Tips for doing a live reading?

[Deanne]

I've been doing e-mail reading fors some of my friends, and that's been going very well. I've asked them for feedback on the readings and they've all seemed pleased. A couple have even passed on my e-mail to others, and so I've done a couple readings for strangers as well.

Now one of my friends asked if I could do a reading for her in person. I said yes, but warned her that I'd never done a live reading and I'm not sure if I'll do very well. She seems quite understanding (her exact words were "I've got no problem being your guinea pig") - phew!

I'm sure the situation will be quite different. I won't have as much time to gather my thoughts and put things together clearly. When I do reading remotely I can write it out, re-write if necessary, and send it when I'm ready.

Any tips? Things I can do beforehand to prepare myself or things I should do during the reading?

Any thoughts are appreciated!
Deanne

 

[tarotbear]

There are many threads along these lines - but the best thing I can tell you is that if you are only used to 'writing' a reading but not 'talking' a reading you should practice first! Grab you favorite plush animal (or your cat) and 'do' a reading for them - SPEAKING THE ENTIRE TIME. People who are not used to public speaking are unprepared for the experience. It may also help to record (audio and/or visual) yourself so you know what you look and sound like speaking. For some of us walking out onstage in front of 100s of people is a wonderful rush - but if you are not used to it - speaking to one person can be very intimidating!

Act natural, speak naturally - and practice a couple of times.

 

[Barleywine]

One thing a face-to-face reading IS that a one-way, on-line reading typically is NOT, is at least potentially interactive. You should still be prepared to talk all the time because some sitters clam up (maybe they're as nervous as you are), but you might be pleasantly surprised that sparking a dialogue is a normal occurrence as you start working your way through the spread with the sitter looking on. It's perfectly OK and very productive to ask questions of the sitter if a particular card is difficult to understand within the context of the original question. After all, sitters know better than you do what relevance an emerging line of inquiry has to their personal reality. In that sense, they are likely to ask YOU a lot of questions, causing you to think on your feet as you form your answers; my experience is that most sitters LOVE to talk about what the cards are revealing about their situation. This interaction can give you some breathing room since you can gather your thoughts as the sitter is talking, taking the cue for your next obsevation from what is being said. I tend not to ramble on after the initial, high-level overview of the spread. When I get to the card-by-card analysis I always actively engage sitters in a constructive discussion so they don't feel like they're being "bulldozed." (And I don't get embarrassed by blathering on blindly down the wrong path.)

 

[Disa]

The thing I have the most trouble with when reading in person is memorizing spreads. You may not have this problem.

So, determine ahead of time how you are going to read. Do you just do it free form? That's fine. Otherwise, maybe have one or two good spreads already written down on an index card that can work for anything.

If she knows you're practicing and learning, having a book of spreads is fun sometimes when you can pick them out together. But later, when you aren't learning and practicing, you can't really do that anymore.

 

[Deanne]

the best thing I can tell you is that if you are only used to 'writing' a reading but not 'talking' a reading you should practice first! Grab you favorite plush animal (or your cat) and 'do' a reading for them - SPEAKING THE ENTIRE TIME. People who are not used to public speaking are unprepared for the experience.

Act natural, speak naturally - and practice a couple of times.

Thanks tarotbear. I talk to myself almost constantly when I'm home, so the readings I do alone are usually spoken out loud before I write them. But I know I'm just saying them to myself and I usually change them a bit when I write them out. So I'll imagine saying them to someone else for the next few days instead.

One thing a face-to-face reading IS that a one-way, on-line reading typically is NOT, is at least potentially interactive. You should still be prepared to talk all the time because some sitters clam up (maybe they're as nervous as you are), but you might be pleasantly surprised that sparking a dialogue is a normal occurrence as you start working your way through the spread with the sitter looking on.

I'm really looking forward to the interactive aspect of this! I enjoy doing the email readings but I feel input from the sitter throughout (not just after the reading is done) would be very helpful to both of us. Really hoping a conversation starts naturally.

The thing I have the most trouble with when reading in person is memorizing spreads. You may not have this problem.

So, determine ahead of time how you are going to read. Do you just do it free form? That's fine. Otherwise, maybe have one or two good spreads already written down on an index card that can work for anything.

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't know what kind of reading she wants, so I might write down a few that cover the more common topics in case those will be more suitable than something general.

 

[tarotbear]

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't know what kind of reading she wants, so I might write down a few that cover the more common topics in case those will be more suitable than something general.

Don't laugh - but even people who know nothing of Tarot have seen enough B-Movies to know what a Celtic Cross spread looks like and may be expecting you to do some big Etteilla-type spread or fan the cards into an arc with one movement of your hand - all that 'magician-card trick' type of stuff they've seen in the movies.

Three-card spreads are the easiest; familiarize yourself with the CC, but trying to memorize 5-6 spreads 'in case' you might need them will only put undue pressure and stress on you to 'perform'; take it easy.

 

[Zephyros]

One thing that rarely comes up in these threads is the issue of diction and vocal clarity. Many people have a tendency to mumble, swallow words or to talk too fast. A reading is a type of show, even if your style isn't "theatrical" in the traditional sense. I find that it makes a big difference in how the reading comes across if the reader speaks clearly. Lower the tempo of your normal speaking voice a bit (but not so much as to make it cheesy or over-dramatic). Don't put on airs, but keep in mind that this isn't a normal conversation, it's a Tarot reading, and what you say is important. Treat it as such. Make sure your throat is clear, your diction is good and your tempo is moderate and even. This has a calming and stabilizing effect on the sitter.

Explain your process and how you arrive at your conclusions. Not necessarily everything, you aren't giving a Tarot lesson, but but if you draw one idea from one card and another idea from a different one, explaining how it all merges together makes the sitter feel more involved in the reading. They are more apt to open up to you and feel more relaxed this way. Don't pontificate or lecture, work with the sitter to get the best reading possible.

Don't be too friendly. Even if this person is a close friend of yours, try to separate the reading from day to day life. I'm not saying be an icicle, but conversations with friends tend to meander. Being focused, courteous and wearing the "reader's hat" can help in avoiding that and make the reading more beneficial. A certain distance also helps when dealing with some of the more difficult issues that can come up. Don't turn off your empathy, just keep in under control.

Since you know this person previously, things may come up of which you have previous knowledge. That's fine and you can't avoid it. Work with your previous knowledge, and tell them if you conclude something from the cards together with your familiarity with them. However, work from the cards themselves and try to keeps things focused on them.

 

[Barleywine]

Explain your process and how you arrive at your conclusions. Not necessarily everything, you aren't giving a Tarot lesson, but if you draw one idea from one card and another idea from a different one, explaining how it all merges together makes the sitter feel more involved in the reading. They are more apt to open up to you and feel more relaxed this way. Don't pontificate or lecture, work with the sitter to get the best reading possible.

I also like to let some of the underlying syncretic details seep into the dialogue, so it remains grounded in the cards and their interaction; that way it doesn't look like I'm just pulling random stuff out of the air (or from "where the sun doesn't shine" ). Nothing at all technical, more in the line of story-telling devices to flesh out the narrative with some of the flavor of the "blending" process. The reading then takes on less of a nebulous "mystical" quality and more of a well-reasoned "literal" one.

 

[tarotbear]

I find that it makes a big difference in how the reading comes across if the reader speaks clearly. Lower the tempo of your normal speaking voice a bit (but not so much as to make it cheesy or over-dramatic). Don't put on airs, but keep in mind that this isn't a normal conversation, it's a Tarot reading, and what you say is important. Treat it as such. Make sure your throat is clear, your diction is good and your tempo is moderate and even.

Just ... don't ... speak ... like ... Bill ... Shatner ... doing ... Captain ... Kirk!

 

[earthair]

Yup, the vocal technique is important- talk just slightly slower and lower than you would normally. To check you're coming across as you intend, record yourself giving a reading to a stuffed toy sitting just above your webcam, then watch it back!