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Archive for July, 2011

Memory Training Helps Sales Professionals Memorize Product Knowledge

I have been teaching memory seminars for 20 years now and one of the groups that look for a memory speaker more than any other group is that of sales teams. Why?

The point I touch on in this video is how many times will a salesman go to work for a company and then quit a few weeks later only because they can’t learn all the product knowledge and information important for the job? Or how many sales professionals stay with a job but never learn the material and have sub par results? Here I tell the story of how at an automobile dealership I used memory training to memorize the product knowledge very rapidly.

I refer to putting stuff on my body and in rooms. This is a memory training method referred to as loci and I utilized it here to memorize this information.

     

  • What would it mean to you if you could memorize dozens of pieces of information of product knowledge in minutes?
  • What if you could retain all of your competitors product information?
  • What if you could learn all the details of any new job rapidly?
  • What if you didn’t have to be stressed about what you needed to learn because you had a good memory training system?

I have been a memory speaker for 20 years and speak often to sales teams. I am confident I could help any sales team maximize their sales results by memorizing product knowledge, remembering names to build relationships and just overall tapping into more brain power for better sales results.

I started by teaching memory training seminars in my home town of Fort Worth, Texas but now travel the world. I look forward to speaking for your group!!

 

Sunday, July 31st, 2011   Category: Seminars   No Commentscomments

Kirsty Dunphey Interviews Me in TASMANIA!!

Okay, so you thought the Tasmanian devil was just a cartoon? Well, okay it is…but a Tasmanian Devil is also a REAL animal!! I had no clue…that is until I taught a memory seminar in Tasmania (island just off the southern coast of mainland Australia). When I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2007, I had the good fortune to become introduce to Kirsty Dunphey via email. She had purchased my Memory in a Month CD album. We corresponded while I was deployed and when I returned to the USA she sent me an email asking if I could speak for her group in Tasmania.

TASMANIAN DEVIL :)

Now the odds of me saying yes to this request would normally be low because that is 20 hours of flying one way to give a memory training talk. Yet, the stars lined up and coincidentally I was scheduled to give a memory training talk in Melbourne just 2 days after her event. So because of my good fortune I was able to meet with Kirsty and be a memory speaker for her group. Not only that here is the interview we conducted literally 30 minutes before my talk.

During my talk I also met the founder of Contiki Tours, John Anderson who was an incredible delight to speak with and get to know. Oddly enough in 2010 I was in an elevator in Sydney and guess who was on it with me? John Anderson!! What a GREAT guy. You need to get his book ‘Only 2 Seats Left’.

Here is the interview I did with Kirsty. Now in the interview I state I can memorize a 2000 digit number in one hour. In full disclosure I have never done this and may never be able to. I am not currently at that level. When I gave this interview I was training to do this at the World Memory Championship but I was never able to pull it off. Instead, I memorized an 800 digit number in an hour. Still impressive but short of my goal. With that disclosure out there here is the interview…

By the way, if you like the video it would help me out if you CLICK LIKE…the more people that CLICK LIKE the higher it gets in the ratings. Thanks in advance :)

 

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011  Tags: , , , , , , ,
Category: News   No Commentscomments

Memory Speaker for your Next Conference

Are you looking for a memory speaker?

Why not book 2 Time USA Memory Champion and memory expert Ron White as your memory speaker?! He shares with you what you could expect in his talk:

Okay, you are looking for a memory speaker. This is what you can expect – Before the meeting begins (or before he speaking time at a break) I will mingle with the group and memorize up to 250 names in the audience! Yes, you read that right! 250 NAMES.

Then when I get on the stage I will have the people I met stand up. I will then walk around and one by one call off each of their names as they sit down. It will look like dominos falling! I may not get 100% correct but I promise you this…I will do really really really good ☺ I typically get between 95-100% of the audience names correct.

At this point, everyone should be on the edge of their seat thinking,’ Wow, I have never seen anything like that!’ I will then talk about the value of remembering names in business and how Zig Ziglar says, ‘People don’t care how much you know until they first know how much you care.’ I will give some memory tips that everyone can start using right away to improve their retention on names today, tomorrow or in six months.

Next, I will then have the group call out numbers. I will call on 25 people at random and have each person give me a 2 digit number. The group will create a 50 digit number that I will never see and only hear. Then I will repeat the 50 digit number forwards and backwards. I will guess that 100% of your group has never seen anything like that before in person!!

Hopefully, these two memory demonstrations will have entertained, inspired and motivated your group. After I most certainly have their attention the remainder of the class time will be spent teaching the group how they can use the same system that I use (yes I will teach them the EXACT system I use) to:

- Memorize chapters of books
- Give speeches without notes
- Recall product knowledge
- Memorize names and faces
- Improve test taking and grades
- Learn anything new in 1/3 the time
- Become a product knowledge expert over night!

I have been a memory speaker since 1991, frankly I can’t believe it myself that it has been this long. Yet, I stuck with this career because I found a knack for it, plus I am good at it. I promise to give your group a memory training talk that they will NEVER forget!

If you are really considering booking a memory speaker, then I most certainly hope you give me and my memory talk some thought. Visit my link where I appeared on the History Channel’s Show Stan Lee’s Superhumans and get a taste for the amazing memory demonstrations that you are going to see!

 

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011  Tags: , , , , , , ,
Category: News   No Commentscomments

The Hardest Part of the Memory Guy’s Job

What it is hardest part of the memory guys job?

Memorizing stuff? Nah….that is fun and over 20 years I have just gotten faster and better.

Being a two time USA Memory Champion? Well….yeah…that was pretty tough :)

Speaking in front of a group? Nope…enjoy that as well. I am more comfortable in front of 3,000 than I am 3. (seriously)

Getting speaking engagements/business? Well….that isn’t an easy thing to do in any business but luckily for me I have stuck in the same career for 20 years and have tons and tons of contacts and repeat business.

The toughest part of my job is convincing people that I don’t have a natural ability to memorize names or numbers. When they see things like I did here on the CBS Early show (below). They think…’WOW! This guy must have been memorizing French when he was 4 and playing the piano by 5.’ Not even close. I was a very normal student growing up.

 

So what do I attribute my ability to? I won’t suggest to you that I was a bad student or dumb student but I also don’t think I have some special memory aibility that the average person doesn’t have. Frankly, I have close friends who have better memories than me. They remind me, ‘Remember this person from high school?’ I think…’Nope.’

I put it this way – Do you think you could learn to speak a foreign language fluently if you practiced it every day at least 20 minutes for a year? I think most people would agree that they could. There may be a case where some pick it up easier than others but for the most part a person who practices 20 minutes per day for a year could get very very very good. That is all I have done. I have become fluent in the language of memory.

But getting back to it – Do I have some special ability?  No, I don’t think I do. Yet, if I am to compromise a little with the people who suggest that my ability is the result of a natural memory and not memory training I would bend a little and say that if I have a special ability it is my work ethic. When I find a project (such as memory training) to work on my mind really wraps around it and it is hard to shake me off that focus.

So, my answer is that if there is some special ability it isn’t my memory it lies in the fact that I worked at developing my memory so diligently with good old memory training techniques. I do believe ANYONE can improve their memory….anyone.

 

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011  Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Category: News   No Commentscomments

Review of Memory in a Month – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Okay, now how often is it that someone writes a review of their OWN product and tells you the good, the bad and the ugly :)

Well, this is Ron White memory guy and I am going to write a very honest and candid review of my Memory in a Month program. Every word below I believe to be 100% the truth and yes, I realize I make my living selling this product but her are my candid thoughts I would tell my best friend if we were having dinner.

The good - First of all, I believe that Memory in a Month is the best memory training product on the market. I really believe that. I know one memory guy who says that he has some secret memory techniques that he uses and he doesn’t tell anyone. Really? Are you serious? You have some SECRET memory techniques that only you use? First of all, I don’t believe him. Secondly, if I did – how selfish is that of him? His goal is not to educate and help others but hold the best stuff back so no one has a better memory than him. In my Memory in a Month program I hold nothing back.

Next, I believe it is the best product out there because of the format. So many people get a CD set of any kind and they don’t know where to start. They are overwhelmed. Memory in a Month is divided into 30 sections to be done 10 minutes a day for 30 consecutive days (hence Memory in a MONTH). This format makes it easy for the student to complete an exercise a day and go on about his day. With that said, I have had students complete it in 2 DAYS!

Another positive quality of the product is that it starts of slow and very basic. This allows the user to ease into the memory program and build confidence as they progress instead of tackling a big memory goal off the bat and getting frustrated and quitting.

I created this CD album when I was 25 YEARS OLD! I can barely believe that myself. I remember sitting in a friends spare bedroom where I was staying because I didn’t have enough money to afford a place of my own and typing Memory in a Month on an old PC computer. WOW! I never imagined in 1998 that this product would eventually be sold all over the world. I really took the time to make sure each lesson was well thought and and prepared so that the average listener could benefit. My goal back then was not profit, my goal was to teach this system in an easy format to understand and I believe that I did that.

Finally, I believe it is the best memory training product on the market because it really covers all the bases of memory training from names, numbers, speeches, students, business people, math formulas, memory games, poems, scripture, foreign languages, memorizing chapters of a book, giving speeches without notes and more. It is very comprehensive and the best program on how to improve memory.

The bad - what would I do different if I had it to do over again. In fairness, in 1998 I didn’t know as much about memory training as I do now. If I was doing it over I would include lessons on CHARACTER-ACTION-OBJECT. This memory method that I learned in 2008 is POWERFUL for memorizing numbers 6 digits at a TIME! With the current method taught in Memory in a Month I think the listener would most likely only perfect 2 digits at a time.

I also didn’t include much about health in Memory in a Month because let’s face it. I was 25 years old and in great shape and just assumed I always would be and didn’t focus on it too much. Now, as I approach 40 – I see the value of good nutrition and exercise and I would have included more about this such as foods to eat and foods to avoid.

I think it would be fun in Memory in a Month to have a section on how to memorize a deck of cards and at the time I didn’t know how to do that either. (In 2009 I set the record for the fastest to memorize a deck of cards at the USA Memory Championship)

The ugly - There are a few mistakes in Memory in a Month. One is when I teach how to memorize the Bill of Rights. The 9th Amendment to the constitution in the Bill of Rights says, ‘The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.’ I had no idea what that meant and guessed it referred to amendments that come after #9 and it doesn’t. So my explanation of what that amendment means is wrong. The other error in Memory in a Month is when I teach SIN and COSINE and how to memorize these formulas. I goofed up and switched them in the program. But as far as I know these are the only 2 errors and the ugly in this program :)

Will one day I go back and make the improvements I have listed above? I believe I will. I think one day a new version is on the horizon. With that said, I still believe this product is without question the best memory training CD set on the market and I have no reservation or hesitation recommending it to anyone to purchase and use whether they are a student or a business professional.

Get your copy of Memory in a Month here.

 

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Category: News   1Commentcomments

Why book Ron White memory guy as your next keynote speaker

Two time USA Memory Champion and memory training expert Ron White memory guy shares the audience evaluations from a recent speech:

Okay, I admit it. As a speaker I love to see the evaluations. I have used them to become a better speaker and after 20 years of speaking I do believe I have honed my craft. I recently spoke for a conference in Austin, Texas and was pleased with the feedback I received from the audience. Below is the unaltered feedback from the group on my memory training keynote as the memory expert.

June 20 – 22, 2011 – Austin, Texas 86 Responses Received
Triple Your Money and Triple Your Business
Ron White
Key:    1 = Strongly Agree   2 = Agree    3 = Somewhat Agree   4 = Disagree    5 = Strongly Disagree
1 2 3 4 5 Average
1. The subject presented was useful and worthwhile. 26 17 2 0 0 1.47
2. The time allocated for the presentation was appropriate. 30 14 0 1 0 1.38
3. I will be able to apply what I learned to my occupation. 21 19 5 0 0 1.64
4. Speaker knew the subject matter and could address questions/inquiries regarding the topic. 39 6 0 0 0 1.13
5. The speaker was able to keep my attention. 38 6 1 0 0 1.18
6. The overall content exceeded my expectations. 25 17 3 0 0 1.51
7. Would you recommend this session to a colleague? Yes = 46 No = 0
Please note any comments about the session.
Very good session. One of the more memorable, no pun intended.
Best general session I have attended.
It was both amazing and fun.  I still remember the 10 items and their places in the room.
Great opening session.
One of the best opening session speakers I’ve experienced.  Thanks!
Really liked this!
A little more tricks to remember would be helpful
This session amazed me – I still think Ron White has a talent for his memory that some of us may not quite have – but I will try to use the
information he gave me and I thoroughly enjoyed the session.
Ron has given me hope that my faulty memory can be improved.  I have already put some of his tips into practice and will be delving into memory
development even more in the near future.
Wish he could have spent a little more time getting into details of how to make visual associations with names.
Great session! I spent the rest of the day working to apply the memory lessons.
Pretty awesome presentation.  Easy to implement and to begin to see immediate results.  

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I hope that one day you allow me the opportunity to educate, entertain and motivate your group on the power of a trained memory. It will be a POWERFUL talk that will leave everyone laughing and amazed at how great their own human computer is. This talk is about increase productivity, performance and confidence as much as it is about developing a super power memory.

 

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Category: News   No Commentscomments

What I learned from being the USA Memory Champion

Two time USA Memory Champion and memory training expert Ron White memory guy shares what it was like being the USA Memory Champion and what he learned from the experience:

I have done a few things in my life that I am very proud of and just as many that I am not so proud of. The things I am not proud of, I don’t make excuses for but instead make an effort to learn from and became the man I want to be in the future. The things that I am proud of are often a result of previous failures or mistakes that I learned from in the past.  Good or bad there is always a lesson to be learned from life experiences.

My time as the USA Memory Champion from 2009 to 2011 was such an incredible learning time for me. I first intended to compete in the USA Memory Championship in 2007 – yet I was also a member of the US Navy and instead I was deployed to Afghanistan that year. In Kabul I would practice for the 2008 USA Memory Championship in my free time. Yet, looking back it was really unstructured training and I had no clue what the tournament was actually like. So my training was not adequate. 8 weeks after returning from Afghanistan I competed in the USA Memory Championship and came in 4th place. It was a good feeling but even more importantly I realized how close I had come to winning it and winning it became my goal.

In the time from March 2008 and March 2009 I hired a former US Navy SEAL, TC Cummings to coach me to become focused, disciplined and organized. I consulted with former USA Memory Champion David Thomas on strategy and researched articles written by another former USA Memory Champion Joshua Foer (who ended up writing a highly acclaimed book on the tournament, ‘Moonwalking with Einstein). In 2009 I was incredibly well prepared and seemed to almost coast to victory. When I walked in the room I KNEW the tournament was mine…I saw the trophy and knew within hours it would be mine.

In 2010, my times were better and I had become a better Brain Athlete in the year prior. Yet troubles in my relationship and personal life distracted me the month before the tournament and resulted in me not sleeping the night before the tournament. In 2010, I walked into a mental tournament with some VERY VERY VERY smart people and on 30-45 minutes sleep hung on to win the tournament. Perhaps I am more proud of the win in 2010 than I am in 2009 for several reasons. Including the first 3 lessons listed here :

1. I didn’t have to compete again. Some will win the tournament and then not compete again so they can remain ‘undefeated’. Some who are looking to cash in on the victory believe it will hurt their chances of doing so if they lose. I on the other hand never competed for the glory – I competed for the challenge. So not defending my title was never an option. I am proud of myself for defending it. (As Chester Santos and Ram Kolli did)

2. In the months before the tournament I was sick (fever and throwing up) and my coach TC Cummings suggested I train despite the sickness. WHAT ARE YOU CRAZY?! Memorize cards between trips to the restroom throwing up!? But TC reminded me, what if you are sick the day of the tournament – this is perfect training for that. Turns out I wasn’t sick the day of the tournament but having trained while very ill was perfect training for competing on 45 minutes sleep. The lesson I learned in 2010 was train even when you don’t feel like it because when your ultimate challenge comes there is no guarantee that conditions are going to be perfect. I am proud of myself for being prepared for a competition with only 45 minutes sleep.

3. The devil is in the details!! Two weeks before the 2010 USA Memory Championship I posted something on my Facebook page. All it said was, ‘The devil is in the details.’ For me I was referencing the USA Memory Championship. In my mind it would all come down to the details. The smallest of matters. Every single detail of the tournament I had researched. I knew exactly how long it would take me to walk from my hotel to the event (yes I timed it with a stop watch), I knew the details of every single tournament (even the smallest of details). I had a gut feeling it would come down to details….and it did. In 2010, there were 3 left in the final round – myself, Nelson Dellis and Ram Kolli. Nelson was eliminated on the first card – not because of a memory challenge but details. He wasn’t aware of the rule that in the final event we start with the top card instead of the bottom. He was my toughest competitor and he eliminated himself because of a detail. I won that year. Lesson learned – the devil is in the details.

4. In 2011 I did not win. I was defeated by a very well prepared Nelson Dellis. Yet, in defeat I learned many lessons. The first being one that I knew but had forgotten. To my friends, family, coworkers and clients I was still a champion. The memory feats I have trained myself to do are still very impressive for them and in reality I wasn’t getting hired to speak because I was the USA Memory Champion. If that were the case the World Memory Champions would have more speaking engagements than me (they don’t). I am hired to speak not because of a titled but because of what I can teach others to do. While others may be impressed with the title, what they will pay you for is if you can teach them. Because of the success of Joshua Foer with his book ‘Moonwalking With Einstein’ many see the USA Memory Championship as a ticket to riches and fame. It is neither. The initial burst of PR after the tournament is nice – I learned to enjoy it, use it for marketing purposes but never let it define me.

5. Never allow yourself to be defined by a single day – good or bad. Instead, be defined by who you were in the time leading up to that day. In the weeks before the 2009 tournament I became very stressed and asked my coach TC Cummings, ‘What if I don’t win? What if I come in second and spent all this time training?’ He then reminded me the story of Rudy. The Notre Dame football player in the 1970 who never made the starting team but won the hearts of everyone with his dedication to that goal. He reminded me that the ultimate goal is not winning a starting spot on the team but who you must become in the process of competing. He reminded me that I, like Rudy, had busted my butt and in essence already won. That is how I would allow myself to be defined – not by the results of a single day. This was also a lesson I reminded myself of in 2011 after my second place finish.

So there you have it. Being Ron White memory guy is fun but being Ron White 2 Time USA Memory Champion was not only fun it brought many life lessons and these were just a few I thought I would share. I encourage you to find something to push yourself (maybe even the USA Memory Championship) not because you will take #1 but because of the person you must become in the process of competing.

 

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Category: Memory Champion   No Commentscomments

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