13 Reasons You Should Take ThinkBuzan Memory Training

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You probably think you can get all the memory training you need from books, right?

Maybe. Ben Pridmore certainly did (reportedly just one) and worked miracles at the World Memory Championships.

But Those Kind Of Results Don’t Happen To Everyone

The truth is that most of us (including me) need more than one memory training resource.

In fact, as I mentioned in The Story Of How To Learn And Memorize German Vocabulary, I studied dozens of memory improvement books, audio programs and video courses. The Magnetic Memory Method simply wouldn’t exist without years of relentless research, experimentation, documentation, reconfiguration and teaching.

But that doesn’t mean the research is ever done.

Far from it!

The Art Of Memory Is A Way Of Life Defined
By Multiple (Super-Exciting!) Duties

To this day, I still study. To develop as a mnemonist, a journalist of memory and a lifelong devotee to teaching the art of memory, I consume all the wisdom about memory improvement I can.

That’s why I recently attended the ThinkBuzan Memory Training at the Henley Business School in Henley-On-Thames taught by Phil Chambers and world leading memory expert Tony Buzan himself.

I was so happy to join this course because my mission is simple:

To keep getting better as both a student and teacher of mnemonics.

We all should so that we can contribute to the world at a higher level by being the solution to the many problems created by forgetting.

Because as Tony Buzan always made clear, there is a solution to forgetfulness. And if you apply yourself …

You Never Have To Forget Information That Matters Ever Again!

Seriously. If you’ve read more than one book or taken more than one course and still aren’t getting results, there are probably only two reasons:

1) You’re not studying the right stuff.

2) You’re not taking the right actions.

And even if you’re already equipped and running memory circles around your friends, here are 13 reasons you still really ought to get trained at the Summit of Memory.

1. You Learn More About The History Of Memory

I’ve encountered the story of Simonides of Ceos countless times. However, never have I encountered it so thoroughly and elegantly expressed as when Phil Chambers took us through it.

The best part of the story is that it contains all the elements of good mnemonics: strange events and colorful characters. Massive, visual action. A Memory Palace in ruins that, albeit utterly destroyed, still stands in the minds of millions nearly two thousand years later.

2. You Learn About The Science Of Memory

There’s history behind memory research too, so getting both the past, present and future of memory science makes ThinkBuzan memory training a tremendous asset.

MIG, also known as The Most Important Graph In The World, shows you the most cutting edge elements of memory science. It is a Masterplan for engineering any information into your memory forever.

You learn The Most Important Graph in the world effectively too. It’s presented in stages so that you understand each part. The ThinkBuzan teaching approach also uses the science underlying the graph to get it into your long term memory.

Speaking of which …

3. You Learn How To Teach Memory Skills Right Away

You’ve heard me talk about the importance of educating others about memory skills before. I always talk about how and why you must do it immediately in order to get the best results from what you’ve learned and memorized.

For example, in Language Learning For Introverts, I suggest that you explain to anyone who will listen the Memory Palace and mnemonic imagery you use to memorize new words and phrases. It’s partly self-serving for how it drills the information into your memory, but more importantly …

Teaching Others Creates Enthusiasm For
The REAL Magic Of Memory

Not only that, but by demonstrating what’s possible with your memory through teaching the core skills, you’re also getting better at using your memory. You’re practicing what you preach and getting better every time you do.

4. You Create A Group Memory Palace On The Spot

Nothing enthused me more about the ThinkBuzan memory than creating a Memory Palace together as a group. Phil Chambers had us memorize all the member countries of the European Union in alphabetical order.

But even better, Phil tricked us into doing it outside of our awareness. I won’t tell you exactly how, but it’s similar to how I teach people to memorize the alphabet backwards.

To really let you have your cake and eat it too, Phil then shows you how to compound the countries with the capitals of each.I learned a great deal that day about exactly why he’s a master at teaching you how to train your memory.

This quick exercise means memorizing 40 pieces of information inside of 20 minutes. Using The Most Important Graph In The World (and with a bit of stretching, maybe even without), this is information you can get into long-term memory for the rest of your life.

Again, you get all this amazing memorization in less than 20 minutes, plus sufficient review over a week or two. At most, that will total another 20 minutes, likely much less.

Plus, while you’re completing the live memory exercise …

5. You Create Lifelong Friendships With Other Memorizers

ThinkBuzan makes sure that you get to know your classmates from the moment their memory training starts. But the real time group Memory Palace exercise deepens the relationships beyond belief.

This bonding occurs not only because you share the amazement of instantly recalling the information learned throughout the exercise. It’s also because you travel together throughout the Memory Palace as you create it.

As the dating gurus often point out, if you want to create the feeling that someone knows you better, have them share time with you in multiple locations as quickly as possible. Do this while deliberately creating a Memory Palace together, and those locations become infinitely stronger.

And who knows? You might just develop a romance out of it or deepen a current one. A married couple took the training I attended and I watched as the memory training experience strengthened their bond before my very eyes.

And although my girlfriend (now wife) wasn’t there, watching this couple convinced me to finally propose. So the magic of taking a memory training really does go beyond the skills of recall. It touches and makes all areas of your life more exciting.

6. You Get To Challenge Yourself
And Confront Your Memory Fears

I did not go to this ThinkBuzan memory training as an initiate. I’ve been a mnemonist now for more than fourteen years.

However, there’s a massive divide between what I can do privately and publicly. Sure, I took a hard loss when I competed against Dave Farrow half on a whim and only then in support of my favored charity.

By the same token, I’m proud of my results given the circumstances (jet-lagged, suffering arthritic joint pain, unkempt, unrested and moronically hungover from the last time I ever touched alcohol).

I’m also proud of my results given that I’d never memorized and recalled information with cameras in my face and a countdown clock running.

On top of that, as a memory trainer myself, I had a reputation to uphold, and I think I did given the circumstances. But …

Not so during the tests at the ThinkBuzan training. But here’s the thing about making mistakes:

7. Sometimes Falling Flat On Your Face
Is The Best Thing In The World

Why?

A few reasons.

First, I got a taste of embarrassment that I did so poorly. I should have scored 100%.

Second, I learned SO much about what happens to me when someone turns on the clock. I start thinking about what strategy I’m going to use and then switch them up mid-stride. By the time I’ve finally settled on my approach, the clock has run out.

Third, but far from least, I learned that …

8. Transparency About Your Memory
Produces Pearls Of Wisdom!

I could have avoided the issue and said nothing, or kept my internal reflections private.

Instead, I took a lesson from Nelson Dellis and his advice about winning the USA Memory Championship.

I swallowed my pride and the throat-constricting desire to bury my head in the suffocating sands of Phil’s official World Memory Championships digital hourglass.

That’s right, I sat in front of the entire group and Tony Buzan himself and fessed up.

Here’s what I learned in return for my honest revelation:

9. Discover The Surprising Reason Why
”Time Management” Is The Deadliest Circus Stunt In The World

We exhaust ourselves silly trying to control time. But this essence, this substance, this engine that has driven the world since, well … the beginning of time, needs no management and cannot be managed.

No, the clock isn’t a venomous snake. It’s not going to bark, bite or explode. The world’s not going to end when it rings.

Regardless, when there’s a deadline, the muscles in your mind cramp. The pace or your breathing collapses in on itself and your palms bleed sweat.

The problem? You’re trying to manage time.

Can’t be done. Casting Yoda a bit differently on the issue of time, there really is no try.

10. We Can Only Manage Ourselves And Our Memory Abilities In Time By Understanding And Using The Clock

As Tony describes time, our perception of its speed changes based on our psychological states. It can feel like it’s burning like a lit wick races to a bomb. Or it can move like a slow, placid wave when you’ve got nothing going on.

I’ve been practicing this approach to thinking about time ever since. I plan on going back for more training and fully expect I’ll get 100% next time if I can just settle on a strategy first and get my thinking about time unwarped and humming.

After I’ve served at least once as an arbiter, I may even compete at a future WMC myself.

That said, I also learned that …

11. Not Wanting To Compete In The
World Memory Championships Is Totally Okay

Maybe you’ve had this feeling too. You learn about mnemonics and soon discover memory competitions exist around the world. That makes you feel like no matter what you use the tools of recall for in your private life, it won’t amount to much if you cannot win a prize.

The truth, I learned, is that most competitors aren’t after the medals. They attend the World Memory Championships to compete against themselves. They’re stretching their abilities.

Plus, they’re making friends with other mnemonists and talking shop about the art of memory. They’re doing what we discussed before in an international setting: learning AND teaching in one fell swoop.

But if none of this interests you, no problem. You can be a perfectly amazing memorizer and teacher without ever throwing down the gloves.

And if your results are nothing to brag about, that’s no problem either. We all know the coaching phenomena. People have led sports teams to glory without ever touching the ball themselves.

As a story consultant, like others in the movie plot improvement industry, I’ve improved screenplays and seen them made into films. To this day, I’ve never completed one myself, let alone had a movie from my imagination made. Maybe I never will.

When it comes to memory, I’ve memorized thousands of words and bits of ultra-valuable information. But more importantly I’ve helped thousands of people memorize many thousands more. Just check out this email I for the other day:

“Here I am seated below my arbiters after memorizing 29 and then 34 shuffled cards at five minutes each. The first try beat the existing provincial record; the second try bested that.

Would not have done it without your impetus. I am registered to compete in the Canadian Championships in Montreal, July 2.

Thanks, Anthony!”

And get this:

Tony Buzan, co-founder of the Wold Memory Championships has never himself competed in them. But he’s still helped millions of people get more from their memories and their minds overall.

And when you attend one of his trainings …

12. You Might Even Get To Meet The Man Himself

To tell you the truth, I didn’t even know Tony Buzan was going to be at the training. The ticket named Phil Chambers as the instructor and I went more than content with enjoying his memory expertise.

But sometimes Tony does attend these memory trainings and I was so delighted that he turned up at this one!

And I don’t know how to tell you this without stepping outside my usual Canadian-bred modesty, but I’m going to lay it out because it may inspire you and it doesn’t feel right to keep something so monumental a secret amongst only a few.

You Might Be Knighted A Warrior Of The Mind

Tony and I had shared some Tweets a few years ago. There was instant resonance, maybe because we’re both named Anthony, perhaps because we’ve both spent loads of time under the stars of Vancouver, British Columbia.

For whatever reason, the resonance continued, and when the event was over, I offered to help breakdown the classroom. I was asked to carry some paintings to the main building for safekeeping as Tony prepared to leave.

These were by Lorraine Gill, the woman who inspired to include images in Mind Maps in the first place. And now we have Mind Map Mastery, which is one of the best books on mind mapping I’ve ever read!

Once we had the paintings safely stowed away in a back office, we chatted a bit with the secretarial staff and …

Then IT Happened

Tony pulled me aside and said, “Anthony, you are a Warrior of the Mind.”

Next, THE Tony Buzan removed a pin from his lapel. Yes, THE famous pin Joshua Foer mentions in Moonwalking With Einstein.

Tony stepped forward and reached for my collar. The next thing I knew, I was wearing the beautifully executed rendering and holding back tears. Tony gives the pin, I learned, for Outstanding Contributions to Global Mental Literacy.

It is a tremendous honor to hold the title “Warrior of the Mind.” Above all, to own and proudly wear this symbol, given by the hand of a man I first read in high school from books that first truly taught me the boundless power of the human mind and how to release the floodgates on its potential.

Frankly, if I didn’t talk so much for a living, I’d be utterly speechless. 😉

13. Learn, Memorize And Recall Anything

In sum, if you want to continue your education in memory and feel the rapture of memory improvement as can only be offered by the best on the planet, booking your seat at the next training is a must.

In addition to all the magic I’ve been yappin’ about, you’ll learn how to efficiently and expertly memorize:

• Names
• Vocabulary
• Passwords
• Numbers
• Facts
• Addresses
• … Anything else you want to remember!

Plus, even though the course isn’t about mind mapping as such, you’ll practice this revolutionary technique and get a massive preview of this powerful art or organizing your mind the way it works on the page.

And you know, people often ask me about how Memory Palaces and mind mapping could work in tandem. I’m not yet 100% equipped with an answer, but I’m now well on the way and I’ll be attending the ThinkBuzan mind mapping course as soon as possible.

How about you? You’re convinced by now, right?

Of course you are! So …

Here’s How To Get Royal Treatment
When You Take Any ThinkBuzan Training

Simply mention my name when registering for your seat at any training and you’ll get an incredible percentage of the tuition lopped off.

Listen, even if you forget to mention my name and claim this generous discount so you too can become a world class practitioner and teacher of memory techniques, you’ll never regret making this choice. Do it now and let me know all about what you learn.

Seriously. Teaching others what you’ve learned – including me – is the best way to learn. And the more you learn, the more you CAN learn.

That’s my wish and hope and dream for you because we are nothing more than our memories and their quality shapes everything. Make the world a better place a.s.a.p. and you’ll see for yourself just how profound learning and memory can be.

Buckle up. It’s going to be a very Magnetic ThinkBuzan experience for you indeed. And better than those memory improvement exercises that require so many annoying apps.