|
 |
JoeMTurner.com Corporate Magic Update |  |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greetings! Many of you know that while I have lived in Atlanta for the last 12 years, I am a native Mississippian. You are also aware that my home state and its neighboring states were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. While my immediate family experienced little impact, there are still literally millions in the Gulf Coast area who have been directly and severely affected. Please consider joining me in making a donation to one or both of the charities below, both of which have mobilized to provide immediate relief. You may also have another charity, church relief effort, or other response in mind. If so, thank you. And thanks to each of you for your generosity during this time of national crisis.
 Joe M. Turner
After all the western travel lately -- Reno, Hawaii, etc. -- it was great to be able to spend a full month in the Eastern time zone! I recently got back from Atlantic City, where I performed three shows a night during my week at the Houdini Close-Up Theatre in the Tropicana. It was a great experience - besides all the interesting things going on in Atlantic City, the town of Ocean City, New Jersey is only a short drive away and it's a truly charming place to visit. Look for an article about my Atlantic City experience in Genii Magazine in the coming months. The remainder of August was busy with shows in and around Atlanta, as is September -- with the exception of a trip to Orlando to entertain at a conference at the Grande Lakes JW Marriott Resort. (I'm glad I got most of my major summer driving excursions out of the way before the fuel prices spiked!) The month closes out with an illusion show at Western Carolina University, where I will again be assisted by Erin Freeman. Have a fantastic September!
This month you will learn a remarkable piece of magic that can be used effectively by speakers, trainers, and facilitators -- and it can serve effectively as an icebreaker or as a review. What is this versatile trick? Read on! Imagine the following... You show three objects, placards, or small cards. These three objects can represent the key components of the even; that is, they could represent the three new products you are launching, the three points of your talk, or the three objectives for the meeting. You mention to your group that you have prepared so well that you have anticipated which of the objects one of your participants would randomly select. Your volunteer chooses one of the items, and you reveal your 100% accurate prediction. How can this be? This trick is based on the use of something called "outs." This is a magical term that indicates that a trick has multiple endings, each of which appears magical to the audience who is unaware of the other possibilities. Let's consider a generic situation. Assume you have a large manila envelope containing three 8.5" x 11" pieces of card stock: one is red, one is blue, and one is green. You withdraw the colored cards from the envelope and show them to the audience, perhaps setting them on some kind of display stand or leaning them up against books so they can be seen easily. You introduce the effect with a discussion of how well you know each of your audience members, how well you can anticipate their actions, etc. -- and offer your volunteer a free choice of color. Depending on her selection, the trick ends in one of three ways.
Obviously, you must take care during your presentation NOT to accidentally flash the other predictions. For example, when you remove the cards from the manila envelope, be sure not to show the printing on the other side. Set the envelope on the table to the side of your displayed cards. It should not appear to be important again unless you need it for the envelope prediction or for the prediction slip inside. Also, if you need the prediction slip from inside the envelope, make sure you are careful when opening, shaking, and ripping the envelope so as not to show the printing on the back. You simply want to draw attention to the slip inside and indicate that there are no other pieces of paper in the envelope.
Instead of predicting colors, you could predict terms from your company's mission statement or core values, cities who have people participating in the meeting, or anything else you can imagine. With a little thought, you can probably extend the idea to four or five different possibilities -- just remember that each "out" has to look like the ONLY prediction. Practice your handling of each "out" so that you don't fumble at the critical moment!
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
