If I could really read minds, what would it look like?

I've heard mentalists ask the question, "If I could really read minds, what would it look like?". My answer is, "It'd probably look pretty boring."

Yep, I said it: "Just plain reading people's minds is boring." On the other hand, if we had classic psychic abilities (like seeing the future or talking to dead people), that would be interesting. We could give our audiences information that they care about. We could solve mysteries in their lives and help them get at the truth of past events. They'd hang on every word!

But if all we do is read their mind??? They already know what's in their mind! They'd be impressed, but I'm not sure they'd be all that entertained (at least not for an hour-long show).

So here's the key question: If REAL mind reading wouldn't even be outrageously entertaining, how can a simulation of mind reading be entertaining?

Two ways:

1) By making our procedure look nothing like real mind reading.

Our audiences come to us for a good time, not for answers. Procedure is NOT something to be minimized, it's the very thing that makes the show interesting. Each step is important. So many mentalists rush through the procedure to get to the reveal. The reveal is not the fun part. The fun part is everything else. Mind reading is about the journey. What did the audience learn or experience along the way?

2) By giving people information that is ACTUALLY useful to them (or at least fun to know).

We don't have the ability to tell people what their future will hold. But we do have the ability to give them all kinds of information that is fun and useful.

The takeaway from our show can't be accurate information about the future, but it can be accurate information about how they're likely to behave under stress, or how likely they are to cheat when nobody's looking.

Our domain is the brain and how human beings work. We have the opportunity to demonstrate the latest findings in psychology, physiology, neurology, behavioral economics, criminology, mathematics, medicine... practically any field. Lets not take the lazy way out and BS the science. Lets bring real concepts to life. Lets dig in and feed our spectator's brains.

My ideal mentalism show would be made up of a series of fun demonstrations that would look nothing like actual mind reading. Along the way I'd give people real information that would help them make better decisions and fun facts they could share with friends.

My goal would be for my audiences to take real information from the show, and I'd want them to leave thinking: "I don't think he can actually read minds, but he's the smartest, sharpest, most fascinating guy I've ever met."

Two quick book recommendations... both are filled with the kind of quality information I think mentalists should be giving to their audiences:

The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely