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.

OK, let’s memorize the next five capital cities for Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi and Missouri.

The capital of Massachusetts is Boston. I immediately conjure up a Church Mass, for Boston you can choose several references, perhaps everyone in church is eating beans, (Beantown) and they have gas! Or a large tin of beans is giving the sermon. How about everyone standing up with large teapots in their hands and pouring scalding tea on top of each other, (Boston Tea Party).

Michigan’s capital is Lancing, I simply see a Gun (MichiGUN) with a huge lance sticking out its barrel.

Minnesota’s capital is St. Paul. For Minnesota I see a large can of Soda, sitting on top of the can of Soda is a Ball with a Halo, Halo for Saint and Ball for Paul.

Mississippi’s capital is Jackson. I imagine Randy Jackson dancing on the American Idol stage with a Hippie. Or you can use a river for Mississippi and anything associated to Jack in the Box, perhaps its character floating down the river, or a huge burger. If you are not familiar with the chain, then see a toy Jack in the Box springing out of its box as it floats down the Mississippi river.

And finally.

Missouri’s capital is Jefferson City. I know someone named Jeff and I imagine him sitting at a table, head in hands crying with Misery. You can change Jefferson to Chef Son and see a Chef’s son crying.

So to review:

Tin of Beans giving a sermon
Boston/Massachusetts

357 Magnum with a huge knight’s Lance sticking out its barrel
Lancing/Michigan

Ball with a Halo balanced on top of a Soda
St. Paul/Minnesota

Randy Jackson dancing with a Hippie
Jackson/Mississippi

Jeff or a Chef’s Son crying
Jefferson City/Missouri

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. We are half way. 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 enjoyed this/these posts.

Bob Gray CSP HoF

Motivational Speaker

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OK, let’s memorize the next five capital cities, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida and Georgia.

Colorado’s capital is Denver. What do you see for Colorado? I immediately see an image of the Rocky Mountains. What do you see for Denver, I see John Denver, so my image is of a giant John Denver sitting astride a Rocky Mountain while strumming his guitar.

Colorado sounds like Collar, maybe see a dog Collar. You could see John Denver with a dog collar around his neck like he’s a punk rocker, couldn’t get much more absurd than that! If you are not familiar with John Denver then break the word into Tin Fur, sounds close enough to Denver, as long as it conjures up an image it will work.

An empty tin of beans, say full of fur, sitting atop a rocky mountain or hanging from a dog collar. Pick one and stick with it or better still come up with your own, just remember to make it as ridiculous as possible.

Connecticut’s capital is Hartford. I see a giant ice cream Cone (for Connecticut) being run over by a Ford truck, driven by a huge heart. See that image, a Ford truck driven by a huge pumping heart, yes with arms and legs, smashing into a gigantic ice cream cone. See the Ford covered in Strawberry ice cream after the accident.

Delaware’s capital is Dover. Delaware reminds me of Tupperware, and being a Brit I see the White Cliffs of Dover. So I imagine a huge piece of Tupperware nailed to the White Cliffs of Dover. Or you could imagine opening some Tupperware and a huge Dover Sole flies out and hits you in the face.

Florida’s capital is Tallahassee. I always see Oranges for Florida. Tallahassee I break into Tall Horse. Because we are already familiar with the name Tallahassee an image of a tall horse will work just fine. If you need to you can imagine a large letter ‘C’ painted on the side of the horse, Tall Horse C. So I see a tall horse, almost Giraffe like, rearing up on its hind legs picking oranges from a tree, both with its mouth and its front legs. Knowing that Florida is the Sunshine State you could use the Sun and a Tall Horse.

Georgia’s capital is Atlanta. You could use Peaches for Georgia or anyone you know named George. For the capital I see a set of Antlers. So I have a nephew named George and I see a set of antlers growing from his head. If he reads this I’m sure to hear from him. Or see Peaches being impaled on a deer’s antlers.

So to review:

John Denver sitting astride the Rocky Mountains or a Tin of Fur hanging from a dog collar’
Colorado/Denver

A gigantic Ice Cream Cone being knocked down by a Ford driven by a Heart
Connecticut/Hartford

Gigantic piece of Tupperware nailed to the White Cliffs of Dover, or a piece of Dover Sole jumping out of some Tupperware
Delaware/Dover

The Tall Horse with the ‘C’ painted across its side picking Oranges from a tree.
Florida/Tallahassee, and finally:

Someone named George with Antlers, or Peaches impaled on a deer’s Antlers.
Georgia/Atlanta

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.

Bob Gray is an award winning international keynote and memory workshop presenter. A Guinness World Record Holder, Certified Speaking Professional and Canadian Speaker Hall of Fame inductee.

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Let’s now store into memory their capital cities. If you did not read my first post please take two minutes to read it over to get an understanding of how ridiculous images force our memory to latch onto information.

OK, let’s memorize their capital cities.

Alabama’s capital is Montgomery. See a photo Album balancing on a golf tee, see Colin Montgomery, the British golfer striking the album with his driver and driving it 250 yd’s down the fairway. Hear the thud of the driver as it strikes the album, see the photo’s scattering across the fairway.

If you are not familiar with Colin Montgomery you could use Field Marshal Montgomery of Alamein from the 2nd world war, see him looking through a photo album while driving a tank! Or any Montgomery that springs to mind will work.

If you absolutely cannot think of anyone familiar named Montgomery, then you can break the name into smaller workable chunks like, Mint Gum Rye.

Imagine instead of photos in the album, hundreds of Mint leaves or breath mints instead. As you pull the mint(s) from the page there is a long strand of gum attached, the mints or leaves have all been stuck into the album with chewing gum. You take the mint with the gum and place it in a glass of Rye whiskey and drink this awful concoction. You will only need to see this image a couple times before it will be lodged into your long term memory.

Alaska’s capital is Juneau. See Sarah Palin standing at the lectern shouting “Do you know?” Or see a June bug on her Nose, June Nose/Juneau. See her cross eyed as she tries to deliver a speech with this huge June bug crawling up and down her nose.

Arizona’s capital is Phoenix. See a huge cactus splitting open, perhaps hit by lightning, hear the cracking of the cactus as a Phoenix literally rises from the cactus.

Arkansas’ capital is Little Rock. See hundreds of little rocks in groups of two by two walking up the ramp to the Ark, no animals just little rocks. You can even give them little arms and hands holding onto each other as they stroll up the ramp into the ark.

California’s capital is Sacramento. If you are already familiar with the name Sacramento, then a simple image of a sack will do. A sack full of gold bars may be a little obvious, it sounds perfect, but not really unusual enough. Our memory tends to cling to the unusual, not the normal or obvious.

So instead of seeing hundreds of gold bars stacked on top of each other in a bank vault, replace them with hundreds of sacks, see a bank vault full of tiny sacks.

You may think of the Beach Boys to visualize California, so see the Beach Boys playing a concert with huge sacks over their heads.

If you are not familiar with the name Sacramento, then you can split it into workable chunks just as I did with Montgomery. Sacramento would become Sack Ram Men Toe, see this chain of images and associate it to gold bars or the Beach Boys or whatever image you conjure up for California.

So to review:

The photo Album, being hit on the driving range by Colin Montgomery.
Alabama/Montgomery

Sarah Palin shouting “Do you know?” at the lectern, or the huge June bug crawling up her nose.
Alaska/Juneau

The Cactus splitting open with the Phoenix rising.
Arizona/Phoenix

The Little Rocks walking two by two up the ramp into the Ark.
Arkansas/Little Rock, and finally:

The bank vault full of tiny Sacks or the Beach Boys with sacks over their heads.
California/Sacramento

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 post perhaps four or five state capitals and a crazy image over the next dozen or so posts in order for you to become accustomed to forming crazy ridiculous imagery. 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. We need to shake up the creative side of our brains before we tackle more business related issues…and besides, this will probably win you a drink or two in a bar!

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This is actually the foundation on which every Guinness Memory record is achieved.

The second key is to form what you wish to remember into an image, something which stimulates the right side of our brain, the creative side. The third key is to then associate or link these two images together; the image of what you wish to remember, to the thing you already know, and here’s the key, the link must be as silly, as crazy and ridiculous as possible. This is critical, the crazier the image, the better the recall.

Just to show you how this works, let’s take five random things to remember:

Photo Album, Sarah Palin, a Cactus, Noah’s Ark and Gold Bars.

Now we will link them together in a crazy ridiculous scenario. Imagine:

Looking through an old photograph album, as you turn the page, Sarah Palin suddenly jumps out from the album, see her in as much detail as you can, perhaps her hair tied up, her rimless glasses, nice smile. She has her arms outstretched above her head and she is holding a huge cactus, as if she is pumping iron, only instead of holding weights above her head, she is holding a huge cactus. Perhaps the needles are pricking her hands. She can’t hold it any longer, it’s too painful, so she hurls it through the air and it lands on top of Noah’s Ark, try to hear the smashing and splintering sound of the wood as it crashes on top of the Ark. As the Ark cracks open see hundreds of shiny Gold Bars flying out from its hold.

Now go back to the image you had of the photograph album, close your eyes and recall the remaining four items.

Easy right? See how each linked item jumps out from your memory. I know it’s only five items but as you will learn in later posts it could just as easily be ten or twenty….as long as the associations linking the images are crazy ridiculous and nonsensical.

Oh, and by the way, you just memorized the first five US states alphabetically.

Album = Alabama
Sarah Palin = Alaska
Cactus = Arizona
Noah’s Ark = Arkansas
Gold Bars = California (Gold Rush)

On a more practical note the Chain or Link method can be used to recall speeches and presentations, to-do lists and shopping lists, and in conjunction with another memory system, even equations and formulas, in fact anything which needs to be recalled in a specific sequence. I will tackle these in later posts.

Maybe next time I will show you how to remember their capital cities. I just had a thought, perhaps to get you used to visualizing ridiculous images; we can memorize all 50 state capitals, that’s sure to win you a drink in a bar!

By the way, Papua looks like a camel, with a little imagination, and Sri Lanka looks like a tear drop.

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