Tony Buzan beliefs

His first belief was that an operations manual was needed for the human brain, not its medical functions, but the way it works. The next was that every human has a spark of genius within, but the problem was to ignite it. Tony’s third and final insight was his invention of the Mind Map, a tool for portraying thoughts, plans and ideas, which bypassed conventional academic norms.

Tony's Book of Accumulated Wisdom

Tony went on to write over 140 books , translated into 40 languages, as well as lecturing around the world and making numerous TV programmes about his ideas.

He was an enthusiastic player of mental games, such as chess and go, and a near Olympic standard rower on his favourite stretch of The Thames at Marlow, where he often skulled with Sir Steve Redgrave.

The Power of Memory

The perception that the Mind Map also promoted memory drew Tony towards the foundation of the world memory championship at London in 1991. This was won (for the first of eight times) by the dyslexic Dominic O Brien.

Growing from just eight entrants in 1991 to over three hundred entrants, the 2018 world championship was won by a 14-year-old Chinese girl, Wei Qinrun.

Both victors exemplified Tony’s belief that everyone possesses that immortal spark of genius, which merely awaits the right flame to set it in motion.

In Search of Genius

Tony found himself particularly at ease with kids, and one of his triumphs was the TV series In Search of Genius, in which Tony, on camera, took a class of wild school children and converted them over six programs into model pupils.

Tutor for Michael Jackson

In contrast, at the elite end of the spectrum, Tony once received a mysterious phone call inviting him first class, no expense spared, to a desert hideout in Bahrain; sworn to secrecy, Tony was greeted by none other than Michael Jackson, who asked Tony to teach mental literacy, mind mapping, memory and intelligent reading, to the megastar’s offspring.