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Larry Elias
interviewed by Emma Taylor on December 19, 1995
"Memory and intelligence do not relate."
Larry Elias wants us all to develop our memory abilities. He explains some of his techniques for memory devleopment.
Tripod: Can you tell me about your memory system?
LE: ...Through mnemonic systems, there are several techniques that we use. First of all, when we talk about the power of the memory, most people think they have a bad memory, which is very untrue. Everyone has a great memory. The problem is that no one has ever been taught how to utilize it efficiently. People usually put most information in their short-term memory bank. Or they use only the left side of the brain, or only the right side of the brain. Now what I try to encompass in my program is to use the full brain. That's left brain, right brain, and even mid-brain. Once you can utilize all three aspects of the mind, then recalling becomes very very simple.
Our school systems still do not teach memory techniques. They only teach you what to remember, instead of how to remember the information. And yet, what we're looking for, more than anything else, is to remember the information, because then it becomes knowledge. And once it becomes knowledge, then you've got a person that can do almost anything.
Tripod: What do you mean by mnemonic systems?
LE: Mnemonics? Well, mnemonics, if you take a look in the dictionary, mnemonics is nothing more than the science of memory. Mnemonic systems have been around for over two thousand years, and even in the days of the Romans, and the Greeks, they had no calculator, or computer, or pad or pencil, or anything else. The word "mnemonic" comes from the Greek god Mnemo, who was said to have the greatest memory of anyone. He was supposed to be the wisest individual in the world, at that particular time. Basically, he used mnemonic techniques to remember information.
Tripod: How would you apply mnemonic systems to help remember people's names?
LE: Well, first of all, let me go back a little bit. The memory can only recall information in picture form. That is the only way that we can remember information. One of the tests that I give people real quickly, to prove that is that for example, if I asked you right now, not to think of an elephant, what came into your mind?
Tripod: An elephant.
LE: A picture of a grey elephant, did it not?
Tripod: Yes.
LE: Yes, and that just kind of proves that we do think and recall information in picture form. Now, the problem with names is that they are abstract information. Anything that the mind cannot readily picture, it cannot recall. For example, take the name Emma -- give me a picture for Emma.
Tripod: I don't know -- that's a tough one.
LE: See, there isn't one. If I said, "Give me a picture for Larry," there is no picture. So what I do, and the way the system works, in recalling people's names, is that we take abstract information, and break it down, and turn each syllable into a picture. For example, if I said "Larry," all I would have to do is tell people the picture is "lariat." Now you have a picture, because you can picture a lariat. If I gave you the name, "Carla," there is really no picture. But if I said "car-lot," you see the concrete and all the cars -- now you have a picture. So the system works very well. It's a six-step process to remember people's names, and that's just one aspect of it ...
The mind is so powerful, and everything that we do, 24 hours a day, every second -- all information comes through our memory banks. Because of that, it is very important to know that you do have a memory that can recall just about anything.
Tripod: How can you make sure you are using your long-term memory as well as your short-term memory?
LE: Well, this is one thing that's very unique. First of all, the mnemonic system and the use of the techniques ... once you practice them for, say 30 days, it becomes automatic. There's a four-step process that our mind goes through, and the fourth step is what I call unconcious competence, where it becomes automatic. That's what's very very important, because once you train your mind on the use of these mnemonic techniques, then it just becomes part of your everyday way of thinking and processing.
Tripod: What about remembering dates and numbers -- can you use pictures for that, too?
LE: Yes, one of the things again too, is that when we're talking about numbers, we're talking about abstract information. Because we cannot readily see a picture of a set of numbers, I use another technique, which is the phonetics system. What are phonics?
Tripod: Just sounds, right?
LE: Right. And in the English language, we only have ten phonetic sounds. That's all our English language is -- phoentically speaking, we only have ten sounds that our voices give. Now, the phonetics are numbered one through ten, and our number system is based on what? One through ten. By using this system, you can take any set of numbers, and turn them into pictures, by using this phonetics system. It's a very powerful system, whether it be addresses, phone numbers or even credit card numbers! Any set of numbers that you want. It doesn't matter how many are in a set -- if you have forty numbers in a particular set, that you want to remember in a sequential order, you can use the phonetic system, and never forget it.
Tripod: Are there people with super memories, or is it all a matter of training?
LE: I believe more than anything else that we're all born with the ability to have a powerful memory. Some people are naturally able to utilize it better -- it could be their social background, it could be genetically better, it could be a particular system of learning in school. The more you use it, the better you're going to get. And the better understanding you have of your memory, the better you will get, too. But everyone is endowed with a great memory, the important thing to understand is that memory and intelligence do not relate. It does not require intelligence to have a great memory.
Tripod: Is "Memory Power" your invention?
LE: Oh no, I haven't been around two thousand years yet!
Tripod: So you're just using old tricks?
LE: Well, they're not tricks, I don't like to use the word tricks. There have been many many people, especially in the past 50 or 60 years, who have really developed memory techniques.
Tripod: Considering that pictures are so important for remembering, do you think the Web is the future of learning?
LE: Oh yes. As a matter of fact, I developed a software learing program that is very visual. The more we are able to visualize, the better we are going to be able to remember the information. That's why computers are becoming such a powerful tool, both in business as well as in the home. Kids today are probably better at it than the adults, primarily because kids have been brought up on it, and we never had it when I was young.
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