RIP Tony Buzan - His Reaction to this was Priceless and Amazing

Tony Buzan has been one of my subtle icons for the past 38 years.

I first laid my hands on his Mind Mapping book when I was 12 years old. Within the covers of the BBC book, Tony shared what were then revolutionary ideas about study session times, using links and rhymes, and note taking using pictures instead of reams of words.

My Prized Tony Buzan Book – After 38 Years It Is Still My Favourite

I giggled like the schoolgirl I was when I got to the page of the book where he encouraged us to “be vulgar” in order to aid memory and long term recall. I never dreamed I would end up teaching the very thing I was so enamoured with back then.

Tony Buzan died on Saturday 13th April 2019.

I was lucky. I had a chance to tell him in person how much he changed and impacted my life. Today, at 50 years old I have been teaching Mind Mapping as part of my PhotoReading Workshops since 2002.

I still get great pleasure and joy from introducing people to the hidden depths of Mind Mapping and sharing unseen ways to use it for either studying and exams, creativity, or business.

Our First Meeting

I first met Tony Buzan around 2005 when we were both speaking at a big Expo at Kensington Olympia in London. I was there speaking on behalf of Here’s Health Magazine as one of their expert contributors.

Tony was on stage just before my Keynote. He did an experiment where he put a question to the audience and asked us to raise our hand if we did the seemingly ‘not the done thing’ he was referring to. Myself and one other person raised our hand in answer to his question.

There was a moment where we both gulped as it dawned on us ours were the only 2 hands raised in the auditorium.

After what seemed like ages Tony declared the 2 of us were correct and that he hoped everyone else would follow suit if they wanted to increase their capacity for learning. Phew! We all laughed.

The BIG Reaction

I met Tony a few years later at Memory event. I showed him this:

Tony Buzan Use Your Head photo — “I look about 12 years old!” Tony upon seeing the back cover photo

His reaction was lovely.

“Oh my GOODNESS!!!!!!!” He said at the top of his voice, at which point everyone in the room turned to see what had happened: “I haven’t seen a copy of in years! I didn’t think any still existed.”

He laughed and said he “looked about 12 years old” in that picture.

I told him it was one of my my prized books and treasured possessions which helped me in ways I couldn’t begin to describe to him. I asked if he would sign it for me which he very graciously did in fine Mind Mapping style: