Articles and News

Sensory memory and short-term memory work in cooperation in order to help the brain store information for later recall. When information is first received by means of one of the five senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell), it is retained for a very brief period of time in the sensory registers. The amount of [...]

Is mind mapping a serious business tool? Anthony Landale reports on a technique that is easy to use across a range of business requirements, challenges and tasks.

Now available in e-book formats – the book by Clive Lewis and Anthony Landale that promises to introduce you to a practical reading strategy that will help you become an Extraordinary Reader and eliminate information overload for good.
Everyday information gets in the way – phone calls and emails, pod casts and blogs, letters and magazines. [...]

Being interested in a subject is a key to learning it quickly.  This is because the human brain takes in vast amounts of information but chooses to retain only select parts of it.  We tell our brains what parts to retain by paying much closer attention to those types of information.  Simply having a true [...]

Most people know the frustration that comes from being unable to recall information seen or heard in the recent past. This familiar experience is a result of the human brain’s ability to store some kinds of data effectively, making it available for recall later, and discard other kinds of data. It may seem inconvenient that [...]

We learn new things every day – at home and at work. Have you ever wondered if you are maximising the way you think and learn?
Most of us think that our ability to learn, read quickly, be creative, and solve problems is fixed. We learned these skills years ago but realise that the qualifications, strengths and skills with which we entered employment [...]

It may never be the new rock and roll but for many people professional study is probably more important.
Of course many of us are required to study – and to keep on studying. CPD (Continuous Professional Development), for example, is here to stay and is mandatory in most professional membership bodies. Furthermore, if you are [...]

Impressed by those people who always remember everything? Those that can recall conversations, statistics, detailed information or events at just the ‘drop of a hat’? Isn’t it amazing when they can accurately recite a quote or who, when asked, remember precise facts and figures.

You can also become a master of memory!
Think of the business and studying benefits and the time [...]

Information overwhelm is a growing problem. People are struggling to cope with all the information that’s overloading them today, making mistakes, forgetting things and losing sight of what’s important.
Information overwhelm is when the quantity of information we receive exceeds our capacity to deal effectively with it. This situation arises most obviously when people are trying [...]

A brilliant memory can transform your impact at work and further your career. Here Clive Lewis, MD of Illumine Training explains how.
Most people are hugely impressed by those who have the ability to recall events, statistics or detailed information at just the right moment. People who can accurately recite a quote or who, when asked, [...]

We all know how to think and learn, right? Not according to Clive Lewis, Director of Illumine, the training company that specialises in thinking, learning and creativity.
Being able to think, learn and work effectively used to be regarded as ‘nice to haves’. This perspective was often combined with the view that our ability to learn, [...]

Why Mind Mapping Is The Swiss Army Knife Of Management Thinking Tools!
A new survey of Mind Mapping users in business, sponsored by Illumine training, reveals that Mind Mapping can be likened to the famous Swiss Army knife.

Types of Memory
There are a number of distinct types of memory and a process by which long term memories are generated:
Sensory Memory

Information is gathered by our senses and sent to a sensory store
Sensory store is distributed between different regions of the brain
Data lasts for a fraction of a second
Auditory data lasts a little longer than [...]

I heard a story the other day (it may be apocryphal) about an irate BBC manager who walked into his office one morning and noticed that every single member of his staff was reading The Guardian. He flew into a rage. His exasperation, however, wasn’t caused by his disapproval of that particular publication but by [...]

Mind Mapping is an ideal resource for project managers and teams. Here Clive Lewis, Managing Director of Illumine provides some helpful advice on how it can be applied and how Mind Mapping software adds another dimension.
Project management is a specialisation brimming with models and methods, so why am I suggesting that Mind Mapping has something [...]

Parallel Process - Is mind mapping a serious business tool? Anthony Landale reports on a technique that is easy to use across a range of business requirements, challenges and tasks.

If you are one of those people who still takes notes in meetings, or you use notes as an aide memoir for training, for course revision or [...]

Accelerated learning (AL) provides executives with a range of rapid response tools. Here Clive Lewis outlines what these are and why they are so important.
So you are familiar with accelerated learning (AL). Good for you. But take note; if you are a trainer or a training manager the issue isn’t about how AL can help [...]

There is a lot of discussion about the need for all organisations to equip managers and staff at all levels to be able to continue to learn and develop throughout their careers and lives. Here Clive Lewis, Director of the training and consultancy company, Illumine Limited, which specialises in learning, thinking and creativity, explains why [...]

Speed reading is an area of corporate training which Tony Buzan has just handed over to Illumine Training. Here Clive Lewis, MD of Illumine, highlights why it is such a valuable skill for business executives to learn.
Why do we need to speed read? Aren’t we under enough pressure at work already?
If this is your premise [...]

Some people call it information overload, others data fatigue. But whatever its name you don’t have to be victim to it. Here Anthony Landale reports on a new mental strategy that will get you to the information and knowledge you need, fast.
There’s a guy who has just called up the radio station I’m listening [...]