If you believe that people who can memorize large amounts of information — such as a memorize a deck of cards or all the names of people in the room, have photographic memories or are just able to remember more than the average person, think again. The majority of them have average memories, but have learned memory improvement tips that allow them to appear to be geniuses.
There is a term memory training experts as well as memory performers use called “Visualization and Association.” Anyone who wants to have a great memory can learn this technique, and so if they want to improve their grades or do better at their job they simply have to practice what they learn until it becomes a habit.
Anyone, even small children, can learn visualization and association. As a matter of fact, you use it almost every day without realizing it. Now you can do better because you will consciously be associating things you take in through your senses (seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling and tasting) with something you know to help to remember it.
Most people are visual learners, meaning they remember things they see (images) better than something they are told or see on paper. An example would be the homes you have lived in over your lifetime. You can see the images of the houses or apartments in your head, even though you may not remember the house numbers or streets. Images stay in your head while abstract (or information) does not. With the visualization and association technique the abstract information will become as easy to remember as the images you see in your head.
This tip works because you will be training yourself to focus and concentrate on what you are trying to remember. You will be repeating what you want to remember over and over again so it gets locked in your head. If you can’t focus you won’t be able to remember. By creating mental images it sends a powerful message to your brain to keep it in your mind, and by repeating the message that goes along with the image it is like framing it and hanging it on the wall — it is there until you decide to take it down.
For example: When you meet someone for the first time and they tell you their name, repeat it back to them. By hearing it twice it makes it easier to remember. Then, take a facial feature and put it in your mind to associate that feature with the name. Repeat it over again in your mind until it become clear.
Keep in mind:
- Images stick in your mind easier than facts and information
- Making an image forces you to focus and concentrate
- Dwell on the image and the association, and repeat it until it becomes clear in your mind.
If you think this will take up too much time, think again. It actually saves you time because the more you practice this technique the easier it will become, and the faster you will get at it. In the long run your memory will be just as sharp as any memory expert.
My name is Ron White, and I am a two-time USA Memory Champion, memory training expert and memory keynote speaker.
iSources:
Memory Improvement Tips.com — The Best Memory Trick: http://www.memory-improvement-tips.com/best-memory-trick.html
College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University — Remembering what you read: http://www.csbsju.edu/academic-advising/help/remembering-what-you-read.htm
