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Lewis Howes"This SECRET Will DOUBLE Your Learning SPEED!" | Jim Kwik & Lewis Howes
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Chapter summaries
Introduction and Why Intelligence Isn't Fixed
Lewis introduces Jim Kwik and recalls his memory demonstration on stage. Jim says he does such demos to show what's possible, and argues that schools teach what to learn but never how to learn.
- •Lewis recalls Jim memorizing around 100 numbers from audience members
- •Jim says memory and intelligence are not fixed like shoe size
- •Schools teach what to learn but not how to learn
- •Jim suggests recall could be a fourth R, since there is no learning without remembering
Learning Challenges and the Mentor's Bucket List
Jim describes growing up with learning challenges after a childhood head injury and nearly quitting college. A stranger he visited, the father of a friend, had him write out his goals and challenged him to read a book a week.
- •A kindergarten head injury left Jim struggling with focus and memory, and it took two extra years to learn to read
- •He wanted to quit school in his freshman year
- •A successful man had him write a bucket list and told him not to let school get in the way of his education
- •Jim committed to reading a book a week, largely for his family
Hospital Breakthrough and Learning How to Learn
Overwork led Jim to collapse and wake up in the hospital. A tea mug with an Einstein quote prompted him to rethink his problem and study how learning works, which transformed his results within 60 days.
- •He sacrificed sleep, food and exercise, then collapsed and woke in the hospital at 117 pounds
- •The Einstein quote on a mug made him ask a new question about his problem
- •He realized school never taught him how to learn and studied brain science and learning
- •Within about 60 days he was focusing, reading faster and getting better grades
- •The 20th-century school system prepared people for a world that no longer exists
The Student Who Read 30 Books and Learning as a Superpower
Jim tells the story of an early student who read 30 books in 30 days to help her terminally ill mother. Lewis asks about comprehension tips, and Jim explains why learning is a force multiplier, especially in business and relationships.
- •Motivation drove the student, whose mother recovered, which doctors called a miracle
- •If knowledge is power, learning is a superpower
- •Learning is described as a force multiplier, as with optimism
- •Remembering names, details and shared moments strengthens business and relationships
- •Forgetting a name can kill deals
Three Keys to Memory: MOM and Motivation
Jim introduces the MOM framework of motivation, observation and mechanics. He starts with motivation, arguing that a big enough reason makes anyone capable of remembering.
- •Lewis asks how to remember names, and Jim answers with three keys, M-O-M
- •Different memory tasks need different techniques, but principles are shared
- •Motivation is the first M, shown by the suitcase-of-cash example
- •Bill Gates told Jim the key to learning is human motivation
- •H cubed: head, heart, hands, and reasons reap results
Observation: Attention, Presence and Listening
The O in MOM is observation. Jim argues that most memory problems are attention problems, and illustrates this with Bill Clinton's memory, networking habits and the word 'listen'.
- •Memory issues are often attention rather than retention issues
- •The Google logo example shows the difference between looking and seeing
- •Bill Clinton uses no tricks and credits stories from his grandfather that required listening
- •Distracted networking and rehearsing your reply stop people from listening
- •Mechanics is the third part: the tips and techniques for specific skills
Caring Over Impressing: Interested vs. Interesting
Lewis asks about the mechanics of remembering names at events. Jim says remembering names shows you care, and the two discuss being interested rather than interesting, with Stephen Covey's advice.
- •Walking out of a room having said goodbye to everyone by name is a standout skill
- •Remembering a name signals care, and forgetting signals the opposite
- •Lewis says he succeeded by showing heart rather than book smarts
- •There's a difference between being interesting and being sincerely interested
- •Covey: seek first to understand, then to be understood
BE SUAVE Part One: Believe, Exercise, Say, Use
Jim lays out the BE SUAVE name-memory system. He covers believing you can, practicing for 21 to 30 days, saying the name on meeting, and using it in conversation.
- •Believe: kill automatic negative thoughts, since your mind eavesdrops on your self-talk
- •Exercise means practice; there is no magic memory pill but there is a process
- •Practice anywhere, like naming strangers at the grocery store
- •Say the name to reinforce it and check you heard it correctly
- •Use the name three or four times without overdoing it
BE SUAVE Part Two: Ask, Visualize, End
Jim finishes the acronym with asking about the name, turning it into a picture, and ending with a goodbye by name. Lewis recites the acronym back, and Jim says even using part of it beats what most people do.
- •Ask about a person's name, as with the training director whose name meant graceful falling waters
- •We remember what we see, so turn a name into a picture
- •Six-second syndrome: you have about six seconds to do something with a name
- •Visualization engages the right brain's imagery and emotion
- •End by saying goodbye using their name, and you don't need all seven steps
Ten Daily Habits for a Sharper Brain
Asked about daily habits, Jim explains that two-thirds of memory is within your control. He then lists ten lifestyle factors from diet to stress management.
- •One-third of memory is biology and genetics, two-thirds is controllable
- •Diet, killing ANTs, exercise (including juggling and opposite-hand tasks), and brain nutrients
- •A positive peer group, a clean environment, and sleep
- •Brain protection, with Lewis sharing his father's accident
- •New learning every day, and stress management since stress shuts down parts of the brain
The X-Men Story: Finding His School
Lewis asks about the X-Men experience. Jim recounts training Fox executives, going to Comic-Con on a studio plane, spending a week on the X-Men set, and receiving a class photo with a note from the chairman.
- •Jim trained the chairman of 20th Century Fox and his senior staff
- •He learned to read through comic books and as a child searched for the X-Men school
- •The chairman invited him to Comic-Con, where the cast was on the plane
- •He spent a week on set teaching speed-reading and memory
- •The photo came with a note saying, 'Here's your class photo'
Staying Childlike: Stan Lee and Closing Questions
Jim draws a lesson about tapping the childlike learner inside and shares a story about Stan Lee. The interview ends with Lewis's two closing questions on gratitude and greatness.
- •Age is a state of mind, and playfulness can open doors
- •Stan Lee at 92 still works and is one of the youngest oldest people Jim knows
- •Jim is most grateful for friends and family, and values growing and giving
- •Greatness is becoming the superhero you were meant to be
- •A superhero discovers their strengths and uses them for a purpose
