Intro

 

Hello and Welcome to this introductory episode of the podcast "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge. 

My name is Peter Jans and today's episode as I mentioned, is an introductory episode to explain what the podcast is about, how it is structured, and how it works.

 

 

Summary

 

So welcome to the wonderful world of knowledge and learning.  Whether it be science, geography, sport, literature, history, trivia, or fun and interesting facts, this is the podcast for you.  If you have a curious mind and you love to learn and learn at an accelerated pace, these bite-size lessons will begin you on your path/journey to omniscience; well not quite, but you will continue to improve on a weekly basis, and retain that information for a lifetime.  The thing is, the more you learn and know, the more associations, connections, and links (essentially neurons) your brain creates to cement that memory, which augments the process and creates an avalanche effect, for further learning.

 

Through this podcast we will pick a subject, any subject, and condense it down to a list, that is worth remembering.  We will then break this down, into a mnemonic, that the user can link and store away, and when required recite in a logical and ordered way.  Rather than have it, somewhere in the back of the memory in bits and pieces, which can be hard and slow to recall, if at all. 

 

We will use a number of different techniques proven to enhance and lock in that knowledge, so you have it for a lifetime and can recall with ease and confidence when required.  The strategies we use are science-driven and proven to enable the learner to remember large amounts of information and recall on demand.  Best of all, they are adaptable to learners of all different levels, and to a myriad of different learning styles.

 

So, if you want to learn more about things such as The Periodic Table, Nobility Titles, US Constitution, Seven Styles of Learning, Greek & Roman Gods, Highest Mountains, Longest Rivers, Star Signs, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Newtons Laws of Motion, Olympic Game Cities, Burroughs of New York, Bank, Notes, Coins, Kings, Queens, Birthstones, Members of Bands, Collective Nouns, Historical Events, Chinese Zodiac, Famous People, Movies, Series, Plays, etc, etc, etc, then, this is the place for you.

 

Go at your own pace and enjoy the challenge and gift of learning whilst building an encyclopaedic knowledge bank, along the way.  They say, "The more you know, the more dough" or "The more you learn, the more you earn" so make this podcast your healthy habit for self-amelioration.

And above all, always remember as Socrates said; "There is no learning, without remembering".  Enjoy!

 

 

Wikipedia Summary

So, with that said, here is how it works.  I pick a subject, any subject that has components worth remembering. 

I start with a factual background on that subject from “Wikipedia”, which tells you all the nuts and bolts of that subject from a reputable source.

Just on that, I remember back many years ago while listening to a podcast about habits, and the guest was explaining, how he started a habit of reading a bio, from Wikipedia every night, instead of watching some mind-numbing TV, for around 20 minutes.  This small habit accretes to an amazing volume of information over a year.  The point being here and one which has stuck with me, and is illustrated by John Bytheway's quote “Inch by inch, life’s a cinch.  Yard by yard, life’s hard.”  So, start a good habit, no matter how small, i.e., listening to my podcast, and let that interest accumulate and grow.

 

 

Mnemonic

 

Following the Wikipedia summary, I give you the “Mnemonic”, I have formulated, which I spell and elucidate, what every letter or word stands for, in the mnemonic.  I do this slowly so you can picture it, and take it in, as best as possible, as this is an audio format.  I do however strongly recommend that you write the mnemonic down and view when you get a chance, as this will expedite the learning process.  If you would like the weekly mnemonic sent to your email, this can be done by subscribing to the website which is “TheMnemonicTreePodcast (all one word) .com”

 

Along with the mnemonic I suggest a visualisation or hint to help you associate the mnemonic with the subject.  To give you an example of this, the first episode is “The Five Main Japanese Islands” for which the mnemonic is SHHOK spelled SHHOK.  SHHOK is a simple, and strong link, as it is related to the fact, that Japan has more than 1500 earthquakes a year, being part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.

 

Most of the standard mnemonics on the internet only use the first letter of each word; for example, the mnemonic “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas’” which is now the outdated mnemonic used to name the planets, which are, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.  Others may be, even longer stories.  A good example was the one I found on the Chinese Zodiac, which was seven paragraphs long!

 

What I have tried to do with my system is to truncate and rationalise the mnemonic as much as possible and use a combination, of a variety of methods.  For example, my mnemonic for the Chinese Zodiac is “A Rat riding an Ox TRaDeS a Horse for a Sheep and calls it MR Dog Pig” which is considerably shorter and easier to remember than seven full paragraphs!

 

You will hear me along the way use the term “assisting”.  This simply means that these letters or words just help make the mnemonic, understandable or flow better.  All assisting letters or words are in lower case, whilst the relevant letters and words are in upper case.  Don’t expect the words or longer mnemonics to have perfect diction and spelling; this is not the point.  The point is to link, the subject with the mnemonic so they can live together in your grey matter, to enable you to recall larger chunks of information in a clear, logical, and concise format.  Often the more nonsensical the mnemonic, the easier you will remember.

 

 

Five Fun Facts

 

I then go on, to give you “Five Fun Facts” on the subject” to broaden your knowledge on the subject and ignite your interest.

 

 

Three Question Quiz

 

This is then followed by “The Three Question Quiz” where I ask three questions on the subject matter.  Some of these answers may or may not, be in the Wikipedia section, so it pays to pay attention.

 

 

Mnemonic Recap

 

I then go on, to repeat the mnemonic “Mnemonic Recap”, to reinforce the information. and go through letter by letter or word by word explaining all the relative links and helping you create a visual to enhance recall.

 

 

Three Question Quiz Answers

 

Following this, after a bit of thinking time, I give the answers to “The Three Question Quiz”.

 

 

Word of the Week

 

The episode is then completed with “Word of the Week” where I source an interesting or challenging word and give you the definition according to Dictionary.com and a very, very simple example of its use, which may or may not relate to the subject. 

 

So that’s it.  So, if you like to learn, strap yourself in and enjoy the ride!  Hope to see you there.  Cheers, Peter – Jans Your Mnemonic Man 😊

 

 

Website:  https://www.themnemonictreepodcast.com/

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-mnemonic-tree-podcast/id1591795132

Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/3T0LdIJ9PBQMXM3cdKd42Q?si=WQ1SnHo5QgOawX-mxS6yUA