I've been playing with a fun little idea, that has been mentioned hundreds of times throughout magic's history I'm sure, but that I've only recently tried to implement myself. The idea of believing your own lies. Through sheer willpower, convincing yourself in every way possible that the card on the table really is the six of diamonds, all the way up to the point when it's not. From a few dozen performances and a lot of thinking, this has shown itself to have a few benefits. One, I have much, much less of a tendency to make unwanted subconscious gestures. It allows my fingers to do the jobs they know so well without me worrying over the sleight, and therefore drawing attention to it. It allows me to get more into groove with my spectators, and imagine a bit more how things look from their perspective.
Overall, I'd say at least trying this has improved my performance notably. For all those that have heard of this and simply filed it away, bring it out, dust it off, try it out. For those that have never heard of this, give it a try and see what it can do for you. No matter what your experience level, it's a fun exercise, and will undoubtedly give you a bit of perspective at the least.
Tyler
Overall, I'd say at least trying this has improved my performance notably. For all those that have heard of this and simply filed it away, bring it out, dust it off, try it out. For those that have never heard of this, give it a try and see what it can do for you. No matter what your experience level, it's a fun exercise, and will undoubtedly give you a bit of perspective at the least.
Tyler