Page 65 - How to Develop A SUPER-POWER MEMORY

How to Train Your Observation 69
members of his cast suddenly burst in front of the cameras,
enacting a wild, violent scene. Some shots were fired
(blanks, of course), clothes were torn, and so on. The
whole thing lasted perhaps a minute. Then Mr. Allen had
three members of the audience come up to attempt to
answer some pertinent questions about the scene. He asked
how many shots were fired, who was shooting at whom,
color of clothing, etc. All the answers varied and nobody
seemed quite sure of anything. As a matter of fact, when
Steve asked Skitch Henderson (who had fired the shots)
how many shots he had fired—Skitch wasn't too sure
himself.
Of course, you can't go around looking for violent scenes
to observe—but, you can practice in this way:—Think of
someone whom you know very well. Try to picture his or
her face; now see if you can describe the face on paper.
List everything you can possibly remember. Go into detail
—list color of hair and eyes, complexion, any or all out-
standing features, whether or not they wear glasses, what
type of glasses, type of nose, ears, eyes, mouth, forehead,
approximate height and weight, hairline, on which side is
the hair parted, is it parted at all, etc., etc. The next time
you see this person, check yourself. Note the things you
didn't observe and those you observed incorrectly. Then
try it again! You will improve rapidly.
A good way to practice this is in a subway or bus, or any
public conveyance. Look at one person for a moment, close
your eyes and try to mentally describe every detail of this
person's face. Pretend that you are a witness at a criminal
investigation, and your description is of utmost importance.
Then look at the person again (don't stare, or you will be
in a criminal investigation) and check yourself. You'll find
your observation getting finer each time you try it.