps