28
Training Your Memory
Introducing the Principles
M
emory-training techniques make the
most of the way the memory works
naturally. The techniques covered here
offer different ways of ordering information.
You can use them alone or in combination,
according to what is being learned.
ORGANIZING INFORMATION
For maximum efficiency and minimum loss of
information, it is vital to organize the information
you receive. Breaking down or arranging the
information into a simple pattern is an easy
first step toward organizing it. Put simply, if
your brain takes an active part in processing
the information in some way, it is more likely
to remember it accurately. Ways to encourage
your brain to engage actively with information
include concentrating harder and using your
visual and other senses to reorganize the data
into a more memorable format.
The way to improve your memory is to learn specific
techniques. Build on this foundation, and you will be able
to take your memory performance to any level you choose.
Training
Your Memory
Making visual patterns
Look at these two sets of dots. There are
16 dots in each set. The dots on the left
are randomly ordered, while those on the
right are arranged as four rows of four.
By rearranging the dots into a logical
pattern, you make it much easier for
the brain to deal with them.
●
Develop a solid bedrock
of memory-training
techniques—all future
skills will be built on this.
FOCUS POINT
IMPROVING CONCENTRATION
Concentration is an essential habit to develop
when you are using any memory technique.
Compare your recollection of a television show
you watched while doing something else at the
same time with your recall of a show on which
you concentrated fully. In the first case, it is likely
to be less accurate and detailed than in the second.
Teach yourself to concentrate more by imagining
that you will be asked questions later. Try this out:
listen to the radio and then answer questions set
by a friend. This process of reviewing information
after initial learning is also
vital to improving memory.
Introducing the Principles
29
Radio turned off
Concentrates
solely on
book
USING YOUR SENSES
Sight and hearing are the senses most used in
learning. Develop your seeing and hearing so that
they become more acute. Artists “see” 30 percent
more than the average person because they are
used to looking at things in more detail and from
a different perspective. To improve your senses,
make a conscious effort to notice detail. Spend
one day observing the color of people’s eyes,
for example, and the next what type of nose or
ears they have. Listen carefully to their voices—
do they have an accent or a favorite phrase?
•
Organization is as essential
to your memory as it is
to running an office.
•
Organization in itself
increases memory retention.
•
We all have the ability
to concentrate well.
•
Your senses can be trained
to notice more detail.
•
A multisensory approach
to learning is effective in
improving memory.
At a Glance
Being focused
Complete concentration is
necessary for total recall.
When you are reading
and want to memorize
the material, you cannot,
for example, listen to
the radio as well.
●
To heighten all your
senses, imagine what
something smells, tastes,
and feels like, as well as
how it sounds and looks.
FOCUS POINT
USING LOCATIONS
Think about how you sometimes mentally retrace
your steps when you have lost something and are
trying to remember where you last had it. This is
something your brain does naturally, and is the
key to an important memory-training technique.
The “journey” technique uses a route through a
series of familiar locations, such as rooms in your
house or office, and places into each location a
mental image of one of the pieces of information.
This allows you to recall in a particular order.
30
Training Your Memory
CREATING IMAGES
The foundation on which all
memory-skills training is based
is creating mental images from
the information that you are
learning. The most memorable
images are the ones that are
completely out of the ordinary.
Use Image Creation Principles
to embellish the image, making
it unique and unforgettable.
As your eye for detail improves,
you will find it becomes easier
to make your images vivid.
Creating wacky images
Here, “beach ball” is made more
memorable by turning it into something
that has movement, fantasy, and humor.
Make it weird
See it tall,
wide, deep
Introduce an
element of fantasy
Image Creation Principles
Make it move
Make it huge
Make it colorful
Exaggerate all
or part of it
Add something
that makes
you laugh
Add bright
color to monotone
images
Make it humorous
Make it 3D
Animate an
inanimate object
●
Help your brain by
linking new information to
something already familiar.
●
When you create an
image, apply as many
of the Image Creation
Principles as possible.
FOCUS POINTS
Introducing the Principles
31
STORING INFORMATION
Organization is the key to successful
management of information in many areas
of life. Libraries are a good example: without
a sorting and encoding system to organize the
books, a library could not function at all. Most
offices have an efficient filing system whereby
any information that may be needed at a later
date is put in a folder, which is placed in a
filing cabinet. Memory techniques do the same
for your mind whenever you receive new pieces
of information. They create a framework—
patterns, for instance, or locations—into which
you place information for future recollection.
This will give your memory the chance to
process and store information in the way
that will facilitate the most efficient recall.
USING
ASSOCIATIONS
Your brain loves to form links
between pieces of information,
building up a repertoire of
associations. When your brain
receives new information, it
searches in your long-term
memory for something the
same or similar so that it can
“understand” what it is. This
happens in an instant and is
not a conscious process.
Creating associations is very
helpful in improving memory.
By actively creating a personal
link for your brain to hook on
to, you give your memory
something to work with,
helping it to retrieve it later.
Practicing association skills
Play association games—perhaps on car journeys: ask your
companions what is the first thing they think of when you give
them a word. This speeds up the process of making associations,
a technique that helps to improve memory.
Filing information
Just like a filing cabinet, your memory
works most efficiently when information
is sorted and stored in a logical way.
Places papers
needed for
future reference
into folders
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