When bringing in academic or published findings, please site your sources.

Not all of us here have degrees in the subject and may want to read about those studies.

My concern is that we avoid appeal to authority and specious citations like the famous "9 out of 10 dentists agree..."

I support your concern, that is why I stated that at the time that I was authoring my initial addition to this thread that I did not have the specifics in front of me. If this was important to someone I requested a PM.

I don't think that I in any way used the "nine out of ten dentists agree" approach. I certainly did not think that it was used out of context as it is as important to use your physical actions, along with any other methods, to "sell" the misdirection.

I'd like to move ahead with a primary source for some great ideas. The guy cited started his work in the 1960s and has something BIG to say about how we communicate:

http://www.businessballs.com/mehrabiancommunications.htm

If you wish to communicate one thing while actually doing another, there are several factors to consider. Your audience will be doing what comes naturally and interpret whatever you present appropriately.

Very neat essay!

It's written mostly with the business executive in mind, through references to written, telephone, and email forms of communication, and the simple fact that it's a part of businessballs.com.

Yet, I can read between the lines and apply the information to the application of misdirection. The key bits of information I'm picking up are "paralinguistic" and especially "facial expression."

Certainly very interesting! Try this. Say "businessballs" normally. Now say it again; this time, say "balls" using only one side of your mouth.

Huge difference!

Possible misdirection line.... (Adults only)

Sylvester the Jester: "I think I see my dream girl"!! (Eyes bulge out of Binoculars)

"Nope, it's just 2 bald guys"!

I'm not sure that a single disjointed line should be use inthe course of a routine, rater I think that things should gel together and flow. Whatever misdirection is used should be a logical part of the routine. I like David Williamsons cover for his top change, he produces the wrong card a few times directing attention to the deck, he then turns the wrong card over and asks "well what was your card" whilst shrugging his shoulders and moving his hands apart in an open "shrugging" kind of way. He has provided a reason for the action of doing the top change

A version of that was published in one of Robert Orben's books. It worked back then, too.

I personally would be happy to never hear the term misdirection any more. I know that is not going to happen. It is direction management. The attention is not directed away from something. It should be directed towards something.

I highly recommend Tommy Wonders books."The Books of Wonder". Volume one has an outstanding analysis of directing attention. Tommy is a Master at directing attention.

Mainly I think, because misdirection/directing attention is mostly body language with ME. But assume the person just peeked at a card and you need a moment for a slide steal...OK?

If you DON'T want the person to look at your hands, you first must look at your hands for a couple seconds while still holding cards up in front of the person. Then drop hands a couple inches (but still holding cards up), look at them in the eyes, and say "NOT OUTLOUD....OK, NOT OUTLOUD....BUT IN YOUR MIND, SAY THE NAME OF YOUR CARD OVER AND OVER, NOT OUTLOUD, BUT IN YOUR MIND".
Halfway though this sentence, you relax more (drop shoulders/tilt head a little,eye brows raised, put emphasis in your voice,animated movement with head) and also drop the hands slowly all the way down and together in front for the "move".

That kind of sentence said word for word will mentally distract them because you have to listen to the whole thing to simply understand it. Somewhere in the middle of this you'll ALWAYS have a moment of freedom for a slide steal or whatever you are trying to do. If all happens in about 5 seconds.

I'm interrested in reading the previously mentioned "The books of Wonder".

Misdirection can come in several forms.

1. Eye Contact. Watching your participants eyes and when they look up at you is a great time for you to perform a secret move.
2.A large motion will cover a small motion. You can make your secret move while moving your arm in a large gesture.
3. Verbal. I like to get silly at times because I perform comedy magic and say,
"Look Elvis just walked in" or for kids "Look Santa Claus is here," and point to the back of the room. I like to get caught by moving slowly. They think they caught me make my secret move with my misdirection. The audience will tell me they saw me switch something, and I admit I did this, but it leads up to performing the trick without them detecting anything. It builds suspence and people think the trick can't be performed.

Um...

I find that misdirection of a well placed joke helps eg: while the card is returned to the deck and I'm controlling it to the top I look at the spectator and say ":you remember your card? "
they go "yes"
I go " both sides?"
they look up at me in confusion (perfect chance to pull off any slight )
then I say "I'm just kidding...okay lets start."

the best mis-direction is creating the off-beat..humour usually creates this.
I say something funny and someone in the crowd laughs- I'll say "you're laughing a lot..I should be charging you more" The audience ALWAYS turns around to see who I'm addressing. You can guarantee they will turn and look by making a comment like "nice Jacket..K-mart have a sale?" they will turn to look at the jacket!

Another one is I need to make a card switch or ready a double lift : I'll say somethign like : come closer.. here stand on this side I want you to see this better" as the person follows the instruction they usually block the rest of the audience..more than enough to get away with whatever..


Your thoughts

MacGyver

I ask them "are you right handed or left handed?" it always works, they have to take their mind off of watching you and they have to think for a moment to respond.

As Malini would tell everyone " Its in the eye".people look where you look.

I always use eye contact. but it's harder when you have a big group of people, rather than a small one. you have to make sure EVERYONE is looking up. the other day I did a trick at my school, I had an audience of about ten, all of whom also happened to be very keen on burning my hands. I had a bit of a time misdirecting that group, more so, anyway, than when I did one for my best friend and her mom. I think eye contact and simple conversation are the best misdirection, but whatever you do, don't look down at your hands.

that's what I say for a top change, indicating their left and right hands as I say it, a nice logical top change cover

The most powerful misdirection of all is to use their name. Most people will automatically look up when you say their name, use it sparingly and establish eye contact and you have several seconds up your sleeve to make your "move".

Most people want to see the reaction of someone up on stage, so make sure their face is towards the audience and get them to react when you need a moment of misdirection. A good question would be "so where are your friends sitting?"

Of course this highlights the need to always practice without watching your hands and to practice when it's appropriate to look at your hands and when it's unnatural to look at your hands.

Misdirection story.

One of the best and most effective lines I ever heard (and ultimately used myself!) was during Maurice Fogel’s presentation of the 'Bottle Prediction'. He had four members of the audience on the stage, surrounding a table on which Maurice had placed a blanket. The spectators were asked to take hold of the blanket and lift it slightly off the table top and watch closely.

Maurice then held the bottle by the neck in his left hand and as he raised the hammer to strike the bottle, he said, “Watch you eyes!” The hammer came down, smashed the bottle and he loaded the prediction as he continued thumping the broken glass with the hammer! The spectators of course had their eyes tightly closed and their heads turned away while all this was going on – well wouldn’t you?!

I only wanted to do the trick so that I also could use the line!

"I just made my underwear disappear." Will that work?

Dan.