As a record-holding memory athlete, Simon Reinhard knows better than anyone that our memory is a powerful tool — and yet, it is very limited. After a spectacular demonstration of number memorization, he explains why we can remember things better if we put them into context, and teaches us how to go beyond the current abilities of our memory. With personal stories, he shows how this technique can help you at school, in your career, or even if you just want to make a point in a discussion.

Simon Reihnard was born in Munich and studied Law there, finishing in the top 7.5% of his class. During his university career, he came into contact with memory techniques; he learned that there was such a thing as „memory sports“, the competitive memorizing of different kinds of information (numbers, names, words, cards) in a set tournament format. He started competing right away and found it thoroughly fascinating to memorize more and more information with the help of techniques which use a set of locations and images.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx