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No one has a bad memory
Dan Schwartz explains to the
PCEC that no one has a bad memory, but rather they have an untrained memory;
thus with some training, a person can improve their memory.
No one has a bad memory! But many people have an
untrained memory. Training one’s memory was the topic of Dan Schwartz, an
expert in sales and marketing management at the Sunday, August 10 meeting of
the Pattaya City Expats Club. Dan is currently CEO of Dan Schwartz
International and serves as Vice President-Account Director for the Versata
Portfolio Companies, the second largest privately held Enterprise Software
Company in the U.S.
PCEC Master of Ceremonies
Richard Silverberg presents Dan Schwartz a Certificate of Appreciation for
instructive presentation to the Club.
Dan explained that Ron White, a two-time U.S. memory
champion, has developed a system which is used by most memory experts. Ron’s
system is based on the fact that our brains operate best with pictures, and
that wherever possible to aid memory we should replace words, numbers and
abstract ideas with images. These images are then “glued” together into
memorable stories which can easily be recalled and decoded at whim.
 PCEC
member Richard Smith invites his fellow wine lovers to attend the Amari
Resorts monthly Wine Experience on the last Friday of the month; which
includes free flow wine and food dishes to compliment the wines.
The system can be used to memorise anything. It involves five steps: 1-
Focus (concentration), 2- Use of pictures (associating names and events with
pictures), 3- Use of a filing system (location-based), 4- Glue (action or
emotion), and 5- Review (repetitive).
Dan gave a simple demonstration of how it works. He picked out ten locations
in The Tavern, the room where the PCEC meets every Sunday and referred to
them as “files”: the speaker’s table; the pillar next to the table; a TV
monitor near the pillar; the dart board; the front door; the Manchester
United football poster; the Liverpool football poster; a large electric fan;
the speaker’s podium; and the large projection screen. He said that people,
in the audience who attend the Club meetings regularly, or even fairly
regularly, should be able to remember these locations easily, especially
because they can picture them.
Dan then assigned a picture for everyone to envision for each location, as
follows: a) on the speaker’s table a pile of money; b) on the pillar next to
the table a clock; c) on the TV monitor a telephone; d) plants growing from
the dart board, e) a reward sign tacked to the front door; f) on the
Manchester United poster a soccer goal; g) a brain splattered over the
Liverpool poster; h) an organizer being blown over the room by the fan; i) a
BMW car sitting atop the speaker’s podium; j) a successful sports team being
shown on the projection screen. Dan had the audience practice (review)
remembering which image went with each location several times. The practice
included going forward in order, backward in order, and than randomly out of
order.
Then, Dan pointed out that the ten images in each of their “files”
(location) could then be used to remember specific themes for a talk on how
to run a successful business. He demonstrated this by noting how each image
in its location would be associated with each of ten themes. The speaker
would look at the location (file), remember the associated image, and then
speak off the cuff on the theme it represented: A pile of money on the table
(theme - you need money to run a business); Clock (theme - you need to
invest time); Telephone (theme - good communications are essential); Plants
(theme - the business needs to grow); Reward sign (theme - You need to
reward good effort); Goal (theme - The business needs a goal); Brain (theme
- knowledge of the business is essential); Organiser (theme - you need to be
organised); BMW car (theme - you need to reward yourself when you are
successful); and A successful sports team (theme - You need a team effort).
The 10 locations Dan had members of the audience learn as ten “files” could
be used over and over for remembering other things; associating different
images for themes or concepts with each file as needed. Dan said that a
person needs 50-75 such files to have a decent memory. People can construct
files based on objects in each room of their home or condo. Or they could
use parts of the body. The possibilities are endless. Once a person has
memorised the files, the challenge is to associate pictures of names or
actions to each file.
Dan said that Ron White had taught this system to a six-year-old girl and
that she had used it to memorise the names of the 44 presidents of the U.S.
People who have perfected this system could then attend a seminar or a
speech and come away remembering 20 things instead of just two or three.
The fifth step in the system is important - review - you need to practice
over and over when you are memorising a list of names, events or actions
using Ron White’s system. He pointed out that Ron White, to challenge
himself, memorised the first name, last name and rank of 2,300 American
soldiers that died in Afghanistan. It took him ten-and-a-half months to do
it. Ron assigned a number to each soldier, such that if someone asks him who
No. 745 was, he can respond correctly. But he still has to periodically
practice to make sure he doesn’t forget anyone.
After Dan answered many questions from the audience, Master of Ceremonies
Richard Silverberg brought everyone up to date on upcoming events and called
on Roy Albiston to conduct the always informative Open Forum where questions
are asked and answered about Expat living in Thailand, especially Pattaya.
For more information on the PCEC’s many activities, visit their website at
www.pcecclub.org.
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Sophon Cable TV sponsors free dolphin show for customers
Sophon Cable TV thanked its
customers by treating them to a dolphin show in Pattaya.
Urasin Khantaraphan
Sophon Cable TV thanked its customers by treating them to a dolphin show
in Pattaya.
Sophon Vice President Ratthakit Hengtrakul hosted the Aug. 9 event at Pattaya
Dolphin World and Resort. A group of customers was treated to a 45-minute show
by Ayeyarawaddy and pink bottlenose dolphins.
Following the show, company staffers posed for photos with audience members.
Hengtrakul thanked everyone for coming and for the dolphin resort for organizing
the show.
Pattaya Sports Club, Jesters and
YWCA help children to see things clearly
The children wait patiently to be tested.
William Macey
At a recent conference held in London, those attending expressed grave
concerns about the ever increasing number of children of all ages, particularly
those under the age of 12, who needed glasses to see both long and short
distances. The blame was laid firmly at the door of smart phones, tablets and
computer games and the time spent on staring at the small screen.
Bright colourful frames are
available.
Many children in school are unaware that they might need
glasses and they struggle to see the board or see clearly the texts books being
used by others in the class. This applies to children in Thailand but with the
additional problem that their families are unable to afford the expense of going
to an optician. As a result they fall behind other students, might consider
leaving school, and fail to return to complete their education which does not
bode well for their future. Away from the classroom, it is difficult to imagine
the problems that children face when they unable to read a signpost or see
oncoming traffic clearly to enable them to cross the road safely.
Nigel and William of PSC and
Bernie from Jesters
Nittaya Patimasongkroh from the YWCA was aware of this
problem many years ago and decided to do something about it. She joined forces
with an American gentleman who was in the Air Force at the time, Dave Anderson,
who was collecting glasses from his colleagues, bringing them to Thailand to
have lenses made for selected children to help them with their studies. The
situation has changed since then for YWCA have now been joined by Pattaya Sports
Club, Jesters and an optician in Naklua.
A joint venture for YWCA, PSC and
Jesters.
The teachers select the students that show signs of requiring
some assistance. They receive a free eye test and PSC and Jesters donate the
funds to enable prescription glasses to be provided to those in need. Strong
plastic, brightly coloured lenses add to the excitement, the boys are reluctant
to have the pink frames and opt for the more conservative black or dark blue
whilst the girls are delighted to have pink, green and yellow frames.
The girls are delighted.
We recently went to schools No. 5 and 9. Nearly 250 children
were tested and 207 needed glasses. We all had a sense of achievement and were
rewarded with broad grins when the children used the glasses for the first time
and realise that everything was now clear and how much they had been affected by
their less than perfect eye sight.
The children say thank you to all
concerned.
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Six Days in the Saddle
(L to R) Touch Thach from the
Cambodia Motor Sport Federation (CMSF); Jakkrit Chaothale riding for Team
Thailand; Freddy Karlson from Sweden; Chea Lykheang from CMSF and Koun Phandara
from CMSF prepare to set out from Walking Street.
Iain Corness
The 2014 Asian Cross Country Rally left from Walking Street August 9 for
six days in the jungle, with the finish being in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
There are 31 cars entered and 20 motorcycles. 11 of the cars are Thai entrants,
with the rest Japanese, and the motorcycles have entrants from Sweden, Korea,
Cambodia and Japan.
The rally has been an annual event since 1996.
Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh (left) waves the starting flag
for the rally participants.
Vehicles parade down Walking Street before setting
off for the jungle.
Dr. Iain Corness wishes Freddy Karlson good luck.
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