Une mémoire extraordinaire

[An extraordinary memory]

How can you reinforce your memory? According to Jean-Yves Ponce, it is first and foremost a question of technique and training. Indeed, we are all equipped with a working memory. Without it, we could not even walk nor hold a fork. Conversely, we have not always learnt how to make the best use of it. For example, we often let ourselves be swamped by an information overload that saturates our capacities to memorize. Or, we remain stuck in the “by heart” learning techniques from school, which are far from optimal.

The author starts with recalling how memory operates, by refuting in the process some commonly held ideas. He then presents a palette of techniques designed to pump up our memorization capabilities; most of these techniques are based on creative thinking and idea associations. The objective of the book goes beyond the world of business: it also addresses students, to help them learn their courses. Nonetheless, through its didactic and practical approach, it will also interest the manager or the leader who wishes to remember his/her next speech or to prepare a negotiation.