Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Christiane Stenger is a three-time world memory champion. At twelve, she became the youngest person ever awarded the title of Grandmaster in memory training. At sixteen, she became Germany's youngest A-level graduate. Today she attends college, appears regularly in the media, and is passionate about making education more innovative and fun.

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A Sheep Falls Out of the Tree

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Contents

Chapter One

When I began memory training as a sport at the age of ten, I immediately became very excited about its techniques, but the training seemed boring and I couldn't see the point. Looking back, I'm happy that I didn't give up right away. I was able to learn how to use and apply these techniques to my advantage. After years of experience in competitions, I look at the notion of "memory exercises" in quite a different light. I found out that it is possible not only to improve your memory in a short amount of time, but also to develop many other skills simultaneously.

1. A Good Memory Is Necessary for Knowledge and Education

Good education is important to every economy, and an investment in the educational system is an investment in future prosperity. Many important factors are involved, including qualified teaching staff, necessary classroom resources, well-prepared lesson plans, and high teaching standards. Too little thought is given to the relationship between making funds available for national education and turning schools into exciting places where children want to learn and where creativity, independent problem solving, analysis and planning, social skills, and teamwork can be taught within the confines of available educational resources.

As I reached the lowest point of my school career, my cousin from Canada, who had just finished school in Vancouver, came to stay with us in Germany for a couple of months so he could practice speaking German. He was often annoyed when my brother and I talked about our school and how it differed from his. For example, he couldn't understand why my school hadn't recognized my success in winning the first junior memory championships, even though it had been reported in the newspapers. He said that his school would have been proud of a student who had demonstrated achievement outside the classroom. I realized that my cousin's school reflected a different philosophy and culture—valuing motivation through recognition. My brother and I even thought about continuing our education in Canada, but at eleven and thirteen respectively, we were too young to make this decision on our own.

Even today, the saying "Knowledge is power," coined by the sixteenth-century English statesman and philosopher Francis Bacon, still applies. Three sequential skills are important for compiling this knowledge:

1. Obtaining intellectual, emotional, and social input

2. Transforming it into knowledge and applying it to existing knowledge

3. Storing the knowledge so you can access it for the rest of your life

Memory training provides new information and is a great tool for learning, not only in an academic setting, but also in your professional career. This training does not consist of typical "learning techniques"; rather it allows you to exploit the potential of your brain and to access information in your memory easily by converting it into images and associating it with knowledge you already have. Essentially, you learn things more thoroughly and more rapidly.

Memory training also gives you an opportunity to enhance your intellectual, emotional, and social skills within a relatively short period of time and at no financial cost. All you need is the discipline to train on a regular basis.

2. You Can Give Your Imagination Wings

Imagination—what is that exactly? The dictionary defines it as "the creative ability of the human mind to produce, envision, and combine new images." Who would have thought that imagination would be an indispensable part of memory training? When storing information through memorization, the ability to imagine mental images plays an important role. The greater your imagination and the more unusual and creative you get at associating images with memory, the more permanent the information will be imprinted in your mind. The need to exercise the imagination is often overlooked these days.

Imagination is inspired and developed in young children at home or at nursery school through fairy tales and make-believe, but creating stories and indulging in games and hobbies become increasingly minor activities as a child goes through school. Curricula concentrate on subjects designed to promote logical thought, such as mathematics, languages, and the sciences. Unfortunately, students' ability to engage their imagination is no longer nurtured in class and is not applied as a means of imparting knowledge.

According to my own experience during my first years at school, teachers hardly ever ask students to work things out for themselves; to solve tasks without following a specified method; or to take on and complete tasks while working with other children within a study group, possibly in other classes, or even in other schools. These types of activities would not only encourage children to use their imagination, but it would also add variety to the everyday school routine.

When I discuss with others how memory is associated with fantasy and give a few examples of how I create numerous images in my mind's eye, the response I often hear is, "I would never have thought of such an idea or such a foolish image!" But that is exactly the problem. As a result of the flood of multimedia materials available today, we are inundated with so many images that there is little reason for us to rely on our individual imaginations, which also means that we do not train them. Imagination is required when training the memory to create new images in your head. You learn to play with thoughts and ideas and to dream a bit more, which helps you find many new ways of mastering a task or solving a problem, not only at a professional level, but in your personal life as well.

You can also use your imagination as a means of relaxation. For example, when you come home after a long day at work, allow yourself a few minutes to sit or lie down comfortably and give full rein to your thoughts. Think of your last vacation or other pleasant experiences. Close your eyes and try to create images of places or events associated with happy memories. Hear the wind blowing and feel the warm sun on your skin. Try planning your next vacation or a meal with good friends in your mind. These pleasant exercises prepare you for successful memory training.

3. You Will Develop Your Creativity

Creativity has become one of the most sought-after commodities in the corporate world. But what is it exactly? When I was little, I always thought that only artists and scientists could be creative. Today I am convinced that everyone has the potential for creativity based on their individual strengths; it only needs to be cultivated and developed. In my opinion, creativity can always be expanded, and there are many ways of doing this. Many people forget that there is a direct link between imagination and creativity. How can you develop creativity if you have forgotten how to be a little crazy, fool around, and allow yourself some time to engage your imagination? There are hundreds of different ways to form an image of something, and this book will show you one of those ways. You will become more aware of your own creativity through the images or stories you create for memory training.

Ideas, impressions, and feelings can be...