Smashing Tomatoes on Your Head
…and other Memory Building Techniques
Imagine smashing a tomato on your head.
Picture the juice running down your face and
the feeling of the pulp in your hair. Now
imagine sticking a cell phone up your nose.
Think about the vibration and the sound as
it is ringing. Why would I be asking you to
picture these bizarre things? I’m actually
teaching you how to remember a presentation
on productivity.
These strange images are all part of a
system taught by memory expert and trainer,
Ron White in order to help people remember
nearly anything, including large amounts of
information. So why should you care?
Being able to recall information is a
powerful tool in business and in life.
Imagine going to an exhibition and meeting
50 to 100 people and, the very next day,
going back and recalling every one of their
names as well as their products.
Now imagine being able to remember the key
points of your sales and marketing materials
as well as that of your competitors. How
powerful would it be if you could go into a
sales meeting, remember the names of the
people you met weeks or months ago and make
your sales pitch, touching on all the key
points of your product and those of your
competitors,… without notes? It is actually
possible according to Ron White who
regularly performs training seminars where
he will meet and remember the names of as
many as 60 participants.
The fact is that a memory system can really
help you store and recall things that are
important to you. The key is that you don’t
forget to use it.
Ron White’s system is pretty simple. So
simple that it startled me. Nearly anyone
can master the tools and audience members at
Ron’s seminars are regularly amazed when
they find that they are able to do some of
the same seemingly remarkable feats that Ron
can. So what is the amazing system?
Ron compares memory to filing. It is based
on three main components. The first basic
concept is that you must create ‘files,’ or
a place to store the information that you
want to remember. Amongst his seemingly
strange files are the top of his head, his
liver, a candle in his bedroom and so on.
The files are typically created in an exact
order so that you can recall things more
easily and systematically. Obviously, we
aren’t talking about ‘real’ files but
abstract places that will help you bring up
the information you have stored.
Once you have files you need to create an
‘image’ of the information that you want to
store in them. It is similar to taking a
Polaroid picture of what you want to
remember. As Ron explains, we often remember
a person’s face but have difficulty
recalling their name. That’s because we can
see the person’s face but we can’t see their
name. By creating a picture of information
it is easier to recall.
The final and most important of the three
components is what Ron calls ‘glue.’ In
order to explain, he uses the example of
girl he met not long ago who actually sat
next to him in high school for two years.
When they met, neither of them could
remember the other. That was because there
was no ‘glue’ to hold the information in his
‘file’.
‘Glue’ is similar to an association. When
storing information in your mind, you need
to have something that will connect it to
your ‘file,’ such as smashing a tomato on
your head and actually ‘feeling’ the juice
and smelling the scent. How did that help
audience members remember a presentation on
productivity? Tomatoes are usually found in
the produce section and produce is similar
to production. You may be shaking your head
right now but believe me, it is impressive
when you experience the entire program.
Ron’s seminar quickly teaches
participants how to build files, create
images and glue them in place. By the time
the program is over, participants realize
that they can see and hear large amounts of
information and recall it at will later. In
one show, Ron had an American audience
recall the names of the first 30 US
Presidents in less than 10 minutes. Nearly
every person could say them forwards,
backwards and at random.
You can start your memory system by building
files starting at the top of your head and
going down to your toes. You can use rooms
in your house and furniture within the
rooms. These files all represent somewhere
where you will store information. Next,
create an image of the information you want
to remember. If it is your marketing bullet
points, take a look at each one and
literally picture it in your head. Finally,
image that image being placed somehow, into
your file. If it is the top of your head and
you want to remember a tomato, smash it in
there.
All of this might sound a bit crazy but I
promise you, the system actually works. Even
for someone who is as absent-minded as I am.
Ron White appeared in Bangkok for the first
time this past March. He fascinated his
audience leaving with universal praise for
his program and his teaching ability. He
will be appearing again, on 27 & 28 August,
2008 at the Radisson Hotel Bangkok. If you
want to get the full feel of the memory
system and you happen to be in Bangkok at
the time, check it out. You can also go to
Ron’s website (www.ronwhitetraining.com)
for some interesting articles.
Note to Editors
About AIM Inlines
AIM Inlines is a Thailand-based
company that helps corporations,
associations and agencies improve their
operational efficiency, staff performance
and overall productivity without increasing
their budget. We do this by bringing some of
the world’s top trainers and expert’s right
to your doorstep, providing you with their
invaluable knowledge and insight.
AIM Inlines was
established in 2001 and has served the needs
of tens of thousands of customers throughout
the world. AIM Inlines has
established relationships with many of the
worlds most notable and accomplished
speakers and trainers and we are prepared to
bring these people to you.
We also organize a range
of cutting edge seminars on the latest
business methodologies. These one and two
day events are not only fun and exciting,
they are highly educational, providing you
and your team with the most up-to-date
business knowledge from leading innovative
thinkers.
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