As the proverbial “they” often say, if you want to really learn something, teach it. That goes for describing, explaining, and discussing it, too. So another way to firmly remember something is to describe it, explain it, discuss it, or teach it.
Think back to the times when you have been in a classroom or group discussion of some subject. You’ve read a book or article or seen a film or TV show that is up for discussion, and as you talk about it—particularly if you are the one doing the talking—you find you remember more. In fact, you may discover that you can remember much more than you originally thought you could, because as you talk about the subject, you trigger additional memories.
The same thing often happens when the police are talking to witnesses. As the witnesses are asked to describe more details about the incident they observed, what they say becomes clearer and more detailed in their mind. (Of course, you have to be careful about responding to leading questions, where a cop or a lawyer can actually put the details into your head. But as long as the questions are phrased in a general way to elicit more details from you—not suggest details to you—as you describe what you observed, you will see more.)
Thus, look for opportunities to describe and discuss with others something you want to remember, such as an experience you had or something you read or learned about. You also can imagine yourself doing an activity in your mind or you can perform in front of a mirror or recite into a tape recorder. You can use visualizations to help you as you describe, explain, discuss, or teach something. This technique also works well when combined with the all about me approach. Think about how this material is meaningful for you, not only for you personally, but how it might affect your community or society, and thereby impact on you as well.
Here are some techniques you can use to describe, explain, discuss, or teach to remember in different ways.
Here you report on what you experienced to friends, family members, or associates who are willing listeners. You can describe or explain to an individual or to a group of people. As you do, make your account as vivid and interesting as possible. If you get any questions, answer them as completely as possible.
If you don’t have a willing listener you can talk to, imagine you are telling someone. Imagine the person sitting in front of you, and talk to that person just as you would to a real person. Or if you prefer, imagine you are talking to a group of people. Preferably speak aloud, since this will help to further reinforce your memory, since you are speaking and using an auditory channel. But you can also do this mentally using both self-talk and visualizing yourself speaking to a person or group in your mind.
As an alternative to describing or explaining to a real or imaginary person or group, stand or sit in front of a mirror and describe or explain what you want to remember while you look in the mirror. Again, you can either speak aloud or imagine yourself speaking in your mind.
In this case, since there is no one else to ask questions, you can ask them yourself to create a dialogue and expand on your description or explanation. For instance, ask yourself questions like: “What else did you notice?” or “Can you explain more about how that happened?”
In this technique, imagine that you are an announcer on a TV show or radio program describing or explaining whatever you want to remember—from events and experiences to books, articles, films, TV shows, and lectures. Whatever it is, imagine that you are reporting on this as a news story, and as such, want to make it as dramatic and exciting as possible. For instance, you might start your description or explanation with a comment like: “And now this just in. Here’s some breaking news . . .” Then, go into your account.
Again, you can do this announcer technique either with a willing audience or you can imagine an audience seated before you, as you play announcer in your home or office. Then, speak aloud or imagine yourself speaking in your mind. While speaking aloud is preferable to make the experience more powerful for you, discretion may be the better part of valor: You don’t want to practice aloud if the people nearby are going to think you’re nuts.
Here you want to get a dialogue going, such as with a group that has either experienced the same event or has read or viewed the same material. The back and forth will help to not only imprint the original information on your mind, but you’ll have the reinforcement from the discussion and comments by others.
Alternatively, if you aren’t able to discuss things with someone else or in a group, use your imagination to create a discussion. Imagine that you are in a group or in a dialogue with someone sitting before you and have the discussion with this imaginary individual or group. As you do, you can go back and forth, stating your ideas as you then agree, amplify, question, or challenge, speaking as another person. Or imagine this discussion going on in your mind, where you are speaking first as you and then as another person.
Teaching is another great way to really learn and remember something. If you really are a teacher, you may, of course, be able to bring in something to teach and discuss, if it fits the subject matter of your class. Or if you can play the role of teacher in front of another person or a group, great! If you wish, invite questions and answer as completely as you can.
Otherwise, imagine you are a teacher, much as you might imagine being an announcer in the technique described above. Whatever you want to remember, imagine that you are in front of a class, teaching your students about what you have just learned. You can imagine yourself doing a demonstration to further illustrate what you are teaching in a more dramatic way. You can also imagine that your students are asking you questions, and then answer them.
While it is preferable to speak aloud to make the experience more powerful as in the announcer technique, you can also do this in your mind. Just see yourself playing the teacher, including doing demonstrations, asking for questions from students, and answering them—all in your mind’s eye.
Try experimenting with these different techniques in different formats—interacting in reality with others, imagining that you are interacting with others and speaking aloud, and visualizing your presentation and any interaction only in your mind. Then, notice what technique you prefer for remembering different types of information and rate how well you think you remembered what you were trying to describe, explain, discuss, or teach.
For example, you may prefer the “just tell it” approach for describing an experience, the “announcer” approach for talking about something you learned in the news, the “teacher” technique for something your read about, and so on. You should find that over time, your ability to describe, explain, discuss, or teach about something helps you remember details even more completely.
Use the chart on the following page to help you rate how well you are doing in using these different techniques for different purposes and in different formats. Rate your assessment of how well you remembered something from 1 (not so good) to 5 (doing great). Make additional copies of this form to rate these techniques at different times.
RATING THE TALK ABOUT IT TECHNIQUES | ||
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Technique Used | Type of Information (e.g., event, book, film) | Rating (from 1–5) |
Just Tell It | ||
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Mirror, Mirror | ||
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Announcer | ||
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Discuss It | ||
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Teach It | ||
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What is a memory group? It’s much like a study group, except you are not taking the same class and trying to learn the same material. When you are seriously trying to improve your memory, as the purchase of this book suggests you are, it can be extremely helpful to find a partner or several others who are interested in doing the same. This gives you a reciprocal supply of practice partners, and a group of people with whom you can practice your memory exercises.
Any of the previous techniques are ideal for sharing in a memory group. If you have one, take turns trying out these different techniques, while others listen as an audience and interact with you.