One of the easiest ways salespeople, self-employed professionals, and just about anyone else can get ahead is to enhance their memory. Learning to remember important details about clients, executives, coworkers, and other contacts can be just the ticket. These details include names and faces, of course, but could also be things like their birthday, spouse’s name, children’s names, even the name of their dog – ask any dog lover!

For a long time, getting this kind of information together, much less remembering it, required a lot of work. You might have to make detailed notes after a conversation, keep a filing system, or even put together a set of index cards with the person’s photo, if you could even find one. That meant that your post-networking event routine could turn into something resembling an FBI profiling chart.

With that kind of hassle involved, it’s no wonder very few people took the time to try. All of that has changed with the rise of social media, however, meaning that there is literally no excuse for not knowing what you should about your most important customers or contacts. With a simple look through someone’s Facebook or LinkedIn profile, for example, you can enhance your memory and remember the details

Enhance your memory with information like:

What their face looks like
The names of their spouse and/or children
Their hobbies and interests
What city or college they come from
What sort of positions or careers they worked at in the past

… and the list could go on and on. While I’m certainly not advising you to engage in cyber stalking, what I am recommending you do is start to build a mental profile – and maybe even a quick set of reminders that you can look over at regular intervals. You can then apply a memory system so you can recall this information quickly and easily. It’s not so difficult to enhance your memory after all.

The benefit? Well, let me put this scenario to you. How often have you bumped into a client outside of a prearranged appointment, where you don’t have the luxury to reacquaint yourself with all their personal information, say at the supermarket, and you find yourself ducking down the next aisle to avoid them because you can’t remember their name? Well, now when this happens, you’ll have the confidence to ask how their spouse is doing, or whether they are still hitting the golf course on the weekends. Doing so makes you seem more sharp and professional and their estimation of you is immediately raised. Recalling important information about a client or customer is after all the foundation of all relationships, and in any client-based business, a good relationship eventually spurs into referrals.

Isn’t that worth the effort for a few minutes a week using social media as an easy info-gathering tool? Try these tips out and enhance your memory.

Bob Gray is a popular keynote speaker and memory expert. You can find out about his speaking availability, rates, and other information by contacting his office directly.

The post Why Social Media is Making it Easier to Enhance Your Memory appeared first on Funny Motivational Speaker, Entertaining Humorist - Bob Gray.

Just to be clear, I don’t mean that there was anything unusual about the audience members themselves; rather, it’s that people have trouble understanding why such a group could use a fun and entertaining keynote presentation about memory improvement. I can see how someone would think that way, but the better question is: Who couldn’t use sharper memory skills?

While salespeople trying to remember names and faces and students attempting to learn new facts are obvious targets for what I do (and in truth, I do a lot of speaking for those groups), virtually anyone can benefit from the kinds of tools I teach.

Here are just a few of the best reasons why a memory keynote would work for you:

Improving your memory is a good way to improve your confidence. The more information you can recall at a moment’s notice, the more confidant you’re going to feel in almost any career situation. And as we all know, simply feeling more confident is a great way to improve your job performance, not to mention the impression other people have of you.

Besides, with a very small number of exceptions, being able to interact with others socially is important to your career development. So, being able to remember names, faces, and important details about a person is a good way to improve relationships with clients, supervisors, and others you’ll find in almost every organization.

Safety measures are ideal for memory training. As with our Sewer and Watermain engineers, along with Ontario’s health and environment, being dependent on these engineers, safety on the job is always a priority, for any safety procedure recalled out of sequence could potentially be fatal. There couldn’t be a more perfect situation to employ the Chain or Link method. Using this memory system, they are able to instill the procedures deeply and keep themselves safer in high-risk situations.

Nearly every job and organization has details to keep track of. You might not know hundreds of clients, but you may well need to remember dozens of product codes or various prices at any given time. The fact of the matter is that, even though the specific details themselves might change, there is always something to know and remember in any career. If it can be recalled without having to look it up, then that saves time and money.

It doesn’t matter what kind of office or setting you work in – or even if you do your best work underground. Enhancing your memory is a great way to improve your career prospects and have an easier time doing your job, and hey, it’s fun too!

Why not contact our office today to find out about Bob Gray’s entertaining memory keynote presentations?

The post Memory Keynote: They Aren’t Just for Students and Salespeople appeared first on Funny Motivational Speaker, Entertaining Humorist - Bob Gray.

When I’m brought in as akeynote speaker for various conferences and events, I always enjoy talking to the attendees and audience members afterwards. Most of them don’t realize how powerful their memory truly can be, and it’s a joy to be able to teach them a life- changing skill.

One thing that I’ve noticed over the years, however, is that a lot of people don’t necessarily realize that it truly is a skill. Many tend to assume that I was just born this way, with a special mental gift for reciting names, numbers, and so on.

That’s actually not true – my memory skills are the result of practice, not any genetic gift or mutation. My first exposure to memory training came when I was about six or seven years old when I discovered a memory technique in a magic book, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

As much as I strongly advocate children learning these systems, adults can also learn, adapt and apply these systems to help them move ahead in their careers. They can be mastered and applied in a surprisingly short period of time (a topic I’ll cover in a coming post). But, if you really want to give children a head start in life, why not give them a boost with memory training?

I’ve seen myself how well it works. My own daughter was only about four years old when I started teaching her the Chain memory system, used for recalling items in a specific sequence. We played a game where several items were placed on a table, and she had one minute to try to remember all the items. A sheet was placed over the items, then I would take one item away without her seeing, then the sheet was taken away and she had to try to remember which item was missing. By initially “chaining” or “linking” the items together in a crazy story, she simply had to retrace the story in her head until she reached the missing item. This was a fun way to introduce her to the foundation of all memory systems, which is chaining visual images together in a creative way. Those tools to this day help her succeed in school, and will be a big asset to her in her coming career. I teach this same method, and more, to professionals to recall information like speeches, presentations, model numbers, prices and client names.

Here are a few things you should know about teaching memory to kids:

1. Somewhere around four years old is when I started with my daughter. Kids don’t have to be very old to learn the basics of memory improvement; the sooner the better. Arm them as soon as possible in order to take out the laborious rote memorization from the learning process. But it’s also never too late; I have taught people in their seventies!

2. Enhanced memory systems are more than “tricks.” Occasionally, teachers and administrators ask if I am teaching children more than simple tricks and gimmicks. I am, but that’s not even the point: Anything that helps kids be more knowledgeable and confident at school is a good thing, and that can carry over throughout the rest of their life. If they can remember the things they need to, who cares what you call the systems they use? All knowledge is memory; if you can find a fun, creative way for children to both store and retrieve information, then that’s a good thing in my book, no matter what you call it. Once they can do that, then you as a teacher can show them what to do with that knowledge.

3. You don’t have to be a parent to help kids with memory. I have spoken at many teachers’ conferences and other educational events. I’ve seen myself what kind of impact teachers, professors, and administrators can have on the lives of young people. You can help them take the first steps to improve their memory, and improve their lives in the process. Make memorization fun.

To learn more about an incredible memory system for recalling numerical information, which I adapted to help my daughter remember the Multiplication Tables, check out my book: Turbo Tables.

Or, contact my office to find out about my fees and availability as a keynote speaker for your next event.

The post How to Give Kids a Lifelong Skill appeared first on Funny Motivational Speaker, Entertaining Humorist - Bob Gray.

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to hold memory presentations at dozens of colleges and universities, and have always enjoyed the experience. Not only do students have a lot of fun learning about memory, but they’re amongst the people who need it the most. Sharpening your memory can do wonderful things for your grades and testing ability, of course, but it’s also a good skill to help you throughout the rest of your professional career.

So, for all of my college-aged readers out there, here are three quick tips that I always include in memory presentations to help you earn better grades and exam scores:

1. Know the difference between learning and studying. You are in college to learn, with the goal that you’ll hopefully graduate as a well-rounded person who understands key concepts and ideas well enough to succeed in your chosen profession. When you study, on the other hand, you’re typically trying to retain important facts and ideas to pass an exam. Learn to recognize the difference (between concepts and facts), and devote your attention accordingly.

2. Use both halves of your brain. Don’t just study by making lists; instead, try drawing “mind maps” with colored pencils, doodles, and other forms of pictures and imagery. While this might not seem like the most creative thing in the world, it actually engages the right half of your brain as well as the left, making key facts and details that much more real and memorable.

3. Follow the right study plan. Although all-night studying is a bit of a time-honored tradition in some circles, the fact of the matter is that it just doesn’t work very well. Just because a particular way of doing something is popular, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best.

With that in mind, repeat after me: No last-minute cramming! Studying a little at a time at fairly frequent intervals is better than studying for long periods at less frequent intervals. Thirty minutes of study every day over a week will produce better results than a week of neglect followed by a 5-hour cramming session. You’ll be less stressed, and get much better results.

4. Do not use rote memorization. Instead of using constant repetition, read something and then try to recall it. Research shows that you only gain another 7% comprehension from a second read through material, and only an additional 1% on the third. So this valuable time spent on rereading is way out of whack for the results you can expect to gain from it.

Instead, make notes in colored pens about what you are reading. Then, ask yourself questions about what you have just read.

Try to make your studying the last thing you do before going to bed and revise the material in the morning.

Interested in having Bob Gray come and do a memory presentation at your school or university? Call or e-mail our office today to check dates, fees, and availability.

The post Why Bob Gray Memory Presentations are a Perfect Match for Students and Universities appeared first on Funny Motivational Speaker, Entertaining Humorist - Bob Gray.

I will be completely upfront in telling you that I think any person, in any occupation, can strongly benefit from improving his or her memory. It’s just one of those skills that carries over into so many parts of your personal and professional life that it would be hard to overvalue.

With that being said, however, one of the groups that I tend to work with most often are salespeople. If ever there were a set of professionals who could use a memory presentation to make more money right away, it’s these hard-working folks who turn ideas into commission checks.

How can a stronger memory multiply your sales income? Here are just a few of the most obvious ways:

By helping you to remember every key point in a sales presentation. Using this system can assist you in not only recalling key points, but also delivering them in the correct sequence. Too many times salespeople give a dynamite presentation only to remember 30 minutes later that they forgot a key point. This leads to lost credibility . . . and potentially lost sales.

By helping you to remember customer names. Is there anything worse than sitting face to face with an important prospect – or seeing them at a convention or social setting – and not being able to remember their name? Putting names together with faces is the top challenge that salespeople ask me about, and it’s also one of the easiest skills to teach.

By letting you build stronger relationships with clients and colleagues.There is more to building rapport with customers than remembering names, of course. The more you can recall about their spouse, children, career background, and so on, the easier it is for your buyers to feel like they know and like you.

By giving you an edge with product knowledge and account details. There is also a professional component to your memory. When you have key product features, prices, part numbers, and other details available off the top of your head, you look and feel more confident. In addition, you are able to move sales forward more quickly.

By keeping you on top of what your competitors are selling. If you are able to master your competitors’ products as well as your own, you can counter nearly any objection. It isn’t enough to know about your industry – you need to be able to remember all key information at a moment’s notice to make it worthwhile.

To find out more about memory training for salespeople and my entertaining keynotes and seminars, contact my office today.

The post Why a Strong Memory Can Multiply Your Sales Income appeared first on Funny Motivational Speaker, Entertaining Humorist - Bob Gray.

Unfortunately, many people don’t feel confident in their public speaking skills. What’s worse, they have trouble remembering the key ideas they want to convey, which only makes their anxiety worse.

Luckily, there is a very simple and easy-to-use way to remember what you need to say during a presentation, and I’m going to share it with you today. Here is how it works:

First, outline the major steps or points you want to make. Be thorough in this process, ensuring that you have made a note of everything that has to be covered in your talk or presentation.

Then, represent these key points with a visual image. If the start of your presentation is about “fundraising,” for example, visualize a gigantic collection box or plate. If the next point is about “strategy,” visualize a chess piece, and so on.

Next, start to associate or link these images with items of furniture in a particular room in your home. This can be a piano, fireplace, table, lamp, or any other item along a route that you walk frequently. By doing this, you are giving visual “shape” to each of the ideas. It sounds like a simple technique, but it’s surprisingly effective.

So, if the first piece of furniture in your living room is a couch, visualize a huge collection box sitting on your couch. If the second piece of furniture is a piano, see a large chess piece playing the piano. Remember, it’s the ridiculous images that are memorable!

Then, practice your “mental walk” a number of times. As you do, make sure you recall the items of furniture or items along the route in the same identical sequencereinforcing each point or detail with the piece of furniture or landmark. In a short amount of time, they’ll become intertwined in your mind.

Finally, when it’s time for your presentation, simply take the identical “mental walk” through the room or route and recite them back with ease.You’ll be amazed at how well and easily you remember the key points. Best of all, it’s asystem you can use again and again, so it will still be there for you the next time you need to speak in public, too! In fact, if you have many speeches to deliver in a short period, you can simply choose another room or route.

To make your memory more powerful, stop by my blog again in the near future. Or, if you’re looking for a fun and entertaining presentation for your group, contact my office to check available dates today.

The post How to Turn Your Next Major Presentation Into a Walk in the Park appeared first on Funny Motivational Speaker, Entertaining Humorist - Bob Gray.

Where did I put my keys?

Did I turn off the coffeepot?

Did I unplug the iron?

Where did I put my glasses?

Did I lock the back door?

I must remember to put that file in my briefcase?

Did I turn off the computer?

And on and on. We can only imagine the amount of time wasted every day throughout the world spent looking for keys, glasses, briefcases and time spent driving back home or to the office to check that the coffee pot or computer has been turned off or the iron unplugged or the front/back door has been locked.

To overcome these aggravating time wasters you have to get in the habit of paying attention to the action of turning off the appliance or locking the door or putting down your glasses. Once you are aware that you are doing it, it only takes a few seconds to form a crazy association of that action which can save you a great deal of time and aggravation.

For instance, as you turn off the coffee pot, imagine picking up the coffee pot and tipping out the remaining coffee over the kitchen counter, or picking up the pot and smashing it on the counter. That is all you will need. As you are driving to work and wonder if you turned it off, you immediately visualize the coffeepot and instantly conjure up the image you created. If no image comes to mind, obviously you left it on and need to go back.

Each and every time you place your glasses down; conjure up an image between your glasses and where you are placing them. You place them on the microwave after reading the defrost time of a lasagna, see yourself opening the microwave and imagine hundreds of pairs of glasses flying out. Or imagine opening the microwave and a large pair of glasses have melted, same with car keys or any other item.

Each time you lock a door, imagine sticking your finger in the keyhole to lock it, or your eyeball, or your foot.

When you place the important file in your briefcase, imagine opening your briefcase and a gale force wind blows out scattering the file across the office.

As you are completing the action, say aloud, “I am locking the door,” “I am unplugging the iron,” you might want to try this one if you live alone or once the family has already left for the day!

Have you ever had a great idea strike you in the middle of the night and you tell yourself, “I must remember that in the morning” only to have it disappear once you wake up? Well the next time this happens, take something from your bedside table and place it on the floor beside your bed. When you wake in the morning, the item on the floor will remind you of the thought.

So remember, get into the habit of becoming aware of these actions, and simply form a silly association.

Please share, below. You can also join me on Twitter, Facebook and or LinkedIn for more brain/memory information, links are at the top of the page.

Bob Gray CSP HoF

Keynote Speaker

The post So where did I put my car keys? appeared first on Funny Motivational Speaker, Entertaining Humorist - Bob Gray.

So here is my tenth and final post on memorizing the US state capitals. Again, please take a moment to read the April 2011 post regarding how our memory tends to cling to the absurd and make sure you are reviewing these crazy images at the critical times in order to store them into your long-term memory. (See below)

OK, let’s memorize the final five capital cities for Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The capital of Virginia is Richmond. Quite simply I see a Rich Man, covered in Bling lighting his cigar with $100 bills and drinking a Furry Gin (Virginia) a glass of Gin perhaps in a Furry cup holder.

Washington’s capital is Olympia. Easy, I see large white bed sheets hanging from a Washing Line, as it’s known in the UK, a clothes line elsewhere. I picture the Olympic rings painted across the bed sheets. Anything to remind you of Washing will work, a Laundromat, washing clothes in a stream, washing your face in a basin in your bathroom, any of the Washington sports teams will also work, then incorporate the large Olympic rings into the picture.

The capital of West Virginia is Charleston. I still use the Furry Gin for this association and to differentiate West Virginia from Virginia I see the Gin getting spilled on a vest (West) worn by a man dancing the Charleston.

Wisconsin’s capital is Madison. For Wisconsin I see Cheese, and for Madison I see a Mad Son, a small son eating cheese and going mad!

And finally the capital of Wyoming is Cheyenne. Here’s one for you. A Homing Pigeon (Wyoming) carrying a Shy Ant or Anne if you know one (Cheyenne) on it’s back. Or you can use Wire for Wyoming.

So to review:

Rich Man drinking a Furry Gin

Virginia/Richmond

Olympic rings painted across your mother’s Washing

Washington/Olympia

Spilling Gin on your Vest while dancing the Charleston

West Virginia/Charleston

A son eating Cheese and going Mad

Wisconsin/Madison

A Homing pigeon carrying a Shy Ant

Wyoming/Cheyenne

Here is my standard wrap up.

Again, make sure you review these images within 60-75 minutes from now, it takes less than 60 seconds but is critical for long term storage, then again within 24 hr’s, then 1 week later and then 1 month later.

That’s all fifty states and their capital cities; hopefully you have found these helpful in understanding how the ridiculous and absurd tend to stick in our minds.

Please share, below, if you found this informative. You can also join me on Twitter, Facebook and or LinkedIn for more memory information, links are at the top of the page, cheers.

Bob Gray CSP HoF

keynote speaker

The post Homing Pigeon carrying a Shy Ant appeared first on Funny Motivational Speaker, Entertaining Humorist - Bob Gray.

So here is my ninth post on memorizing the US state capitals. Again, please take a moment to read the April post regarding how our memory tends to cling to the absurd and make sure you are reviewing these crazy images at the critical times in order to store them into your long term memory. (See below)

OK, let’s memorize the next five capital cities for South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Vermont.

The capital of S. Dakota is Pierre. Again, as in North Dakota, I will use the actress Dakota Fanning. This time I see her in a swimsuit; this allows me to differentiate from North (cold) to South (hot). So I see her perhaps on the beach and see her juggling huge Peas in the Air, Pierre.

Tennessee’s capital is Nashville. Anything related to Tennis will work here. Your favourite tennis player, a tennis court, a racquet, or even Wimbledon. For Nashville I think of Ash, so I imagine Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal playing centre court Wimbledon, and instead of using tennis racquets, they are using gigantic cigarettes which are dropping mounds of cigarette ash onto the court. See them trying to smoke between sets, disgusting and memorable!

The capital of Texas is Austin. This is an easy one for me but very English. For Texas I see the Alamo and driving onto the Alamo is an old Austin 16, a car that my dad had when I was growing up in England. You could use a Texas Longhorn to represent Texas and for Austin you could use Steve Austin, the old Six Million Dollar Man, or Stone Cold Steve Austin, the retired wrestler, see either, or both of them riding a Longhorn, or see Stone Cold wrestling one in a ring.

Utah’s capital is Salt Lake City. Utah always reminds me of the Bonneville Salt Flats. For Utah I think of You Tar and I see the Flats covered in hot sticky Tar. Perhaps someone is trying to set a new land speed record and they are stuck in the Tar. Or you could see a huge Salt Cellar stuck in a huge puddle of Tar. Once you remember Salt, you should automatically remember Salt Lake City.

And finally the capital of Vermont is Montpelier. I change Vermont to Fur Mint and Montpelier to Mt. Peel. So a Furry cat eating a Mint on top of a Mountain of orange Peel. Go ahead see that image!

So to review:

Dakota Fanning juggling Peas
South Dakota/Pierre

Roger and Rafael smoking at Wimbledon
Tennessee/Nashville

Stone Cold Steve Austin wrestling a Longhorn
Texas/Austin

New land speed record halted by Tar
Utah/Salt Lake City

A furry Cat eating a Mint on top of a Mountain of orange Peel
Vermont/Montpelier

Here is my standard wrap up.
Again, make sure you review these images within 60-75 minutes from now, it takes less than 60 seconds but is critical for long term storage, then again within 24 hr’s, then 1 week later and then 1 month later.

I will continue to post state capitals and their crazy images in groups of five. I have just five more to go then you will have all 50 memorized and a great handle on how to visualize the ridiculous and absurd. This is essential for us to apply memory systems to more practical business applications like recalling Names and Faces, speeches and presentations, model numbers, prices, to-do lists etc.

Please share if you found this informative, thanks.

Bob Gray CSP HoF

keynote speaker

The post Stone Cold Steve Austin wrestles a Longhorn appeared first on Funny Motivational Speaker, Entertaining Humorist - Bob Gray.

OK, let’s memorize the next five capital cities for Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire and New Jersey.

The capital of Montana is Helena. I immediately picture a mountain for Montana, sat on top of the mountain is Helen of Troy. If you know a Helen, see her sitting on top shouting AAAAHH… (Helen AAAH)

Nebraska’s capital is Lincoln. For Nebraska I see a huge wheat field. Picture Abe Lincoln giving a speech in the middle of this huge wheat field, perhaps his audience is a bunch of scarecrows. If you like, for an added association see a Lincoln car cutting donuts through the wheat field.

Nevada’s capital is Carson City. I simply see Johnny Carson playing slot machines (Las Vegas). Could use Carson Daly for you younger ones out there who are saying, “Johnny who?” If you don’t know a Carson, then break it into Car Son; see a car with a small boy sitting on top of the roof playing a slot machine.

New Hampshire’s capital is Concord. You can visualize a Hamster piloting the Concorde.

And finally the capital of New Jersey is Trenton. You could use a sweater for Jersey. There are Jersey cows, or the small island off the coast of mainland Britain. How about any of the characters from the TV series Jersey Shore, can’t say I know any as I haven’t seen the show, but know it’s popular. For Trenton I would change it to Train Ton. My personal image is of a Jersey Cow driving a Train that is pulling a Ton weight.

So to review:

Helen of Troy sitting on top of a Mountain
Montana/Helena

Abe Lincoln talking to a bunch of scarecrows in a wheat field
Nebraska/Lincoln

Johnny or Carson Daly playing the slots
Nevada/Carson City

A Hamster piloting the Concorde
New Hampshire/Concord

A Cow driving a Train
New Jersey/Trenton

Here is my standard wrap up.

Again, make sure you review these images within 60-75 minutes from now, it takes less than 60 seconds but is critical for long term storage, then again within 24 hr’s, then 1 week later and then 1 month later.

I will continue to post state capitals and their crazy images in groups of five. Before we know it you will have all 50 memorized and a great handle on how to visualize the ridiculous and absurd. This is essential for us to apply memory systems to more practical business applications like recalling Names and Faces, speeches and presentations, model numbers, prices, to-do lists etc.

Please share if you found this informative, thanks.

Bob Gray CSP HoF

Keynote Speaker

The post A Hamster flying the Concorde! Montana to New Jersey. appeared first on Funny Motivational Speaker, Entertaining Humorist - Bob Gray.