If you’re ever eating at a table with a bunch of other people, and the salt is too far away, announce that you will use The Force to retrieve the salt.
Hold out your hand in a grasping position in the direction of the salt shaker and remain completely motionless. Eventually, somebody else at the table will recognize your plight and slide the salt right to your hand! Works every time.
When I do this I wave my hand and say ‘Mandrake gestures hypnotically’.
Not so much telekinesis, but - if you press a flat object with a hole in it, like a key, against the pad of your thumb for a minute or two, it raises a convincing blister-like bump. You can pretend to burn yourself on something hot, show the ‘blister’ to your mark, then ‘cure’ the blister using whatever technique you want - an incantation, a conspicuous mental effort, etc. In reality, you are gently massaging the bump flat again while you perform your mumbo-jumbo. This works surprisingly well.
One time while watching a baseball game, I decided to impress my friends by waving my hands just before the batter hits the ball. My “success” rate was so high (confirmation bias aside) that they started to believe I had actual psychic powers.
However, I did not tell them:
(1) Almost every time, the batter will “take” 2 pitches before swinging at the 3rd, often resulting in a hit or foul tip. (If the batter swung early, I’d wait for the next at bat.)
(2) Right handed batters almost always hit to the right, left handers to the left.
(3) [insert SDMB-specific meme here]
When you are at a restaurant (one with straws, such as McPuke’s, Taco Spew or maybe Burger Groin for example), do the following:
In a fluid and stylish motion, slide the paper off of the straw so that it forms a mashed and crumpled accordion.
Take the paper accordion, and lay it aside on the table.
Place the straw into your drink. (At this point, I should mention that you must order something other than a milkshake. I hope no one’s reading this whilst sitting at a restaurant, surrounded by a group of expectant friends who are eagerly awaiting a display of telekinesis.)
While the straw is fully immersed in your ice cold, refreshing, sugar-and-chemical beverage, place your thumb on the opening of the straw.
Take the straw out of the drink, and use it to cleverly deposit a drop or two of drink upon the paper accordion.
Authoritatively tell the paper to “GROW, GROW!”, while moving the fingers of your free hand in a wizard-like fashion.
The paper will unfurl like an evil wraith from the pit. Your friends will be left wondering if you are a black magician or merely a powerful psychic, toying with them.
Armed with Cecil’s column, I’ve bent spoons a couple of times. Favorite line: Look it’s still bending! James Randi also provided a helpful tip: “I need to do this in sunlight” (thereby turning your back on the audience for a moment).
Whenever it’s windy out, little mini dust devils form outside my office building and blow leaves around in circles. I like to stand in the middle and raise my hands dramatically, Storm-style.
I used to amaze kids and such with my telekinesis trick: making a pencil move.
Put the pencil at the very edge of a table, perpendicular to the edge, so that one side hangs over. Slide it as far off as you can, so it’s just barely teetering there. Now, make it move!
All you need to do is make suitable hand gestures and do some subtle blowing. The pencil’s very easy to move with a gentle breath. Blow on the over-the-edge side to move it away, and blow on the table side to move it closer to you.
Not exactly telekinesis, but you can turn a pencil into rubber. Grip it very lightly between thumb and index finger, about a quarter to a third of the way along its length. (Experiment a little.) Then move your hand in an up-and-down motion so that the pencil wobbles a bit. Voila Voila Voiashington, rubber pencil!
Light a matchstick, but just let the head of it burn, so that the head does not fall off the stick.
Wind your invisible string around the matchead, and give it a quick tug, while at the same time surreptitiously ‘flicking’ the bottom of the matchstick and the head will fly right off.