Thomas Green here with Ethical Marketing Service. On the podcast today, we have Howard Berg. Howard, welcome.
Thanks for having me. It is my pleasure. Would you like to take a moment and tell the audience a bit about yourself and what you do.
That’s great. I’m the world’s fastest reader in the Guinness Record Holder. I was in 1990 for 80 pages a minute. No one ever replaced me. I teach people how to get smarter by learning faster. I have kids as young as 11 at university getting As. I worked with corporations around the world. I trained the US Special Forces and the Royal Thai Army and put in Bangkok and I trained the Canadian armed forces in Toronto. I also work with seniors. Had a woman in Pasadena, little lady from Pasadena, apparently 84 years old. She read three books in three hours at 84. So it’s not an age thing. I live right now in Florida and I’m having a lot of fun helping people be more successful in your information rich world.
Thank you for the introduction. It was actually on my mind as something to ask you, which was I know that the Guinness Book of World Records was in 1990 that you became the world’s fastest reader.
I forgot to say my website is berglearning.com. You can find me at berglearning.com. I’m sorry for interrupting.
No, no, you’re fine. I was wondering if you attempted to beat that initial record at any point, even if it’s, I’m the only one. Um, and they told me why they were very sceptical of any speed reading records. They said there was no way to know, But I had 10, the way you’re getting that book, if you submit your proof, they don’t come, you submit proof. So most records in the book have a newspaper Or a show. That’s how they get in. I had 10, I was in five cities and I was on the news. So it wasn’t like, you know, this is the news. And they gave me something to read. I read it 80 pages a minute in each city and got 100 and then I was in five different newspapers and the same thing.
But interestingly, a newspaper you would never think was like a legitimate paper, the National Enquirer, all newspapers. they were one of the toughest interviews. They had me read the next edition that had been printed yet. Well, hadn’t gone to the stores, it was printed, but they had delivered it. So no one had seen it And I read it in three minutes. And then for eight hours, they tested me on every article for eight hours. That was a warm day, literally there from nine in the morning of five in the afternoon. And they were at the end, they were like, wow, you really could do this. So that was, you know, I sent that to the Guinness people and I said, you know, we never did see you reading because we’re sceptical. But you have 10 different places. 10 cities with 10 reporters all different. You couldn’t know all of them. They can’t all be your cousin. So apparently your legitimate and that’s how I got in the book.
It was the first time and the only time they did it because they felt I had 10 times more evidence than anyone else in the book. We touched on something initially, which was your, did you say 84-year-old case study? Yeah. My oldest student is 92 she went 100% faster than four hours. So it’s not an age thing. My youngest is in third grade but that’s very young. That was in Toronto. They’re smart in Canada average eighth grader in America reaches the third grade level. So they have Canadians eighth grade along with the third grade. But my typical age range is from 6th grade and up and there’s a reason you don’t learn to read. You don’t start reading to learn till 4th grade, the first three years of school or how to read. And that’s the great where everyone falls behind the ones who can’t read, can’t learn. So by the time you’re in 6th grade you’ve spent two years reading. We have a vocabulary. Up until then, English is a foreign language. Even if you speak English, you don’t recognise the words in a book.
So in fact yesterday I was at an elementary school, I’m a rotary president and we volunteered to read books to kids and they were in first grade. It was delightful. It was just delightful to encourage them to develop a passion for reading because that’s the key to succeeding in today’s information rich world. It’s what you read and who you know, that’s how you grow as an individual and in business, data doubles every six months. And if you’re not staying on top of that, dating, your competition will and you’re out of business. So it’s not an option anymore to learn faster to the central part of being successful. Well, the reason why I mentioned the case study was because immediately when I saw one of the interviews, I think it was the Fox News, one which I would like to talk to you more about. When I saw it, my initial reaction was you’re some kind of savant. Have you heard that phrase? I’m a psycho biologist by training.
So I’d have to say yes, I am a savant. I have friends that are savants that are in get us to. But I see there’s a responsibility rather than something that makes me special. I feel that you’re supposed to do good with what you get if you’re given a gift is supposed to use it to help people get and not just making about yourself. Yeah, great philosophy. I suppose that the what do you say to people who think well, you know that’s great for you. Very impressive. But you know, how would that apply to someone else? What do you say to them? You did a double-blind study. We did a program now you get Conan which I’m sure you heard of there with a And it made $65 million. So we had to do a study to prove the work. We took 100 normal people. Not so far, it’s just people who wanted to learn how to do it. And we used the Nelson Danny. In fact, they used it. Not me. I wasn’t allowed in the city. They did it and let alone in the room.
I was in Texas and they were in Chicago. They didn’t want my personality to alter people’s perception of the program they wanted based strictly on the data in the program. And the nelson Denny is a standardised test for speed and comprehension. And to make sure the second test did make him look smart because it was easier. They did a split test 50 today and B 52 B and a and they did an analysis of variance which is a physical to the safety is a discrepancy between the two groups and there wasn’t everyone in both groups doubled quadrupled in four hours with very good comprehension. So I can say with objectivity that we scientifically validated that a normal person not to survive a normal person double or quadruple their learning mate in four hours with very good results. And I’m gonna say honestly most doubled it went as high as four.
But remember, that was immediate. That was four hours after they learned that there were 100% to 400% faster. My experience has been if you do something you get better at it. So that’s just if that’s where you are immediately before you rehearsed and practiced. It’s fair to say you probably will do much better with the passage of time when you get more comfortable what you just learned. And you mentioned something else which was in our messages beforehand, it was doubling your audiences, productivity. So you have the floor, please double my productivity. I desperately need it. This is really important in business, as you can tell. I’m in business, Everyone in business, it’s all about getting customers, keeping them happy and giving them what you promised. That at all revolves around what you know, every decision is based on, you know, so let me share some strategies how to read faster, how to comprehend better, which I think is much more important.
Been reading fast. No one wants to read fast. They want to learn fast and I think that’s a critical difference to what I do on most programs. I’m more interested in learning than the speed. How do you remember it? It’s great if you learn it, but you don’t know when you need it to waste time And here’s a big one. How do you stay in the right state? So you’re using it successfully. Some people get nervous in public talking or taking tasks that affect your performance. So we’re going to cover those four key elements and then I’ll open up to any questions and we can go much deeper if you bite and feel free to interact with me. I don’t want to like do a cilic. Well, it’s your show. I don’t have a lot to tell you, but you can stop me at any time and ask questions. How does that sound good? Like 1st? How do you mean faster? Yeah, after this interview, pick a book you’ve read and I prefer it to be nonfiction, it’s more structured. And the fact that you already understand it means the only reason you won’t understand it’s going too fast because you understand it.
So if you’re reading quantum physics or existentialist philosophy, it might be a different reason why you’re confused. There’s like five people in the world to understand it. So get a time read for one minute at your normal rate. So we could see how far you go. And when you’re done in the time of rings, use a smartphone, your smartwatch put a little line in the left margin where you finished? So now you know that’s how far I got in a minute. Now the magic, Go to the 2nd chapter Take your hand and go across one line at a time and here’s your eye following your hand as fast as you can comprehend. And that’s important. Keep speeding up till you can’t comprehend. That’s when you know you went too fast because you should understand that you already read it. Slow down just enough so you can understand it again And then for five minutes as fast as you can comprehend. Not faster, not slower Move your I one line at a time and keeping the I engaged.
Now go to the first chapter where you tested yourself time yourself for a minute, take your hand go as fast as you could comprehend and that mark that you put in the first minute you’ll pass it by 20 to 40 just by engaging your eye. It solves a lot of slow reading problems. That’s actually the first step. It’s not the full system is the first step in reading faster now. Yes, that will get you quicker. And by the way that’s what most people Anchorage will do. They do mechanics. And there’s a problem with that. You learn to read faster by conditioning your eye and brain to go quicker. And then you find a word you don’t know or a term you never saw or formula and you slow down and learn it, You lose your speed. It was all or nothing. And that was a very bad way to learn to read fast. So I fixed it. The second thing I’m gonna teach you is how he faced it. The most important thing to me is comprehension about 2030 years ago when MSNBC first launched in the U.
S. Dick Cabot was a very famous talk show host of the 70s was one of their first hosts that I was on with him and we got to be friends. And after the show we were talking he told me a funny story about woody Allen. Apparently Woody Island took Evelyn Woods in its heyday and he read war and peace with you know it’s big in five minutes. He said that’s amazing. What do you remember what he what he said? It’s about the Russian revolution. That’s all I remember. That was speed reading. It was a biology book. I think it was a math book. That’s what you learned. You learned what topic it was about not good enough. The guy won’t ever in the woods in its heyday was Maurice Thompson JR. And I trained his son. My system he hired means that you’ve gone past period to speed learning. Taking it in the 21st century. Now let me show you how I mentioned an agent and psycho Biology actually did a four-year site program in one year and studied by at the same time that took four years.
But the site program I did in my senior year while still being in bio program And I got in the 99th%ile in the world on the GRE in biology. I read 48 books in three nights like biochemistry, cell physiology, genetics, got three questions wrong I got an 800. But so talking about that so the so the thing that happens now is comprehension and the key element is schema. They said, what’s that? I’ll demonstrate it. You’ll see exactly how it works. I’m going to read a passage that has no schema. Simple words. You have no idea what I’m talking about because there’s no schema. That’s what makes it makes sense. This is an easy thing to do. If possible you can do it at home but you can always go someplace else if it’s necessary. Beware of over doing it. This is the major mistake that cost you quite a bit of money. I have no idea what I’m talking. It could be a lot of dates and that’s why they tell you when you’re right to use specific words. I’m going to read the same exact passage but I’m gonna put a title on that has schema and it’s really it makes total sense.
One word laundry. This is an easy thing to do if possible. You can do it at home you can always go someplace else it’s necessary. Beware of over doing it. This is a major mistake. It may cost you quite a bit of money, confusion is gone. I’m teaching people the psychology their brain uses to make sense out of even very technical text like science and counting marketing, high level thinking and when you use these schematic clues correctly. Like I just demonstrated you can go 234 times faster with better comprehension because you actually know what to look for and how to make sense out of very technical material. So that’s a big piece of what I’ve done, that’s different. It also means you can slow down and learn something you didn’t know and then immediately go quickly again you didn’t lose your speed like you used to, It was more of a learning program than a speed reading program.
It just turns out you can read 2-4 times faster and learn faster. So that’s two points. Would you like to ask any questions on that before I continue? Well, the analogy to the first point, it was me thinking that the two scenarios that you used one just reading typically your normal speed and then the second one which is using your hands and going just before your comprehension just before you lose comprehension just made me think of we can walk at a particular speed and typically everyone walks everywhere but that’s not the quickest that we can travel. We can run or we can jog or we can sprint and it just made me think of that as a point to highlight good analogy. Well, the next city that took about is emotional intelligence. I think that’s a key element that’s missing in business. In fact when you talk about schema, we’re in a business program. Let me just make a point. How are you using schemer in your business? When you communicate with prospect or client?
Be careful to use language that makes sense to them. Not just you may have technical terms. You throw around in your business all the time and they make total sense to the experts. But if you’re dealing with a novice you’re gonna sound confusing and instead of building rapport you’re alienating them. So be very cautious how you use language with people, talk to them on their map, what they understand what makes sense to them. If you do use a specialised words can S. C. O. I mean you know what it is, I know what it is but not everyone knows what it is. When you’re using words like that, here’s how you can handle it. Put a comma. Imagine you’re writing and put a comma after it and say it again. I’m gonna do this with biology. There’s a word of Julius finishes what the heck is that? This is how I would write about it. If I was writing it for an average person. The Julius finishes comma. A redwing blackbird comma flew from its perch, I defined it.
So when you’re using a word that perhaps someone will not understand rather than confuse them. Say it again in plain English. Now you’ve covered two bases. If they do know the words, you didn’t insult them and dumb it down. If they don’t know the word, you didn’t overstate something that confused them and lost the poor. So you can use those words, but you have to tell them what they mean as well. So people are getting the message clearly that you’re trying to communicate. That’s an effective use of schema in business. No emotional intelligence. Imagine I’m a driving instructor and I trained you to drive and you’re ready for your road test. You made your appointment, you call me back. So I failed. How could you fail? You’re a great driver. I got nervous. It was a test. You know, anyone ever got nervous on an exam. That’s an emotional intelligence issue. So how do you fix that? When I was with the green Berets and the Royal Thai Army, they’re very well trained, but they’re often awake 34 days in a row and when you ever had sleep, you may not remember what they told you.
If you forget what they told you, you could get killed you and I have a bad day. We worked late, but they have a bad day, They don’t go home. So I was training them on EQ skills and I’m going to do that with our audience and you right now, what are the key things we need in businesses to stay alert and sometimes it’s tricky. Maybe you’re working late at night or as many class, many people, professions have to get courses like doctors and attorneys, keep their licenses active. So you go to work all day, then you’re in school at night trying to get these credits and you’re exhausted from working so hard. How can you wake up without coffee, which might over stimulate you and you won’t fall asleep later? I’m going to demonstrate that just as I taught it to them now, ideally we should be standing, but then we will be so high up our webcams will see our navels and our sweat pants so we will, we won’t do that right now, but we’ll pretend withstanding and this is how we’re going to do it.
We know the left side of the brain controls the right and the right to left. So do this with me and those watching doing with me to learn this, take your left hand, touch your right shoulder, do that, take your right hand, touch your left shoulder, alternating. So it’s not just the macarena without music, it’s a brain massage using one side then the other. Now, if you were standing and you do this, you need would move. But we could do with sitting just to demonstrate, take your left hand, touch your right knee and right hand and touch your left knee alternating again, If you’re stating the knee will move. So both sides of your brain will be active. Perfect, grab your son like I am in your head and say this like you mean it. I feel great. Yes, good. They are great. I don’t believe you. They have to feel great. Great house, you’re great. That’s how you’ll feel later. I feel great. That’s not what you want. I feel great.
Let’s go. Come on you if you do it. Yeah, I have right now. Is that I work in a business centre. It’s important that it’s sincere. You can’t lie to your brain. Okay, we’re gonna do three Saturdays, starting at my speed first slowly six times each time. Ready. one. Do with me too. Three for 56 123 456. How do you feel? I feel great. I feel marvellous. You got to get that energy going. Okay, let’s do it to get a little faster ready. 123456123456. How do you feel? I feel great I feel yes. Okay, marvellous is fine. Who go as fast as you can now if you’re standing, don’t be near a table, you bang your knees ready? 123456123456.
How do you feel? I feel great. Yes. Perfect. Now you know what happens when you do this? Sweet. Thanks Thomas. I do not know nothing. Now you probably find something. So let me show you how that works. You have a Pablo. If he rang a bell? He said the dog, he rang a bell. He said the dog did. She rang about what happened with dog drove. You don’t want to draw, you do want to feel great, you want to be in an important business meeting, stand up and start tapping your shoulders. People will think something is very off If you do this every day for 90 days, the new studies show habits take 90 days, that’s 30 every day. So now you’re in that important meeting and you need that energy. You’re kind of fading. You’ve had that happen, grab your and say to yourself, I feel great, yes. And your brain remembers every time you did it. You stimulated the left brain, the right brain both sides.
And you wake up. So this is the stimulus, this is the bell grabbing your thumb as you are about and no one knows you’re doing it. But you and you can create all kinds of important states, focus, concentration, relaxation, things that are critical of business, breakthrough creativity. So you can anchor it’s called anchoring a positive emotional state. Here’s a question for our business people, what emotions do people need to have to successfully do what you’re telling them and what emotions can get in the way. And what are you doing to help create? That we realise now that most of the failures you’ve had after giving good information there in the wrong state of mind to do it correctly. And if they weren’t in that right state of mind no matter how much good information you gave them, it didn’t work and then they’re disappointed and you’ve lost the customer and a referral. So EQ skills very, very important.
And I want to tell you why I was emphasising the state. the longest running show in history Was Joe Franklin. Joe Franklin had a 50 year run as an individual, not a number of hosts on one show, just him. And I was on the last three weeks of that 50 year run and I had a chance during this commercial break to ask him a secret. It’s a joke. Tell Me, How did you break the world record your on 50 years? How did you do it? What’s your secret? And he told me, he said sincerity And when you can fake that you can do anything. I want you to know. No one can fake sincerity for 50 years. I don’t care how good an actor you are. You gonna be in Richard Burton It could have been the greatest accurate history. Olivia. Not 50 years. No one can fake it for 50 years. You have to be true to yourself. If you don’t feel great when you do that, you won’t feel great when you need it.
That was why I was pushing, I was trying to put that state to work. Do you have any questions on what I just covered? Well I was going to ask you about. Is this does this come from? NLP. Did you did you study to see? Yes I did. In fact let me recommend the book to our business audience. That’s a the best NLP book ever written on sales and marketing. It’s unlimited selling power by Donald Moines M. O. I. N. E. S. You’ll find it on Amazon unlimited selling power. If you’re in business you need to influence people to make the good decisions they need to make. Now there’s an ecology. This your mom said eat your vegetables. It wasn’t to hurt you. I’m not trying to sell cocaine or heroin. I’m trying to help people make more money by getting smarter and I’m giving them a total satisfaction guarantee. So I’m not doing unethical things encouraging them to say yes I’m trying to get them to make a decision that will make their lives better.
And most of you have things you do to make people’s lives better and hesitating. You need to overcome that to get them to make the decision that will help them. And Donald Moines writes these NLP based scripts. He’s a PhD and they’re fantastic. They’ll adapt to any company or business. So I highly red and that’s not something you get paid for. It’s a good book and you’re right. N. O. P. Is essential if you haven’t heard of it? You need to if you’re in business it’s the key the business success. Do you ever watch the commercial? He said I gotta have that. That was NLP you didn’t know what there’s a meta program going on. Can I do a demo on that? I’m going to control your mind right now. I’m telling you everyone listening, I’m going to control your mind. There’s nothing you can do to stop me even though you know I’m about to do it. You can’t stop me. Don’t think of mickey mouse drinking a coca cola. What? What popped in your head? A pink elephant mickey mouse drinking a Coca Cola.
Now imagine in business writing, copy advertising, copy letters, critical letters. Having that power to give people the direction their mind needs to go in towards making that decision to use you in your service. Can you see how powerful that could be? And this is not taught in business schools, But the people who are very successful, I sold $65 million dollars’ worth of one of my programs on a commercial. I understood the power of language and how to use it correctly and I did it with a good intention. I was trying to help them not hurt them. I knew that the worst cases they get smarter. I think people could live with. That. I wasn’t trying to take advantage of them. I was trying to make their lives better. As long as you know what you’re doing is good for people not just for you. It’s okay when you start manipulating people into making bad decisions that are good for you but bad for them that that I’m not on board with.
So we covered E. Q. Before I move on to memory I’ll let you ask any questions you might have. Well one of the questions on my list was because I mean I can see the large number of books in the background. I wanted to know how you’ve applied this skill. So I think I’m comfortable in saying that having this skill would be hugely beneficial. How has it been beneficial to you? I’m gonna give you a very specific example right out of my program. Now I’m doing this 35 years in in the beginning. I used to a lot of live programs around the country and most speakers during lunch where do they go? They disappear. I never did that. I invited my audience to go to lunch with me for two reasons. I wanted to find out what was confusing them and what they liked. So I can make my program better. Doesn’t matter what I think that is what they think they’re, the customer is more important than the than the person doing the marketing. And I asked them and some people I had a part of the program and they learned how to read backwards and a lot of people said I just don’t get it.
And a lot of people have trouble going from normal reading the fast rating. What would happen is when you’re reading there’s a voice in your head saying words what at the time when I’m reading I’m seeing movies like when you’re in a car, everything’s visual front, back left and right 73 in the U. S. 70 miles an hour. About 120 I think in metric. And your brain is processing in every direction and listen to the radio and talking to people. And the book is to in your words a minute you don’t remember anything the next day because in the book you’re listening to the words and then a real life situation you’re seeing we’ll turn on that part of your brain that can do that. I have to get you confused as you’re getting confused. The part of your brain that’s been reading can process it’s overwhelmed. So the brain looks for another way to do it And it goes to the part of the brain that can do it after about 1520 minutes. Takes a little time to get it confused enough that it searches for a different pathway.
Well for years people would say I got so confused. I gave up. I’m a doctor. I’m not understanding anything. I’m reading. No because you’re not reading the way you used to and you still got reading the new way you’re in between. So they say it’s too it’s not gonna work. I’m a lawyer. I’m a doctor. My business man. I really need to learn and I’m not learning anything. And once they felt that way I couldn’t fix it, they’ve already put a block up in their mind that this doesn’t work to waste of my time and a waste of my money. How did I fix that? You’re going to see carefully because this solution is very powerful and it works in business as well, other businesses. So now knowing that’s the problem is not that they can’t do it, but they believe they can’t do it and that’s bad. So I tell them at the beginning I’m going to confuse you on purpose certain point. Turn on the part of your brain that can do this and in order for it to turn on any of you confused. And for the first time in your life you seem carefully, the more confused you get you can relax because you know it’s working. It’s supposed to confuse you to switch this part of your brain line, enjoy it.
This is the first time. Getting confused with a good thing And it’s very temporary. It’s only a couple of minutes. And because you permitted yourself to stay in a confused state for a very short time you’ll read 100-400% faster for the rest of your life without confusion. So let’s begin now and relax as you begin to get confused. Well this is a hypnotic induction. I was about to ask. I’m forward pacing them. I’m showing them the outcome. I’m explaining honestly what’s transpiring in their brain. They literally, I’m not lying to them. This is what’s going on. And this is why it’s going on and this is why it has to go on for you to reach that next level, you have to make a change and while the changes happening before it takes place, this confusion and that’s what means it’s working. It’s the confusion that turns it on. So people realised that this was not a bad thing, but part of the process accepted it.
I was honest with them, You’re gonna feel a little uncomfortable for about 10 minutes because nothing seems to be working. But that’s good. It’s not supposed to seem to be working, that’s why it works. And that’s the truth. And knowing it ahead of time before they got upset before they got confused. Before they gave up and telling them. And you can relax and saying it that way. You can relax. That doesn’t relax. You, you can relax as you experience this confusion, knowing that means you’re going to succeed and what happened after that is nobody had a problem. They relaxed and once they relax, that emotional block that could have prevented them from succeeding, disappeared. Think of how many businesses there’s a stage where people get nervous or anxious or confused and you didn’t say anything what happens? They get frustrated. They give up.
They stopped trying. You can fix that with EQ skills. That’s what I’m demonstrating. It made $65 million dollars making that simple change. So I’m gonna say that was a good change for me to make and I’m sure that many and by the way I help companies, I’m working right now with Mr Q. O. L. Talk later, he’s in, he’s in the United Kingdom is one of my business partners and I’m working with companies in England and around the world, especially with him. So yeah, this is learning bill. This could be taught towards company and they can incorporate it into their business and marketing strategies to make more money. Great answer, very thorough. Thank you. Would you like memory? Would you have another question 1st? I do have other questions, but you go point number four, you go for it. Okay, again, it’s your show. I try to be respectful of a host, I think you’re very respectful. I appreciate tell that to my wife. I have a funny stuff. I tell you my first marriage was a storybook marriage of what she’s Stephen King wrote the book.
Yeah, but my wife now is wonderful. She’s the nicest person. I know, but she says you talk a lot. That’s why I make a living when I was a mute, I wouldn’t be making a living. Yeah, okay, I’m gonna teach you memory. These people say, Hey, you read 80 pages a minute. You remember anything? Yeah, I remember a lot remember books I read 50, 60 years ago. Really well. So can you and I’m going to give you a technique now. I’m gonna give you 10 things to remember and those in our audience do this with me. It’s in your act, it makes it more fun. You want to remember polls, shoes, try school, car, glove gun, dice, skate, cat, bowling pins. Is it safe to say? You don’t know all 10 backwards and forwards effortlessly at this stage? You will in three minutes. Not only will you know it, it will be effortless and you can go backwards forwards or anywhere in between, but no effort. This is so simple.
You literally can teach this to three year olds, literally The 2, 2 strategies. one, You remember 10% of what you read. That’s a fact, 90% of what you say and do what I’m about to do is not an exercise. It’s a tool. You will use this forever in your businesses. So when I ask you to say and do to lock it in and be able to empower yourself with this tool, please do that 2nd. The technique, the ancient Greeks discovered thousands of years ago, shortcut for list memorisation. Take a list. You know, it’s hanging in your brain. What do you do with hangers, you hang things on it and you take the list, you’re learning and hang it. I’m gonna bet everyone watching us today, including you can count to 10. I feel confident that I’m right And we’re going to use 10 numbers that you know that are in your brain to learn 10 things super-fast.
Are you ready? Really? Number one looks like a pole like a flagpole or lamp. Oh, So when I say one you say pole. Oh excellent. To his shoes. That’s how many shoes you wear. What’s 2? What was 1? Pole three is a tricycle. Three wheels tricycle. What’s three tricycle? What’s 2? Shoes? That’s one. Oh, getting smarter. You’re learning the system is for a car. There are four tyres on a car. What’s for car to go to to choose one. Pole three tricycle and I saw you looking for your pictures. That’s how the DreamWorks and if you make a mistake, that’s how you learn. Also rehearsal five is a glove. How many things here in a glove? five. What’s 5 gloves? Three tricycle one. Perfect 6 gun.
They love them in Texas where they live there. I didn’t have one, but the cowboys are like six guns. What six did you say guns? Yes. Yeah. Again, I don’t have what they did was given Texas. Sure four has it already gone car. There you go to shoes and the more you do that, the easier to get your reinforcing it. Seven is lucky in the game of dice to hit seven. You win. What? Seven, dice? Five. Given you a clue glove. Three tricycle wine Poll Rhymes work. Say eight. Skate eight escaped. What was it? Skate six. What did they love in Texas guns or car? She’s Done nine. That’s how many lives a cat has. So nine is a cat. What’s nine cat? There was lucky. And what game? Nice five is a glove three years earlier.
Tricycle one is a pope. Last 1, 10 you have a bowl. How many pins are into the lane? 10 Bowling Pins. What’s 10 Pins which do the list you couldn’t do together. Now everyone one poll who choose three tricycle four car five glove, six Texas guns. Devon’s lucky in dice eight rhymes with skate, nine is a know what nine is what kind of Okay. And 10. Last thing. Perfect. Now here’s how to use it to speed learn numbers which are big in business. Really big. Let’s imagine you went to a conference your in room 314 by the time you in the lobby. How many times did you forgot what room you were with? Is that you remember? Numbers? Numbers are hard. Pictures are easy. Every number has a picture now and the zero is the temple in Peds.
So three is a tricycle. What is the Pope for is a car? Picture? This a tricycle. It’s a poll on a car. A tricycle. It’s a poll on a car tricycle. What number 3? 1, 5, right, we went for. Try to keep old car. That would be try school poll glove you want. Four. Yeah. Now 3.1 for his pie in geometry. So I teach us to kids for math and science and history and businesses, percentages, due dates, product skew numbers that are confusing. room numbers anywhere. There’s a number. Each number is a picture, string them together in an interesting movie. When you play the movie converts back to the number. Now you’re not a speed learn of this. Thank you. I don’t think anyone’s tested me as much as you have on the, on the application of things. So I appreciate that doing is more interesting than listening and I try to make my images, but I’ve learned if people are engaged and having fun and they’re learning, they remember it because they enjoyed it.
When we just talk, they don’t enjoy it. They don’t remember because it wasn’t fun. Well there you go. That’s another learning point, right? So a complete side um, change of subject here. What’s it like working with Justin Timberlake is the world record speed reader. I strongly endorse this product. So you can read hundreds of books on this. I just did, how did too, No, I didn’t. Um, I don’t sing as well as him. well he has three bodyguards. I didn’t have any, I got, I don’t actually have a funny story about that by, but when we got to the studio there was a big sign on the front of the studio say no autographs, no pictures. That was very considerate of that. I won’t be swamped today. All these people wanting my autograph and pictures. I’d like to think working with me was the high point in his career and Peyton manning. But I suspect they may have had a different way of looking at their life accomplishments and my one day with them wasn’t the high point in their career, but it was delightful.
He was a nice man. He was polite, he was fun to work with. Its, that’s one of the lovely parts of my work. I need people like that and interact with them. And I met Ron Howard’s from Happy Days, the producer and I get to meet them and talk with them and they actually want to talk to me and I do feel that’s a privilege. It’s nice to be around people like that and share things with them. I feel very, I take it as I feel fortunate that I’ve been hearing those opportunities. I don’t take them for granted. Yeah, well, I guess people are regardless of who they are, people are interested in what you do. So you must be doing something right? Well, I just want to make it clear, I’m not brad Pitts better looking twin brother, people have asked me, but if you look my hair is shorter, that’s how you tell us apart. Otherwise, I mean the paparazzi, I go outside, it’s everywhere. You know, he meets the reading guy is here, I mean, just you’d be amazed at the, at the groupies for reading.
It’s everywhere you go. I’m surrounded by beautiful women who want me to be. It’s a tough life. But unfortunately that hasn’t happened. It might, might be a more logical society. If that were the case, I guess it’s better, in a way, look, john Lennon was really famous. It didn’t work out well. So there’s another side to the story which I don’t need a bodyguard and nobody’s coming after me because they think they’re being So that’s kind of another side. I could actually have a real life. It’s still when I’m on stage, people who know me when I’m walking in the street, who cares? There’s another troubled guy. well, I said I was going to ask you about the Fox News interview, literally the world’s fastest reader. Howard Berg, He is going to be able to tell us what is in that and whether it solves our ages long health care crisis. Whoa! He’s done. He is done.
Howard! Congratulations. Thank you very much for the better part of this hour. I know champ, I know you want to take a breather or maybe someone get him some water. Maybe vodka might be in order at this point, but I was slightly intrigued about the limitations of what it is that you do. Um, and if there are any, because I mean, that was a, that was a significant task you took on and I’m talking as though everyone can you give a bit of background about what you were doing for those that haven’t Seen the yes, I read the 1500 page health care bill in 15 minutes now, it was on Cavuto. A lot of your audience probably familiar with him, pretty well known in the business community as an expert. And he told me I was like the eighth person you call and everyone said it was impossible. No one could read it and tell them what was in it. And I said I could do it. He said, well you can do it, They said I’m the fastest in the world, but I can actually do what I talk about and I just talk about it.
So I read 50 of the 1500 pages, it’s about a page and a half a second In 15 minutes and did an analysis. Here’s some backstory and this will be happy to share. When I was younger, after I finished I did a by psychic bio program, I start interested in the consciousness, not just the biology of the brain consciousness. I studied yoga, I studied all seven schools, I went to Yogi Bhajan and I learned to meditate and we flat before I do an important show like reading 1500 pages in 50 minutes. I meditated for over an hour now. I’m gonna be reading a page and a half a second or have a headset on. He’s interviewing people who are interesting like Pelosi at that time John Boehner cantor much more intriguing than the health care bill, which is boring. It’s a legal document and if I’m listening to them, I’m not reading and I’m going to look at the total idiot and he asked me what you read.
I don’t know. But I heard a great Pelosi was really interesting. That wasn’t what I was there for my troubles to read the bill. So I have to be so focused. So if I missed three seconds it’s five pages that’s a lot have to be so focused that nothing distracts me from my task. The meditation helps me to get that singularity that intense focus. But when he says Howard, I gotta stop and answer questions like you ask questions. So I have to be focused enough to turn out everything. But when my name is asked, break my state and answer a question and the way I did that is through meditation and learning how to control the flow and focus of my mind which is some of what I teach people to do because it’s very critical and in business it’s essential to stay focused. Those things that make us upset that disrupt us the contradictory to what we feel and you still got to do business.
So it’s really, really important is for business not to lose it to stay on task regardless of what the world is doing or the people around you, your job is to do the best you can regardless of conditions. And that’s one of the, I talked about EQ, this is EQ learning to stay on target on, on focus right now. I’ve been hired by a law firm. I can’t, it’s a non-disclosure, but what I am doing, I’m reading a million pages. They’re doing a lawsuit that involves very technical, biological, medical information and it’s, it’s a lot of it is in legalese and someone has to read the million pages and find which of the matter to the case. They don’t won’t matter. Some of them will be critical to winning and others will be superfluous. They do this for companies, they speed me through when they have a big project. They have a ton of material, they need someone to abstracted for them so they could get it done.
They don’t want to read a million pages. They want me to read it and then tell them, okay, what did you learn? What are we supposed to do? That’s part of what I do. So, I’m doing this right now for a very big law case. A multimillion dollar case. Again, I can’t talk about details because that would be unethical, but I can tell you what I am doing. And I will read million pages and probably a week and a half and then tell them this is the this is the material you want the case. This is not relevant? It’s relevant for other purposes but not for what your goal and objective is in the courtroom. That’s one of the jobs I do with companies. Well if it’s a million pages I mean presumably you know you’re doing breaks and that sort of thing. So yeah I’m not a machine. Every human being. Yes I take breaks, I take naps. That’s so important. When you’re doing that you got to cool off the brain. You’re going to page and a half a second for an hour, an hour and a half.
You gotta stop because at some point your brain is like that’s enough to give me a break. But you know what was going to say is there’s basically there’s no limit to within reason. Obviously, there’s no limit to like a certain number you can retain. well I told you I read 48 bio Books and three nights it was like plant systematics, genetic cell physiology, biochemistry. I used to see that fairly technical material. I don’t think anyone say that’s like reading that’s like the Lord of the Rings. No it’s pretty technical. I took the G. R. A. And I got three questions wrong without an 800. I was in the 99% top in the world. They may be in the G here’s a good question: was that Howard with the system? That’s a big difference. Am I the savant or is the system What matters? So I taught this to Children aged 11-15. Those are normal people, 11-15. And they did a 30 chapter book In Lifelong developmental psychology, a sophomore college course.
There were 11 years old in one week And they took the ap test started and added 18, 15 of them passed the course for full college credit in a single week. What does it tell you? It’s not just that I can do it. It’s learn herbal, everything I’m describing and talking about companies can use imagine Like Ruth Read three books in three hours the day after I taught her. Now imagine Thomas every businessperson in the UK learned a new skill every day. They could reduce a one hour and they learned Photoshop and the next day they learned how to write a sales letter. The next day they learned about NLP every day For 10, 15, 20 years. What would that do to that company’s bottom line and their productivity and the competitiveness. That’s what I’m doing. That’s where it comes into business. People don’t think about it. But it’s the reading of information that’s going to keep you ahead of the competition.
Okay, can you give a quick story on that? Yeah, about 10 years ago I was lecturing on cruise ships and my wife wanted to go to Hawaii and if she married you listen to your wife. So I called up and said why do the cruise to Hawaii? They said, well they don’t want speed reading writing. That sucks. What do they want? I want speaking right? This is what we want. Someone to teach Photoshop video and photography. And my answer was I do that. Did I do that? No. Was I lying? No, because I know I learned fast and I knew by the time I went on the cruise, I know it And I did. So I read 10 books on Photoshop in three hours because I read fast And I believe you read 10 books. You’re an expert if you understand what you read Next day with 10 books on photography And the next day 10 books on video. So I get to the cruise and I’m like, please God let these people not know what a camera is. You know that you mean they don’t use film. How do they take pictures without film? That was my perfect audience, 90 years old.
You know what a camera is today. That was my dream. The first person walks into the seminar. I’m a photographer. 38 years professional. I came here to learn how to take pictures from you. They’re like, okay. The second guy comes in. I’ve been doing Photoshop five years. It’s really hard. It came to learn it from you. I hear you were an expert and my wife sitting in the front crying. They said if I didn’t do it, they throw us off the boat, not in the water when we got the shore and they did they did throw people off the chef that didn’t do their job. So for a week of teaching these people how to take pictures, how to use Photoshop, how to do video at the end of the week. How many years did you study to learn that? I learned last week in three hours. I wanted a free cruise to Hawaii, that’s the benefit. Everyone watching. Imagine if you can learn Photoshop in three hours instead of four years. Were NLP for sales and marketing skills or new breakthroughs in your industry.
What would that do to your bottom line if you not only learn it but remembered it, understood it, it could use it. That’s what I do. That’s how I help companies make money. Well you’ve been a fantastic guest and provided a lot of amazing information. So I’m gonna enjoy re watching this one. I appreciate that. That’s very kind. Except when I got the car and the five wrong. I won’t enjoy that. Normal. That’s normal. That’s normal. Don’t beat yourself up. That’s how the brain learns when you make a mistake and you do it again? You’re rehearsing just like a guitar player. They rehearsed typist. They rehearse. That’s how you learn. You did nothing wrong. That’s the way the brain works. Howard what your goals. I like helping people. I mentioned I was a Yogi when I was younger. I believe I’ve been given a gift. I don’t think reading any pages a minute. That’s a gift. I mean, I earned it. I worked hard for it, but I still see it as a gift.
And you watch the news, I watch. Do you think there’s too many smart people in the world? That’s our biggest challenge right now. It appals me. What’s going on in our planet and the ignorance, illiteracy? Go and look at my country right now. It’s like this. I never seen it. And I feel I have a responsibility. These kids that are growing up today, our Children, they’re inheriting a mess. Global warming, exploding deficits, diseases. My feeling is we got to make them smart enough to fix some of the problems we’re giving. You have to give people the skills they need to stay employed to be able to keep their jobs. Look at black buster outsmarted everyone. What truck trainloads of DVDs and put every competitor out of business to another company said we don’t need stores, we could do it in the mail and they went bankrupt. If you’re in business and you’re making money today, don’t count on that working tomorrow. Look at Sears and JC Penney and you know what happened, Jeff Bezos is using their business model.
He took the catalogues that made them wealthy in the late 1800s and 1900s and put it online. He’s the richest man in the world and they’re going bankrupt. He used their business strategy, you cannot rely and what works today to make you successful tomorrow. The only way to stay competitive is to keep learning and not be comfortable with where you are. But always try to move forward to the next big thing before anyone else does because someone else will do it. So my purpose is to help people do that. I feel that’s my calling, helped Children get higher grades and get smarter so they can solve problems in the future. We’re giving to them how businesses prosper in the knowledge economy and help us Seniors statement I’m 72, Help our Seniors stay mentally fit. I feel mentally like I’m 20, I’m writing, I’m lecturing, I’m creating, I challenged myself every day with something that’s complicated and hard to keep my brain working like an exercise.
And that’s what business people today must do two main competitive because if you don’t, your competitor will and then you’re gonna be out of business and that’s a reality. Everyone has to wake up to. So for people who do want to know more and maybe do you do consulting, type, consult a tutor, a mentor. I can do, I become a reader like a C. L. O. For a company. Give me what you need to know. Tell me the information it needs to be learned. I’ll learn it, I’ll condense it and I’ll explain it to you. They can meet me at berglearning.com, that’s B E R G learning.com or email me Howard@Berg learning.com. And I love working with people and I love helping people. My greatest joy had a 19-year-old passed the bar in California. The 16-year-old graduated with a 4.0 economics degree. Masters in math at 19397 Yale Professor C student at 1122 year old English professor.
That’s just the young people and I love doing that. It makes me feel I’m doing something with my life that’s changing the world for the better. And I don’t think there’s anything better than to know that your life is counting for something and not just for you. So I love helping people. I hope some of the people listening will give me that opportunity and not only help you, but help your kids. That’s the same skill you’re learning to make money they’ll use in school. The difference is what they read, not what how they read. They read a bio book you read a spreadsheet. Reading is reading, learning is learning what you read and learn might change, but how it starts is identical and we all win that more people are doing the best they can, everybody wins. I can’t do it myself, but I’m a rotary president. I volunteer a lot. Third world countries that have more money like morality to help. They can’t buy anything, they can’t even buy food we’re gonna buy a reading for. So I volunteered because that’s what we’re supposed to do was supposed to help.
And I hope some of our audience will do that and if they hire me, I’ll donate my reading program to a school for free. As a thank you present for the school because I think lots of schools today have no money and a lot of those kids can’t afford to learn my programme, but we can still get it in their hands. So I use a company that hires me to sponsor it to a school. And that way I paid forward like a good Rotarian and that’s what I do visit ecology to it. We can all make a better world. If we help each other instead of competing with each other, we help each other. And that’s my hope and I hope that I’ve gotten that message across today.
A very positive note to end on Howard Berg. Thanks very much.
I’m delighted to be here. Thank you.