Once you have read a few books and articles about Memory techniques, you should know that a key method of remembering information is to visualise the object and to make a strong association.

This works well if the object is an object, animal, vegetable or mineral. I remember an association exercise of visualising the association between a dog and a bicycle. I still remember a Labrador leaning forward on a racing bike and pedalling as fast as he can.

But what happens when you want to remember things which aren’t so tangible such as people’s names, chemical elements, names of countries, capital cities, or foreign vocabulary? The memory books usually tell us to think of a word that reminds you of what you want to memorise.

Converting abstract words into memorable image is another memory skill requiring a good imagination, a flexible and creative mind. In this article I explore the challenge of converting people’s names to memorable images. A popular method of long term memorising of names is to associate a person’s name with a particular facial feature.

Key image evokes the  name

The goal of converting names to memorable images is that-given the image, the original name is easily recalled.  For example,  suppose you used the image of a Dentist whenever you met someone named Dennis. The next time you see this man, you recall the association of a dentist’s mirror or drill with a unique facial feature, then you recall the name of Dennis.

The techniques

How can you convert names into memorable images? Here are a collection of techniques I have used to convert names to images.

1. Strong cultural reference.  The story of Adam and Eve (from the Old Testament book of Genesis) is well known in Western Civilisation. Artists have typically painted a fig leaf over Adam’s groin.  Therefore, you could use the image of a FIG LEAF to remind you of Adam.  The Star of David is a strong image for the name of DAVID.

2. Words that sound similar.  What does the name sound like? You may have to slightly change the vowel sound. For example: Owl for Al, Android for Andrew.

3. Rhyming words. Does the name rhyme with another word and have some similarity in sound? For example: Leg Sander for Alexander.

4. Is the name used by something else? Angus is a breed of bull, so you could use the word Bull to remind you of Angus. However this has to be a strong personal association for you, otherwise why would Angus make you think of Bull?

5. Is the word the beginning of another word? I use the association of Ant for Ann, as this is what I get when add the letter T to Ann.

6. Does the beginning of the word remind you of another word? The first part of the name Barbara is barb which reminds me of barbed wire (often used in farm fences).

7. Vowel substitution.  This is when you change the vowel in the word to other vowels to see if this makes a memorable word. In the English language, the vowel sounds are A, E, I, O and U. Each vowel has a long and short sound, for example Cap and Cape both have the A vowel but are examples of short and long pronunciation.  An example is the name of Brad could be Bread, Breed, Bride, Brood, Brode. My choice is BREAD but you could use the image of BRIDE but that would be strange for a man’s name.

8. Nonsense Image. Can you create a bizarre image from parts of the name? The name of Elliot could be sounded as Eel-Yacht. Create a strong image of a yacht with an eel entwined around the mast and controlling the wheel. Isabelle reminds me of Isle (Island) and Bell, so the image could be a large bell on a small island. Maybe the bell is so big it shades the entire island.

The ultimate test of a key image is if the image causes you to recall the name it stands for.

Please use the Forum to submit your favourite substitute names.

Further reading:

1. Article  on associating names with images on the MemorySkills blog.

2. My List of substitute names for Boys and Girls.

No related posts.

The waiting is over: Today you will learn how to memorize the countries of Europe. I will give you many examples which will help you to understand the process. But enough with the pretext – let’s roll!

Preparation

I wrote an entire article about the proper preparation for this task. Please have a look at it before you proceed.

Make sure you have your wardrobe and your keyword ready. You will need both to memorize the countries my way. Of course you can use one of the other techniques I described in my previous article. But today I will show you how to use the locked wardrobe system to memorize the countries and capitals of Europe.

I will use my personal wardrobe for all my examples. Please don’t get confused by the persons I use. They evolved over time. You will only see occasionally the relation to the Major System. What you should do for yourself is to replace them with your own pegs from your own wardrobe. Maybe you will even create your complete own stories. I will only show you one possible solution to associate the information with each other.

The Countries & Capitals

In the table above you can see four different columns. Each column is one fourth of the stories we will create. The numbers will be replaced with the pegs from our wardrobes. The keyword I use is the bull because of the greek myth of Europa. She was abducted by Zeus in the form of a bull. This horned little buddy will follow us through all our stories. It is the representative of all our associations for Europe. Of course you can replace it with any other keyword you prefer.

I left out the following countries:

• Russia
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Georgia
• Kazakhstan

They will all be in the upcoming article “Asia in Your Head” because their location is critical and more adequate in the Asian continent.

Examples

I will dissociate myself from any possible connections you might have with these associations. They are all for memory purposes only. I am not preaching any political or religious thoughts.

The stories will be colored as followed:

• Pegword = red
• Keyword = green
• Country = blue
• Capital = purple

1. Dad is riding on a bull over an icy land.
2. When the heavy bull asks Noah to enter the arc he says “No way! We would be too slow with you.”
3. Naruto wants to make a blond Swedish girl a present: Because he is too shy to give it to her himself, he attaches a valuable stock to a bulls horn using a holm.
4. A Deer and a bull want to settle their differences in a final race over land and water. The looser will sink and go to hell.
5. Bruce Lee is fighting with a bull: in one hand he is holding a stone, in the other one he is using a talon.
6. Cpt. Jack Sparrow is whispering latently into a bulls ear that he needs Viagra to get rigid again.
7. The Cow is making a lithographic print of a bull in a wellness center lying on a massage bench.
8. The Fairy is looking for the stolen copper bull. She marks a den where she expects the thief Hagen of Tronje hiding from her.
9. J-Lo is pole vaulting over a crazy war-bull with a chainsaw
10. Bart Simpson is pursuit by a wild bull whereas walking an American mink on a russian belt.
11. The Grim Reaper is sitting in a small crane with a bull hanging from the cable rope. With his bony index finger he points at Kiefer Sutherland and says: “YOU“. Then he drops the bull above Kiefers head.
12. Santa Clause is staring at the mold of a bull in front of the river Vltava. Slowly he starts Tai Chi to overcome his terrible nausea.
13. The Beagle Boys are dressed like roman legionnaires. They are all sitting on a wooden bull and pose for a marble statue. Together they are holding a huge book above their heads. This is so exhausting that they need a rest every couple minutes.
14. The fat Construction Worker is so hungry that he is dreaming of a roasted bull. But all he got is a disgusting black Budweiser contagioned with the pest.
15. Odie is sleeping. A warm breath is puffing in his ear. Slowly he is waking up wondering what the brat Garfield wants. When he blinks he is starring in the angry eyes of a bull which are looking like glowing lava.
16. My girlfriend Joanna is playing chess with a bull. She is two moves away from being checkmate. She is praying for a miracle but she guesses that it will not help her.
17. Myself is playing king. The only subject in my monarchy is a loyal bull who bows before me.
18. The Pope has been announced leader of whole Italy and moves with his stuff to the Colosseum in Rome. He is celebrating this event with sacrificing a bull single handedly.
19. Since the Vatican is now empty its only inhabitant is a Dove of peace. But instead of an olive twig it is carrying around a bone of the sacrificed bull all over Vatican City.
20. Pinocchio’s son (a tiny version of Pinocchio) wants to go to the marines. But only if he is able to ride a bull through the whole city, Pinocchio will agree to that.
21. Angelina Jolie is slowly cutting her veins with a bulls horn because Brad forgot about their jubilee.
22. A Nun is watching how a bull is fed to a bunch of crocodiles in an Asian crocodile farm. According to a saga she must grab herself a piece of the bull and eat it to sanctify herself.
23. Cpt. Nemo wants to be the boss with all his heart. So he is going to become Governor of the Sahara. In a ceremonial devolution the former owner, the white bull of the desert, is empowering him.
24. The Fool is working as a mount for a negro bull. But the bull is listening to very aggressive music on his iPod so he gores the poor fool.
25. Cleopatra is calling for her bull-butler with a bell: “Sir, I want a beer.” An instant later she is getting a fresh bottle with the highest grade available.
26. In Darwin’s office is chaos: He attempts to dress a bull like a soviet soldier. It is a question of prestige because Tina Turner is coming and she demands to ride a Russian bull.
27. The bull has got a bulge in one of his horns. He tried to sing an aria but Michael Jordan punched him for this awful attempt. Now he has to lie down on a sofa because he is dizzy.
28. The nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie are wearing a feathered headdress made out of turkey feathers. They are dancing around a bull strapped to a heavy anchor.
29. Jan Ullrich, Cypruss Hill and the white bull are chilling together. They seem to be on another level and they feel extremely cozy. Maybe they have smoked something?
30. Micky Mouse is greasing a statue of the goddess Athena in her armor sitting a bull. It looks new and shiny after he has finished.
31. Samson and the white bull are fighting against a giant scorpion. Samson is armed with a mace but his bull is acting like a prima donna, hiding behind Samson. He hadn’t got his breakfast today.
32. Osama bin Laden and the bull are flying on a huge Albatross. The bird is making such an annoying tirade that they are holding their ears.
33. The bull is making the Mummy a war paint with malt. They are preparing for a vendetta against their enemies.

I think you got it by now. It took me about five minutes for each story. Sometimes it is very difficult to come up with something good. Then you have to search for anything that reminds you of the country or the capital. So far I haven’t created any associations for the missing countries because I know the Western-Europe countries very well. But now you now how to do it.

Repeat your stories

Although these stories are great to help your memory they are still kind of complicated. You will forget many of them if you don’t train them. A very good way to do so is by using a flashcard system. I recently introduced the readers of memory-Sports.com to an excellent free programme Charles suggested to me. It is called the Mnemosyne Project. You will have to repeat those stories from time to time. But this is still so much more effective than learning all the countries and capitols without this help.

Please let me know if you found this helpful or what I should add/change for all the upcoming articles about “The World in Your Head”.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Related posts:

1. Get The World In Your Head

The power of your memory is supported by three solid foundations: Association, Image and Location. You remember things by Associating new information with pre-exting memories in some imaginary Location or structure. The assocation is built by creating a “memorable” Image.

But how do you create a “memorable” image? You have probably heard the advice of using more than one sense to make a strong image.  Stronger images using all the senses if possible provide more ways for the image can be associated and later recalled.

Tony Buzan, author of “Master Your Memory”, describes 12 techniques for strengthening your skill of making strong images and assocations. The first letter of these techniques spells the phrase SMASHIN’ SCOPE. Let’s explore these twelve tools.

S for Synesthesia and Sensuality. Synesthesia (also spelled synaesthesia) is from the Ancient Greek “syn” meaning together and “aisthesis” meaning sensation. Many great memorisers have developed an increased sensitivity in each of their senses to enhance their powers of association and recall.

Use all of your senses when developing an image:

• Vision – What does it look like? Colour? Brightness? What can you see?
• Hearing – What does it sound like?
• Smell – What is the smell? Perfume? Pungent? Chemical?
• Taste – Describe the taste sensation
• Touch – What does it feel like? Textures?
• Kinaesthesia – awareness of bodliy position and movement in space

Movement and action enhances memory. Make your images alive and moving as if they were scenes from a movie.

Association. What you are trying to remember should be associated with something you already know. Typically, this known item is a peg in your number system, or a location on an imaginary journey, or joining two pieces of information such as a the name of a country and its capital.

Sexuality. We all have a good memory and wild imagination when it comes to sex, so use it!  You don’t have to tell anyone that you used strong sexual imagery to remember something.

Humour.  The more ridiculous, absurb, funny and surreal you make your images, the more memorable they will become. Humour puts your mind into a playful state making you more creative and open to new possibilities.

Imagination.  The images you create in your mind can be as fantastic and wild as you like. Unlike a big-budget Hollywood film, you can create blockbuster images in your memory, and can be set anywhere in the universe.

Number.  Numbering adds details, order and sequence to your images. When visualising something, imagine a large quantity, hundreds, maybe thousands!

Substituting a more meaningful image for an ordinary or boring image makes a stronger memory. Use a different but associated image to aid recall of meaningless words. For example, in remembering the countries of the world, I used the word Bratwurst  (a type of meat) to help me remember Bratislava.

Colour - Use all the colours of the rainbow to colour your image Don’t make your associations in black and white – make them full technicolor.

Order (or Sequence). When items are memorised in a sequence, you can recall the items by taking a mental journey through this sequence.

Positive. Make your images positive and pleasant. We are better at recalling happy images while negative memories are usually suppressed. When your images are bright and positive you will enjoy the experience of recalling them.

Exaggeration. As far as possible, exaggerate everything in your images. Exaggerate the size, action, colours, sounds and quantities.

Practice making associations using these principles. Pick any two items from this list and make an association:

Banana, Bicycle, Calculator, Electric Drill, Firetruck, Jail, Soup, Telephone, Umbrella.

In the next article I will write about creating substitute words.

Post Scriptum

Florian Dellé wrote a similar article on Memory-Sports.com:

The Perfect Association

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Related posts:

1. The Seven Mental Elements

In our upcoming series The World in Your Head starting next week I will teach you how to memorize all the countries and capitals of the world. In the first episode I will begin with the entire continent of Europe. It will be nothing you can break done in 30 minutes but with a little effort and time you will know Europe perfectly. And best of all: It will be fun. But before we can start with the countries we will have to come up with the perfect method for this and other future projects.

Theoretical Structure

The information we will have to memorize can be structured as followed:

• Countries = A, B, C, …
• Capitals = a, b, c, …
• Order (either geographical, by name, by inhabitants, by size,…) = 1, 2, 3, …
• Continent = If we break down the countries to each continent, we have to use a certain hook for each area/continent = keyword

To memorize all this information we will create chunks out of each group. There are several ways to do so.

Choose Your Method

First of all you have to decide for one of the many available memory methods. This is very important because it will help you to memorize the countries and capitals quick and effectively. The worst thing you could do is just to repeat the answers over and over again. You will end up spending much more time with a smaller rate of correct recall.

Let’s have a look at a few methods we already learned on Memory-Masters. You can use what every system fits best for you. I however will use the locked Wardrobe Method to create examples for you when we start with the country project. This is because I think it is the most rewarding memory system for this particular task:

• Simple Association. If you just want to know the capitols to each country you don’t need an order. This will make your mental images smaller and easier to create. You could even get rid of the extra keyword for the continent and simply connect country and capital. The downside is that you most certainly wouldn’t be able to recall the entire countries of an area/continent/world at once. It would look like this:
  • (A+a), (B+b), (C+c), …
• The String Method. Using this method would be very easy to start right away. You could create a (very) long story with all the countries and capitals in Europe. There would be no further information necessary to code your mental images. Since a story has its own natural structure you wouldn’t need to use the pegs of a wardrobe. The downside is that it would be difficult to separate the countries from each other and see every chunk as an individual. Hence it would cost more time to recall a certain answer. Your story would look like this:
  • Keyword + (A+a) + (B+b) + (C+c)…
• The Simple Wardrobe Method. If you have a free wardrobe with enough pegs available you could use it to associate each peg with a country and its capital. This could be any kind of wardrobe like a number system, one or several alphabet systems or even a journey. Using this wardrobe would block it from using for other information in the future. It would simply be too difficult to differentiate many things on each peg without any mental help. Therefore I would not suggest this technique if you have only one wardrobe available. Your images would look like this:
  • (1+A+a), (2+B+b), (3+C+c), …
• The locked Wardrobe Method (SEM³). Finally we come to the method of my choice. The difference between the simple Wardrobe Method and the locked one is that we are using an extra keyword within all our associations. This will help us to differentiate between several lists we memorize using one single wardrobe. Because we use a key to lock each list to the wardrobe I call it the Locked Wardrobe Method. Every key will open another door of the wardrobe. By the way: Tony Buzan, bestselling author, inventor of the Mind-Map and founder of the World Memory Championships, is calling it the Self Enhanced Memory Matrix (SEM³). The only difference between those two systems is the way how to create your keywords. Tony suggests using the Major Code to create 100 random keys for 100 lists. I prefer to use natural associations as a key for a certain list. But in the end both ways are the same. Using an extra keyword might seem to be a little overwhelming when you create a memory chunk out of four different things for every country. It will take more time to create those stories. But it pays off because you can use one single wardrobe thousands of times. Your chunks would look like this:
  • (1+key +A+a), (2+key+B+b), (3+key+C+c), …

Because we use a key to lock each list to the wardrobe I call it the Locked Wardrobe Method. Every key will open another door of the wardrobe.

Create A Logical Order

If you want to create a list of all the countries in the world you have to structure them logically. The first thing we do is to break them down to their continents. This will make them well-arranged. And since we will use different keywords for every area, we will always know which country belongs to which continent. The next step is to order the countries of each continent. This is very tricky and offers many different ways. Here a few ways how to structure them:

• Geographical Order
  • Clockwise (or vica versa)
  • From West to East (or vice versa)
  • From North to South (or vice versa)
  • In a sinuous line starting at a specific point and following a specific order
  • All of the above together (more or less)
  • Divided by areas plus the above structures
• Alphabetical Order
• Number of Inhabitants
• Amount of the gross national product (GPN)
• Size of the country in square meters (or square miles)

I think all of the above ways are interesting and make sense in some way. Nevertheless we have to decide for one of them. Since I also want to find a country on a map I will go for a geographical order. To make it easier to find a certain country I will divide each continent into several areas. In Europe I will use the four hemispheres North, East, South and West. Each hemisphere will be listed by drawing a circle clockwise, making a sinuous line if necessary.

Find Your Keywords

To differentiate between the continents and also other memory lists you will have to choose a proper keyword. This could be anything as long as you can imagine it. You will have to use it dozens of times which means you should also LIKE your keyword. It doesn’t make any sense if you use a key you cannot get familiar with. Using a natural or context association to come up with a key is in my opinion the best way. That’s how I came up with the following keys for the five continents (you can change them if you don’t like them):

• Europe = White Bull (In the Greek mythology Zeus disguised himself as a white bull to abduct the beautiful Europa)
• Africa = Lion
• Asia = Chinese Dragon
• Australia and Micronesia = Koala Bear
• America = I am not certain yet but I would like to go for a Native American (Indian).

Prepare Your Wardrobe

The last thing to do now is to create the wardrobe you want to use when I start with Europe next week. Of course you can also decide to use one of the systems where you don’t need one. But since this is a major project you should be on the right track and go for the most sofisticated system, the locked Wardrobe Method (or SEM³ or whatever you want to call it). It will be worth it.

If you don’t know yet what kind of wardrobe you should built I would suggest you a list of 50 persons (for starters; later you can increase this list to 100). You could order them into 5 different categories with 10 persons each. Use the Major Code to structure them since it is the easiest and most logical code out there. Persons are very good to create these kind of associations. Another alternative would be the Major System itself with mixed objects and persons.

This could look like the following:

Categories

1-10 = Toons

1. Donald Duck [1 = T, D]
2. Naruto [2 = N]
3. Mickey Mouse [3 = M]
4. Road Runner [4 = R]
5. Lucky Luke [5 = L]
6. Charlie Brown [6 = soft CH, J]
7. Coyote, Willie E. [7 = K, G, hard C]
8. Fred Flintstone [8 = F, V, W]
9. Pink Panther [9 = P, B]
10. Simpson, Bart [0 = S, Z]

11-20 = Actors

21-30 = Musicians

31-40 = Super Heroes

41-50 = Politicians

Other ideas for categories: Spiritual Leaders (Jesus, Martin Luther King, Gandhi), Sport Athletes, Movie and Book charakters, more Toons ( I just love them; you could use ten toons from each Cartoon you like). I ordered the categories above randomly because they did not fit into the Major Code

You probably got my idea by now. The above wardrobe is simply a suggestion. Come up with whatever you like.

See you next week!

Post Scriptum

Charles Cave already wrote an interesting article about how to memorize countries. You should have a look at it.

To Charles Article

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Related posts:

1. Europe in Your Head

In a previous article I wrote about the number shape system. This is a method for creating a substitute word based on what the number looks like. The number rhyme system is an alternative method for creating a substitute word based on the sound of the number.  Say the numbers from 0 to 10 out loud and see which word comes to mind.

The following drawing shows the numbers that came to my mind:

A list of number rhymes

Here are the numbers and words I use for my number rhyme system.

0 – Hero (hence the superhero)
1 – Gun
2 – Shoe
3 – Tree
4 – Door
5 – Hive (a bee hive)
6 – sticks
7 – heaven
8 – gate
9 – wine
10 – hen

Now that I have a series of strong mental images, I can use them as mental pegs for making associations. The items to be remembered are associated with the number rhyme image and the item to be remembered.

Number pegs

This system is very useful for when you suddenly think of something you need to do especially when you can’t grab a pen and paper. Maybe you are swimming, cycling or driving your car. For example, when I was on a walk I remembered a few things I needed to do. I associated each item with a number in sequence and I don’t need to write anything down.

Imagine if I thought of the following chores I needed to do at the shopping centre.

1. Post a letter
2. Buy a loaf of bread
3. Visit Medicare claim medical expenses
4. Buy a newspaper

I could imagine the following associations: Using the GUN, I walk into the post office and fire bullets at a target on the wall. My LETTER is pinned on this target. Using the SHOE, I walk on the dough being used to make BREAD. In the TREE, there is a large stethoscope (reminding me of a doctor) hanging from a branch. Attached to this rope-like stethoscope are medical receipts attached with hypodermic needles. On the DOOR is pasted the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald. The entire door has been wall papered with newspaper.

So how do I remember these items when I go out to lunch? First I think of gun. What am I doing with the gun? Shooting in the post office (going postal?) What am I doing with the shoe? Walking the dough. I think you get the idea. Creating vivid associations helps make the associations memorable.

The number rhyme system is a useful method of remembering short lists of items for relatively short periods of time. You can’t use the list for several lists as your memories will get jumbled.  This is the job of larger systems such as the Major System and the Dominic Number system.

Many number systems

These substitute words can be used in conjunction with the Dominic system for remembering numbers with an odd number of digits.

Now you understand the number shape and number rhyme systems for single digits, and the Major system and DOMINIC system for longer numbers. You should feel confident in being able to commit any number to memory.

Related posts:

1. The Major System
2. The Dominic System
3. The Shape Sytem

We have already introduced you to several systems to improve your memory. You learned about the seven mental elements and how they will influence your ability to recall information. We talked about the Chain and String Method and how easy it is to memorize a list of items. Also we showed you three different ways so far how to memorize numbers using the Shape System, the Dominic System or the Major System. Now it is time for a very powerful method which will guide you on your path to become a Memory Master: The Wardrobe Method.

Definition of a mnemonic wardrobe

A wardrobe is a prepared sequence of memory pegs ((1)-(2)-(3) etc). These pegs can all be accessed both in order and directly.

Example:

The list A-B-C would be associated with a wardrobe like this: (1)-A, (2)-B, (3)-C.

History of the Wardrobe Method

This particular mnemonic system goes back to the ancient Greeks. Simonides, one of the very first mnemonic technicians, already used a simplified version of it. The actual founder of the improved method might be a Greek called Theodektis of Phaselis who influenced Aristotle. The famous philosopher wrote in his scriptures about using the alphabet as a wardrobe.

Eight things to consider first

To use this method you have to prepare one or more different wardrobes. The actual length of each wardrobe is not important to make it work. But there are a few things to consider before creating your first one:

1. Think big. If your wardrobe is too short it won’t be powerful enough for longer lists. A number of ten sounds great for starters but will soon reach its limits.
2. Think small, too. If your wardrobe is too big it will become a huge effort to find enough pegs on one hand. On the other hand it will also become an even bigger effort to memorize it before you can even start using it. A number of 1,000 has a huge potential in the long run. But making it worth creating would assume an excessive use of it. Only very few fit in that category, like ambitious memory athletes for example.
3. Find your perfect size. Using a certain amount of pegs will help you stabilize your wardrobe. This could be a round number like 25, 50 or 100. It could also be a number fitting into a certain system which will help you to memorize the wardrobe. The alphabet is excellent for providing you with dozens of different wardrobes from A-Z.
4. Use memory systems. If you don’t do this you will have huge problems memorizing your wardrobes. There are many possible systems you could use. I will describe some of them further below.
5. Use familiar pegs. Every time you struggle imagining some of your pegs you should ask yourself to replace it with something better. There are literally millions of possible pegs for you out there. Only use the ones you really like.
6. Bend the rules. Overreliance on your systems is not necessary. Bend the rules as much as you like. The only thing that counts in the end is that you can recall your wardrobe with ease and that you don’t have any problems with your pegs.
7. Use a numerical order. One of the most important things of a proper wardrobe is that you can always jump to every single peg in its system. You don’t have to follow the whole order as you have to do using the String Method.
8. Make sure why and how you would use this method. Memorizing something to be better in memorizing something else sounds extremely weird for most people. If you are certain that this will improve your memory for ever and what things you will memorize with it you will motivate yourself to do it.

1^st Example: The Animal Alphabet

As you can see below the alphabet is an excellent supply for a 26-wardrobe. You just have to change the category and you can start again from the letter A. There are many thinkable wardrobes like musicians, actors, authors, politicians, cartoon characters and many more. Since the alphabet is a natural order of 26 numbers you could even create the first quarter of your new number system out of this wardrobe. Three more of those lists and you have a full 100-list of number pegs.

1. A = Alligator
2. B =Butterfly
3. C = Crab
4. D = Dolphin
5. E = Elephant
6. F = Frog
7. G = Giraffe
8. H = Horse
9. I = Iguana
10. J = Jellyfish
11. K = Kangaroo
12. L = Lizard
13. M = Mouse
14. N = Nautilus
15. O = Owl
16. P = Panda
17. Q = Quail
18. R = Rhinoceros
19. S = Snail
20. T = Tiger
21. U = Unicorn
22. V = Vulture
23. W = Walrus
24. X = X-Mas Reindeer
25. Y = Yak
26. Z = Zebra

2^nd: A double number system

Using a number system for each combination of two decimal digits (00-99) will provide you with a proper 100-wardrobe. Personally I think that this might be the best wardrobe you can get. The number 100 is a compromise between the easy but inflexible 10-wardrobe and the powerful but difficult 1,000-wardrobe.

You could create such a wardrobe with any method you like. This might be the Dominic System, the Major System or the Ben System. It could be a complex Number Shape or Number Rhyme System. Or you could come up with something new like using ten different categories with ten pegs each, ordered by the phonetic code of the Major System. I started with the Major System and use it now as my main wardrobe.

3^rd: An ordered journey

We haven’t you introduced to the Method of Loci so far. This will happen in one of the upcoming articles on Memory-Masters. Meanwhile you can read about it in an article I wrote for Memory-Sports.com. Basically it is a wardrobe made out of several well known locations in a row. But instead of simply memorizing the journey in a sequence like you would normally do with your journeys you order it completely and memorize the positions of each location as a number. Since this process takes time you could start with memorizing each ten locations as hooks. Over time you will know the exact positions if you focus on learning them.

4^th: Every list you memorize

If you have already created a wardrobe and use it for the first time to memorize a certain list of information you will create another wardrobe by doing that. If you memorize the presidents of the United States of America in order of their presidency for example you will know them with their presidential numbers. Since they represent now a number on their own you can use them as a stand-alone wardrobe. From George Washington to Barack Obama would be your new 44-wardrobe.

How to use your wardrobe

Associate your (1) with your (A). Use your creativity to let the Alligator (1) interact with George Washington (A), the Butterfly (2) with John Adams (B) and the Crab (3) with Thomas Jefferson (C). (Don’t get confused by the fact that the Alligator is (1) and NOT (A). This simply means that the Alligator is the number one in your actual wardrobe. The (A) represents the first element of your list, in that case George Washington.

If you are struggling with associating the names to the animals you should think outside of the box: Use something that reminds you of the name instead of the name itself. That could be an item, another person, a song etc.

1. The Alligator is wearing the white wig of Washington.
2. The Butterfly is living in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Its name is John.
3. The Crab is having an excellent idea. A glowing bulb is popping up above its head but it is not glowing. Thomas Edison is repairing it with huge effort using a tool formed like a “J”.

Especially my association number three seems to be very far away. But it still will bring you back to the necessary elements to reconstruct the name Thomas Jefferson.

The key is the keyword

I will not go into detail with this now but when you are memorizing many lists with the same wardrobes confusion is inevitable. To avoid using your Alligator for several occasions but without being confused which story is the right one you have to use a keyword (*) as a third element for each of your associations. That will result in the following construction: (*)-(1)-(A), (*)-(2)-(B), etc.

The next episode of Basic Techniques for Memory Improvement will be all about this keyword addition for the Wardrobe Method.

Conclusion

The Wardrobe Method is probably the best mnemonic system I know. It needs a prepared wardrobe before you can jump into action and memorize anything else. But then you will be able to memorize many different kinds of information. You can use it as number systems and as locations to store temporarily lists. You could even store it permanently by just using each wardrobe once and go on with your new created wardrobe from the last memorized list. But this is nothing I suggest. Combining a keyword with a proper wardrobe is in my opinion the most powerful technique for longer lists. It is so powerful that you could use only one single 100-wardrobe hundreds of times over and over again. But this something to talk about next week.

Source: Dr. Ulrich Voigt – Esels Welt

Join the forum discussion on this post - (9) Posts

Related posts:

1. The String Method
2. The Seven Mental Elements

The Major system is a memory technique for remembering numbers of arbitrary length. It works by converting numbers into consonant sounds which are then converted into recognisable words by adding vowels.

These words can then be memorised easily particularly when used in conjunction with other memory techniques. The system is not new and was introduced by Stanislaus Mink von Wennshein (1620 – 1699) and refined by others with the most recent work by Harry Lorayne, author of many popular Memory improvement books.

How to convert digits into letters

Here is the table of numbers and how they convert to letters. The conversion is phonetic so you will notice the choice of letters sound roughly similar.

• 0 – s, z, soft c
• 1 – t, d, th
• 2 – n
• 3 – m
• 4 – r
• 5 – l
• 6 – j, sh, soft ch, dg, soft g
• 7 – k, hard ch, hard g, ng, qu
• 8 – f, v
• 9 – b, p

The vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and the letters h, w and y do not have any associated number so they can be used as fillers or “wild cards” to make the words.

Memorise the substitute letters

The first step in using the Major System is to memorise the substitute letters. This is quite easy:

0 – Zero sounds like s or c. ‘o’ is the last letter of zero
1 – The letters D and T have one downstroke
2 – The letter N has two downstrokes
3 – The letter M has three downstrokes
4 – The last letter of four is R
5 – The letter L can be thought of as the Roman L meaning 50 or a hand spread with five fingers, the index finger and thumb forming an image.
6 – The letter J is the mirror image of 6
7 – The letter K when seen as a capital contains three number 7s
8 – The letter F when handwritten, has two loops, similar to the number 8.
9 – The letters B and P are mirror imags of 9.

How to convert digits into words

Write the letters for each word in sequence but leave some space between them. If there are choices of letter for a number write them above each other. Now look at the letters and see what words you can make by adding vowels or the “wild card” letters.

I memorised my building access code of 3702 as follows. The number translated to M K S N. This made me think of “moccasin”. Now I just imagine a moccasin sitting on top of the security number pad. I haven’t worked in that building since December 2001, and I still remember the code!

Telephone numbers can be remembered easily. For example, the NRMA Car Roadside Assistance number is 13 11 11. This translates to T/D M T/D T/D/ T/D. I thought of “auToMaTeD DuD” as the mnemonic. My car is automatic transmission but since it doesn’t work, it is now a dud (a failure).

Number pegs

The major system is the basis of a larger number peg system. A substitute word is chosen for each number from 0 to 99. The best way to choose the words is to see which word comes to mind when you translate the number into letters. For example, 7 is K or G. How about “key”?

My first ten numbers and associated words are:

• 0 - saw (imagine a handsaw for cutting wood)
• 1 - tie (necktie)
• 2 - Noah (Noah standing on the ark)
• 3 - ma (A large woman wearing an apron)
• 4 - Ra (Looks like a pharaoh mask)
• 5 - law (Imagine a judge’s wig)
• 6 - shoe (brown leather shoe)
• 7 - key (a large, old fashioned key)
• 8 - ivy (a vine of ivy)
• 9 - bee (a large bumblebee)

I have developed my own list of words up to 99 which you can read at the memoryskills blog.

Thinking of words can be challenging at times, but I get help using the 2Know program. Type in the number and the program suggests substitute words from its extensive dictionary. The program is free!

Post Scriptum by Flauwy

Creating your very own peg list will be extremly rewarding afterwards. Although it takes more time to find all the 99 different major words, you will have your own associations and therefor a better chance to imagine them. Also you shouldn’t be afraid of changing some of your pegs after recognising them as too hard to imagine or to similar to another peg. You don’t even have to rely on the major code anymore if you have already memorized them.

For example:

You have learned the worde nose = 20 but you realise it is somehow not good to imagine. But since you already KNOW that 20 is a nose, you don’t have to ga back a step and think about what else could be created by the consonants n + s. Instead of that you could try to associate your new replacement image for 20 with something what jumps naturally into your mind. In my case that would the wooden puppet Pinocchio because its nose is growing with each of its lies. Since it is a natural association you don’t even have to memorize it – it is already in your head. You just decide it once that from now on this will replace the nose. After a while you will not think about the nose anymore but only see Pinocchio instead.

The Major System is an extremly powerful tool and we will use it for further techniques on many ocassions. A great alternative is the Dominic System. In the end it doesn’t really matter which system you are using to create your peg list with 100 items. Either way the list itself will be very important for many of our upcoming articles. Give yourself a treat and create your peg list as soon as possible. It will blow your mind!

Join the forum discussion on this post - (3) Posts

Related posts:

1. Number Rhyme System
2. The Dominic System
3. The Shape Sytem

Today you will learn how you can memorize a bunch of information with a very simple method. It is called the String Method. This article is based on Ulrich Voigt’s book “Esels Welt” which is only available in German. It is a collection of nearly all known menmonic works of the past 2.500 years.

To memorize any kind of ordered lists we will need sophisticated methods to remember every single part of the list without forgetting half of it before we even reach its end. One of the easiest methods to do that is by creating a string – a creative story which is built with the elements of the list. Those lists could be anything from the countries of the world, over the musicians of the baroque era, to the table of the elements. Let’s have a look at the different ways how to create such a string.

The Chain Method (A-B / B-C)

Any list is divided by its elements. For this demonstration we will use a very simple shopping list with five items:

1. Banana (A)
2. Milk (B)
3. Bread (C)
4. Potatoes (D)
5. Butter (E)

To memorize this list you could now put the elements in relation to each other (A-B-C-D-E). We do that by creating little stories with each element. To make sure we memorize the right order (which is not necessary for a shopping list but for the table of elements it certainly is) we imagine this story in the sequence of A-B / B-C / C-D / D-E.

Example:

A-B = The Banana is used for banana milk shake.

B-C = Milk is a great dip for bread.

C-D = The bread is filled with potatoes and therefor shaped very strangely.

D-E = Baked potatoes taste great with melted butter.

As you can see, each element will link you from one association to another. It is very simple and quick to create. On the other hand it is bad for long lists because you will not be able to keep track where exactly you are in your list. This is because it is not connecting A and C for example. There is absolutely no connection whatsoever. Hence I would never suggest this method although it ultimately will help you to memorize your shopping list. But memorizing the countries of the world with this method would be too clumsy and full a potential pitfalls. So let’s jump to next method in line.

An alternative to the association above would be an “imagelink”: Bananamilk (a milk carton shaped like a banana); Milkbread (a bread with udder) and so on.

The String Method (A-B-C)

To bring all elements of a chain into relation to each other they should be weaved together. It will still be a connection like above but instead of breaking the relationship after each association it will be used to create an ongoing sequence – a story.

Example:

A-B-C-D-E = The Banana is filled with milk. When we bite into the banana the milk pours over the floor. We wipe it with fresh bread. The soaking bread could be used like a sponge to clean the potatoes. We bake the potatoes and the soaking bread and coat them in delicious butter when they are ready.

This is still an A-B / B-C chain. But when we reach the butter we will remember the banana much easier because all elements now belong to each other.

Why this will improve your memory

The story is already built with most of the seven mental elements. We use fantasy for creating the story. The natural order of the links are folowing a certain logic. By imagining this story we use our visualisation. We also transform the original elements into something new (sponge-bread). And finaly we associate them with each other . This will help our memory to come back to each part of any list we want to memorize. Of course this depends on our ability to recall every single link. Hence we should make sure to improve  our associations. You can learn how to create a perfect association on our sister website Memory-Sports.com.

First Usage: Numbers

Now that you learned how to use this method you can switch to Charles articles about how to memorize numbers: The Shape System and the Dominic System. It will be very easy to memorize dates, telephone numbers or pin codes with these combined methods.

The downside of this method

Although the String Method is better than the plain Chain Method both are lacking flexibility. We cannot jump back and forth so easily. Sure we can recall the list backwards. But can we say which element is number fifteen in a list of thirty? Not without recalling and counting half of the list. What happens when we are forgetting one or a few elements in the middle? We will most certainly not be able to recall the following elements. If we are even forgetting the starting image we probably could not recall anything of the list. This is why this method is a beginners method. You can jump into action very quickly and without much effort. Don’t think bad about the String Method just because of this. Try it out. Use it for your first steps in a world of fascinating methods for your memory. It will already blow your mind. And soon we will talk about more evolved ways how to improve your memory.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Related posts:

1. The Wardrobe Method
2. The Seven Mental Elements

In the previous article I wrote about remembering single digit numbers using the Number Shape system.  But how can we remember sequences of numbers?

Nowadays we store phone numbers in our cell-phones or PDAs. Timetables and price lists are available after a few clicks in a web browsers. There are many numbers we need to commit to memory, and of course there are times when we don’t have our phone or pen and paper available to write things down.

This article is about Dominic O’Brien’s system for remembering numbers. This technique assigns a person and an action to two digit numbers. The picture beneath shows Einstein writing on the blackboard which helps me remember the number 15, but more about this later.

O’Brien light-heartedly named the system the DOMINIC system (Decipherment of Mnemonically Interpreted Numbers into Characters). I will use this acronym to refer to the technique and two digit numbers.

Albert Einstein writing on a blackboard could be your mental image for 1515

How the System Works

The DOMINIC system works by breaking longer numbers into pairs of digits with each pair representing a person performing some action.

Numbers are replaced with letters for numbers using the following rules which are easy to remember.

first you will need to learn this short list.

• The number 0 (zero) becomes O
• The first five digits (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) become A, B, C, D and E.
• The number 6 becomes S because the sound is similar and more names begin with S than F.
• The 7th and 8th letters of the alphabet are G and H (which has some resemblance to 8)
• The number 9 becomes N because of the similar sound.

It won’t take long to learn these substitutions.

• 0 – O
• 1 – A
• 2 – B
• 3 – C
• 4 – D
• 5 – E
• 6 – S
• 7 – G
• 8 – H
• 9 – N

Once you have memorised this list you can proceed to the next step.

Finding Names for Digit Pairs

Write a list from 0 to 99 and review each number in turn after mentally translating the numbers into the DOMINIC letters. Do the initials suggest something to you?  The number 20 is BO and this suggested Buddha sitting under the Bo tree. It could also suggest Little Bo Peep mining her sheep.

Usually the number pairs have no meeting or associations. Some exceptions are 07 (James Bond 007), 13 (unlucky- black cat), 21 (21st birthday party), 100 (a century).

Use the first association that comes to mind as this will prove more effective in the long term. The number 11 translates to AA which suggests Andre Agassi hitting tennis balls.

Assigning an Action to the Name

The person you have chosen needs to have an action that is unique on your list of 100 names. Therefore, now you have chosen Andre Agassi for 11, don’t use Bjorn Borg for number 22.  The DOMINIC technique separates actions from the person for remembering longer numbers, so your action should be capable of being performed by other people.  Choose an action that is distinctive and obvious for the person.

What sort of name should you use?

For maximum effectiveness you should use a mixture of famous people as well as your friends and family. Some letters have obvious suggestions such as HO suggesting Santa Claus saying “Ho Ho Ho!” as he rides his sleigh.

You will probably get stuck trying to think of names for some numbers so have a look at my list (include my link) for ideas.  Only use this as a last resort as my suggestions probably don’t have as much meaning for you, unless the name is a public figure with whom you are familar.

Here is a selection of my names and actions.

• 02    (OB) Obi-Wan Kenobi – Waving light sabre
• 03    (OC) Oliver Cromwell – Loading musket
• 09    (ON) Oliver North – Testifying in Court
• 14    (AD) Jesus  – Preaching a sermon
• 15    (AE)Albert Einstein – writing on a blackboard
• 16    (AS) Arnold Schwarzenegger – Flexing muscles
• 22    (BB) Bugs Bunny – Eating a carrot
• 33    (CC) Charlie Chaplin – swinging the cane and walking
• 40    (DO) Homer Simpson – Eating donuts
• 56 (ES) Edward Scissorhands – snipping the bushes with his scissor hands

How to Memorise Two Digits

Imagine you want to remember that your friend lives at number 86. I use the image of Hans Solo (played by Harrison Ford) navigating his space ship to remember the house number, by remembering Hans Solo flying his spaceship into my friend’s house. Maybe there is a big crash, the sound of laser cannons or his side-kick Chewbacca.

How to Memorise Three Digit Numbers

Three digit numbers can be remembered by combining the image for the first two digits with the number shape (or number rhyme) for the third digit. For example, the number 224 is a combination of Bugs Bunny eating a carrot and a sailing boat. Imagine Bugs Bunny sailing the boat and eating a carrot. Maybe Bugs Bunny is throwing carrots over the side of the boat.

How to Memorise Four Digit Numbers

A four digit number can be remembered by splitting the number into a pair of two digits. Use the person image for the first number and the action for the second number. For example, if you want to remember 8094, use the DOMINIC numbers 80 (Santa Claus) and (Neil Diamond). My image would be Santa Claus on stage wearing a diamond crusted guitar singing “Crunchy Granola Suite”.

How to Remember Longer Numbers

Longer numbers can be broken down into a series of two digit numbers and a single digit after decomposing odd numbers. Use a sequence of person, action, person action and make a story from these images.

For example, here is the technique for remembering the phone number 9788 1656 of your local French restaurant. The number becomes 97-88-16-56, Nigella (97 person), tickled by Playboy Bunnies (88 action), Arnold Schwarzenegger (16 person) and cutting bushes with scissorhands (56 action).

Now create a story using these images and associate with the restaurant. For example, Nigella Lawson is seated in the restarant being tickled by Playboy Bunnies. Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives at the restaurant and his arms are like those of Edward Scissorhands. Arnold thumps his way around the restaurant cutting all the flowers with his scissorhands.

I think this story is vivid and easy to remember, compared to the dull sequence of 9788-1656. What do you think?

For more information and examples:

• “How to Develop a Perfect Memory” Dominic O’Brien -  Published by Pavilion Books (c) 1993. – Chapter 4 “How to Remember Numbers”.
• “Quantum Memory Power” – CD audio book by Dominic O’Brien.
• Charles’ list of DOMINIC number images and actions.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (11) Posts

Related posts:

1. The Major System
2. Number Rhyme System
3. The Shape Sytem

If you are seriously trying to improve your memory, you should understand how this elementary function works. It is a highly complex process which still isn’t completely explored by our scientists. But lack of academic knowledge about its functions doesn’t mean we cannot learn how to use it effectively. Mnemonic technicians throughout history used varies methods to drastically increase their memory. In this series of articles I will write about all the different known memory techniques. Join this adventure through the time of mnemonic learning.

What is memory?

I will keep this answer short because this could easily fill a whole cyclopedia and go with the definition of Wikipedia:

Memory is an organism’s mental ability to store, retain, and recall information.
From an information processing perspective there are three main stages in the formation and retrieval of memory:

• Encoding or registration (receiving, processing and combining of received information)
• Storage (creation of a permanent record of the encoded information)
• Retrieval, recall or recollection (calling back the stored information in response to some cue for use in a process or activity)

Our whole personality is based on the collectivity of our memories. A person who is suffering from a neurodegenerative disease like “Alzheimer” isn’t just loosing the memory but the whole personality. If you are happy with the person you are right now, you should be thankful for every single memory of your life, no matter if good or painful – because altogether they are YOU.

Ultra-Short-Term

We are receiving millions of information every day. Each smell, each color and each single sound we hear is passing the channels of our senses. If we would recognize all of them at the same time we hardly could concentrate on anything. It would be a sensory explosion. Hence our subconsciousness is filtering most of the information based on importance. Our experience (memory) defines which information is of interest and which isn’t. To be able to decide the importance of each input it has to pass our sensory memory. This happens in milliseconds. Therefore it is also called ultra-short-term memory.

Short-Term

Everything that passes this hardcore selection of 99.99% will jump in our consciousness. This is the point when we are getting aware of it. We are able to juggle with about 7 +/- 2 information at the same time. This is the capacity of our consciousness. If you hear 7 digits in a row and you repeat them in your mind you will most certainly be able to recall them correctly. But if you are listening to ten digits, it gets much harder. You probably still are able to do it but in most cases you already are using a certain method even if you are not aware of it because it is very natural to do it. Instead of memorizing the digits 2749839472 you will create chunks out of it like 274 83 94 72. This process is called chunking and the most basic memory technique.

Long-Term

Every information which passes this short-term memory will be stored in your long-term memory. Some scientist are claiming that every single piece of input will be stored even if you cannot recall it. For us it doesn’t really matter because if we cannot recall an information it is like it would not exist. But what about the very common situation where we KNOW that we know but we simply don’t remember? The information is on the tip of our tongue but we are struggling with the recall. We are trying hard to think about it but nothing happens. And then, hours or days later, we instantly know the answer as if our subconsciousness relentlessly has searched in our massive memory storage and finally found it. But although this is always a kind of relief it is also filled with a bitter aftertaste: We couldn’t produce the recall when it was necessary. If we look at the three stages of the information process we failed at number three. This is because we simply relied on our natural memory – which already is amazing. But if we help it in stage two, or even before that in stage one, we will improve the chances of of perfect recall drastically.

When do we remember?

You should try to remember five things from your live. Take a few seconds to think about it.
What have you remembered?

• Your first kiss?
• Your graduation?
• Your marriage?
• The birth of your children?
• The death of a beloved person?

I am sure that you remembered something like that. Most certainly you did not recall what you had for lunch at the 26th of March in 1998. But why not? The reason is that we will always remember something meaningful to us. This can be good or bad, beautiful or ugly, important for you but insignificant for the people who shared the very same situation with you. It is 100% personal. Again, it is YOU and what defines your personality. The right question now should be: How does this help us to remember on purpose? Your french vocabulary lessons might not have the same impact on you like the smell of you grandmothers apple pie. But it could not just even have the same impact, no but also smell as your grandmothers apple pie. Don’t you think you would remember eat = manger so much better if you think about the delicious smell of apples and cinnamon every time you say the word “manger”? Of course this is by far not the best solution for this problem but you see where I going with that.

The 7 mental elements

Let’s have a look at the most important elements to give a single memory the necessary importance to be recalled easier. These are the absolute basics you should always keep in mind. They will accompany you on every single article on this website, on every single exercise we will do – they will accompany you for the rest of your life!

Again I will keep my explanations short.

Emotion

What have all my five examples above in common? These memories are full of emotions. It is something that all our positive memories have in common. They are “dear” to us and we feel nostalgic when we think about them. Even the “bad” memories are very strong. A bad emotion is also an emotion – sometimes even stronger. Only if a memory becomes too painful the mind saves itself by blocking it. This is often part of a “trauma”.

Fantasy

Your imagination and creativity is probably the most important element for a mnemonic technician. We use it for all our stories, mental pictures and every single mnemonic trick you will come across on this website. Try to remember a fairy tell – it is very easy.

Logic

If something is resulting from something else it is easy to remember. The whole process of recalling is improving when there is just no other possibilty for the answer. We will use this as much as possible for our techniques.

Localisation

Do you remember your way home from your elementary school? Can you draw a basic map of your flat? Do you know where the yogurt in your super market is? We remember locations nearly perfectly even if we don’t “learn” them. It is a primary instinct to make sure we will always find back to our cave.

Visualisation

“I can see your point”. Visualisation is the ability of imagination – and therefor very close to fantasy. But instead of creating something new you will simply “see” it in your mind. This is a powerful ability to strengthen your memory. Because it is such an essential element we speak of mental images when we talk about a mnemonic construct.

Transformation

This particular element is most certainly the strangest one. It is abstract and at first look feels unnatural to us. We use it to break something complicated into nice little bits of memorable information. We will use this especially for numbers. But it also helps to memorise difficult vocabulary or the countries of the world.

Association

Yes, all seven elements are very important. But this one is probably the most basic of them all. It happens with every information we store: We associate it with another information in our memory. ALWAYS! We are even born with a fully connected brain and simply get rid of unnecessary associations over the time. Each time we learn something new it will be connected somehow to something else. This is also a big problem for us: Often we simply don’t know the right association for our memories. If we would know them all, this whole website would be meaningless.

Conclusion

All the facts above will form our basics. We will learn more about them in future articles. Alone they will not help us very much. Together they will forge the amazing tools of mnemonic technicians. These tools are what makes us MEMORY MASTERS.

Credits

MemoryXL

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Related posts:

1. Building Strong Mental Images
2. The Wardrobe Method
3. The String Method