Have you ever met someone at a party or luncheon who can listen to each person’s name once and repeat it back correctly and confidently? That kind of feat seems magical to me. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to do that and wish I had a much better memory. I’m amazed by people who have photographic memories. You don’t need to be born with a photographic memory to remember things effectively.
Since I don’t have a photographic memory, I improve my memory by using Mind Maps like the one pictured above. When I was going to graduate school, somehow I stumble upon the concept of Mind Mapping. I first learned about this concept by reading a book by Tony Buzan. I own most of his books and continue to learn how to use Mind Maps for various applications. Mind Maps help me organize my thoughts, improve how I communicate and remember complex concepts.
Matteo Ricci, an Italian who became a Jesuit in 1571 was a master at memory mnemonics. He learned these arts in Renaissance Italy prior to leaving for good towards the East. After a five year apprenticeship in India and Macao, he entered China in 1583 to undertake mission work. Soon after he became fluent in Chinese.
To the Chinese, he seemed magical because of his amazing memory. He could look at a manuscript once and then recite it by heart. He was respected and was given permission to settle in China. He got along well there, adopting their dress and integrating into the culture. He began discussing his theories on memory with Chinese scholars and gave them lessons in mnemonic techniques. He said,
To everything that we wish to remember we should give an image, and to every one of these images, we should assign a position where it can repose peacefully until we are ready to reclaim it by an act of memory.
What I respect most about Ricci was his ability to integrate into a new culture, share his ideas without forcing them onto his audience and for his spirit of adventure. One day I’ll learn more about his techniques. But for now, I’ll continue to use my Mind Maps to improve my memory.
Your Thoughts and Insights
- What techniques are you using to improve your memory?
Photo Credits, Jean-Louis Zimmermann
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Hi Marguerite! I really enjoyed your post on Building Your Memory…well done! Loved the history about Matteo Ricci. You are right! Our minds work in pictures, if it is something we can picture, it is an object, an object is something tangible that we can see and touch, this helps our memory store information so that we can recall it at a later date. Memory techniques are a skill, a skill that can be developed and used! Thanks for your insights!
Marguerite, it’s an honor to have you comment on this subject since one of your strengths is teaching people how to improve their memory. Do you have a recommendation for what people can do to start on a memory improvement program and would love to include a link here so that people can find you. Cheers, Marguerite