John Graham

Before I became a memory champion, I was absolutely horrible at names. To memorize something, one of the key things Techniques is to turn that piece of information into something visual, create a story with it and connect it. So with a name, you want to associate that name to someone's face or their body, right? So now let's create a story. I'm going to use Ilana. So when I look at the name Ilana,

Before I became a memory champion, I was absolutely horrible at names. To memorize something, one of the key things Techniques is to turn that piece of information into something visual, create a story with it and connect it. So with a name, you want to associate that name to someone's face or their body, right? So now let's create a story. I'm going to use Ilana. So when I look at the name Ilana,

I want to turn that into an image or a story. And immediately I think of ill, because it starts with ill, right? Alana. So I imagine maybe that you're ill and you're puking on a, you know, whatever, on a microphone. That sucks. Or on your body. And so here's the thing. It's completely weird and over the top, but that's why it's memorable, because it made you sick.

I want to turn that into an image or a story. And immediately I think of ill, because it starts with ill, right? Alana. So I imagine maybe that you're ill and you're puking on a, you know, whatever, on a microphone. That sucks. Or on your body. And so here's the thing. It's completely weird and over the top, but that's why it's memorable, because it made you sick.

Or like John. John, people think of like a toilet. It's a name of a toilet right in the U.S., a John, right? So imagine a toilet seat around my neck and you got my name, right? Or you think of your Uncle John with his arm around me like we're friends or whatever. You make that type of connection to remember it.

Or like John. John, people think of like a toilet. It's a name of a toilet right in the U.S., a John, right? So imagine a toilet seat around my neck and you got my name, right? Or you think of your Uncle John with his arm around me like we're friends or whatever. You make that type of connection to remember it.

Yeah, I'll tell you, I'll give you a secret or a real nugget here. And so just to brag here on the names thing, to give you an idea, in the US championship one year, I memorized 229 names and faces in 15 minutes. This is all I got pictures on paper and names. So I was not able to do that initially. This is not a natural thing. Just using the technique I gave you. So there's two ways to do this.

Yeah, I'll tell you, I'll give you a secret or a real nugget here. And so just to brag here on the names thing, to give you an idea, in the US championship one year, I memorized 229 names and faces in 15 minutes. This is all I got pictures on paper and names. So I was not able to do that initially. This is not a natural thing. Just using the technique I gave you. So there's two ways to do this.

I would say a slow way, which I just gave you the technique. Most people try it this way or the fast way. So the wrong way, the slow way, is left brain. Meaning, okay, I look at Alana. I think of all the possible ones. I could do, okay, ill. I could do Lon, like I know someone named Lonnie. I could do I-L-L, like that's Illinois.

I would say a slow way, which I just gave you the technique. Most people try it this way or the fast way. So the wrong way, the slow way, is left brain. Meaning, okay, I look at Alana. I think of all the possible ones. I could do, okay, ill. I could do Lon, like I know someone named Lonnie. I could do I-L-L, like that's Illinois.

I could do... So what you're doing is you're doing a Google search in your brain. You're looking logically through all the correct... Or the best answer. You're looking for the best answer, right? Think of how many of us wanted to have the right answer, right? Will this work? No. You're judging and you're thinking and you're analyzing. That's really, really slow.

I could do... So what you're doing is you're doing a Google search in your brain. You're looking logically through all the correct... Or the best answer. You're looking for the best answer, right? Think of how many of us wanted to have the right answer, right? Will this work? No. You're judging and you're thinking and you're analyzing. That's really, really slow.

Or I could look at Alana and trust the first thing that comes to me. The instant it downloads in, it's like creativity. It just comes in. And I trust it. So I've trained my brain, I've trained myself to trust the first thing that comes into my mind. And that's how I go fast is I just trust, I trust, I trust, I trust, I trust instead of Google searching through my brain for the best answer.

Or I could look at Alana and trust the first thing that comes to me. The instant it downloads in, it's like creativity. It just comes in. And I trust it. So I've trained my brain, I've trained myself to trust the first thing that comes into my mind. And that's how I go fast is I just trust, I trust, I trust, I trust, I trust instead of Google searching through my brain for the best answer.

Oh, yeah. What I taught you with the names is a linking method. I'm connecting the name. I'm creating an image for the name and connecting it to the person, to you. You can do the same thing with vocab words. Think of like foreign languages. The foreign word, the national word, and connecting those two in a story. I give an example like piscina means pool, a swimming pool in Spanish, right?

Oh, yeah. What I taught you with the names is a linking method. I'm connecting the name. I'm creating an image for the name and connecting it to the person, to you. You can do the same thing with vocab words. Think of like foreign languages. The foreign word, the national word, and connecting those two in a story. I give an example like piscina means pool, a swimming pool in Spanish, right?

Piscina. So I always like piscina sounds like Peace or piss, right? Piss, like pissing in a pool. If you imagine pissing in a pool, you got piscina, right? And I'm sorry to offend anyone. I'm not sorry. People should know that in school, like a simple visual story method, a technique to remember vocab or definitions or things. especially like med students, right?

Piscina. So I always like piscina sounds like Peace or piss, right? Piss, like pissing in a pool. If you imagine pissing in a pool, you got piscina, right? And I'm sorry to offend anyone. I'm not sorry. People should know that in school, like a simple visual story method, a technique to remember vocab or definitions or things. especially like med students, right?

Or just people going through a really hard test. So yeah, it should be in schools. We've tried, many of us who know about this, but the school system, the government's so archaic and dogmatic that they don't change. It's another battle.

Or just people going through a really hard test. So yeah, it should be in schools. We've tried, many of us who know about this, but the school system, the government's so archaic and dogmatic that they don't change. It's another battle.