“Magic” Card Trick

Please take ten index cards (or pieces of paper) and write one of these words or phrases on each card:

Seize attentionWhat?Stir curiosityTell me more!Stimulate the felt needI want it!Surface the real needI need it!Satisfy the real needI got it!

Now mix those cards up face-down so that you don’t know where any specific card might be.

As we begin this game, divide the cards into two piles.

Each pile must have five cards.

Please place these two piles side by side.

Now turn over and look at the top card of the right-hand pile.

Stare at it so that you won’t forget it.

If anyone else is in the room, show it to them too.

This must be the way to build the need that is most important to you, so please don’t forget it!

Place the card back face-down on top of the pile from which you removed it.

Pick up the left-hand pile of cards, and I’m going to give you a choice:

You can discard one, two, three, or even four cards from that pile.

Just remove one, two, three, or four cards from that pile and put them way over to the side out of the way.

These ways to build the need must not be as important to you.

Place what remains in your hand face down onto the right-hand pile.

You have now buried your card.

Now we’re going to mix the cards even further.

Please carefully follow my instructions:

I want you to pick up the pile that contains your card and turn it face-up in your hand.

Put what is now the face-up top card onto the table.

Take the next face-up card and place it onto the bottom of the stack in your hand.

Then put the next card onto the other face-up card on the table with the next card going under the hand-held stack.

The next card goes onto the growing table pile, with the next card going under the hand stack.

Continue this alternating process until you have all the cards from your hand pile face-up in a stack on the table.

You have now mixed the cards.

Please pick up the pile from the table and turn it face-down in your hand.

Take the first card on top of the face-down pile and hold it up to the computer screen.

Once you’ve done this, please go to the next slide.

This is not your card.

We want to determine exactly which way to build the need you value most.

Please put that card aside.

Now turn over the next card in your face-down hand and hold it up to the screen.

When you’ve done that, please go to the next slide.

No, this is not your card.

Please hold the next face-down card up to the screen and go to the next slide.

This is the way to build the need that you valued earlier in this experiment!

A game is a fun closing and a review all rolled into one! (This one only works with ten review points, though.)