English speaking skills: Become a memory champion

You’ve heard this great advice for doing an excellent presentation:  Memorize the first several minutes and the last several minutes.

How to do that, you ask?   Under the pressure of the need to perform, you just know your mind will go blank.

What to do? The answer– become your own memory champion.

Here’s what the experts say:

Memorize often. Challenging yourself with memory tasks is good for your brain.  Start small.  Perhaps memorize three vocabulary words or names per day for a week.  “By the end of the week you’ll know 21 names, “ says Dr. Majid Fortuhi, a neurologist and leading authority on brain and memory issues.  “That’s like doing 10 pushups one day, 20 pushups the next day, then 30.  You’re stretching your memory muscles and making them stronger.”

A speech tip from me:  Consider spending 5 to 10 minutes a day, five or six days a week memorizing something of interest to you.  For years I have done that during my aerobic exercise of treadmill or stationary bike in my home.  I will memorize lists, for example, the 20 ways to persuade people to your way of thinking.  I will memorize clever and wise quotations.  For instance here’s my current favorite wise saying that I am memorizing:  “You have not lived a perfect day… unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”  –Ruth Smeltzer

Eat right You may believe that fat and cholesterol are bad for your health.  The fact is, they are essential for brain health.   “Your brain is 60 to 70 percent fat, and 25 percent of the cholesterol in your body is in the brain, “says Dr. David Perlmutter, a Naples, FL neurologist.  He recommends a diet low in carbohydrates and rich in healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). DHA is found in fish (salmon, sardines, shrimp).

Exercise regularly. Your brain thrives on regular aerobic exercise.  Perlmutter says, “Those who exercise actually grow back brain structure – new brain cells in the hippocampus,”  cells essential for laying down new memories.  He recommends 20 minutes of aerobic exercise five or six times a week.

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Be sure to watch our English Speech Tips videos and Accent Reduction Tip videos  for more English pronunciation and accent reduction exercise.

Rerun from 01/22/2014 and 03/01/2017