There are many different
ways in which a person can help themselves improve their memory. In this particular chapter of the book, we will be looking
at Mnemonic devices (the initial “M”
in this word is silent).
These particular devices
help a person by providing them with clues in order for them to remember something. In most cases, a person will associate
the information that they are trying
to remember with either a visual image, a sentence or with a particular word.
The most common types of
mnemonic devices are as follows:-
Visual Images
It is important that a
person uses positive and pleasant images, as the brain will
often block out those which they find to be unpleasant. Also, make them as vivid, colorful as well as three dimensional,
as this makes it all the easier for you to remember
them.
Words
initial of what it is you
are trying to remember. There are millions of musicians
around the world who used the sentence “Every good
boy does fine” in order that they could memorize the
lines of the treble staff. The first letters of each word in the above sentence represent the notes E, G, B, D and F. Also
you will find that medical students, in
order to learn the groups of nerves, bones and other features of the human body, will use nonsense sentences in order
that they retain the information much
more easily, as well as being able to recall it when required.
Acronyms
This is where a person will
use initials when then creating a pronounceable word. For
example musicians will remember the spaces between the lines on the treble staff by saying the word “face” which stands for the other notes F, A, C and E.
Rhymes and Alliteration
When I was younger, we
learned the rhyme “30 days hath September, April, June and November. But all the rest hath 31 except for February alone.” So why not use this in the same way for other things, such as if you are trying to recall a co-workers name? By providing symbolization to them, you should be able to recall their name without any problems. For example, suppose you work with a guy called Mike, who
happens to be a little funny, you can try
remembering him as “Mad Mike”.
Jokes
Use these to remember facts,
figures and names. Often, people find it easier to remember things which are
either funny or weird, rather than something
which is a little more ordinary.
Chunking Information
With this mnemonic device you will arrange a long list of information into smaller
groups or sections,
making them much easier to remember. Often people find that it is much easier to remember their Social Security
number once they have
arranged it into much smaller groups of digits, say 3 or 4 in each group, rather than trying to remember the whole 9
digits together.
Loci Method
This is both a very ancient and effective way for a person to remember a lot of
information, say for example, a speech that they will be giving. What you need to do with this method is
associate each part of what it is you
have to remember with a particular landmark
or spot on a route that you know
very well, for example, the route you use each day to get to work.
Exercise your Brain
This is probably one of the best ways of improving your memory. Unfortunately, the
less you use your brain,
then the more chances you will have of being unable to retain information. So if you can, exercise it as much as possible and you will soon find that you are not only able to process information better, but also find it much easier
to remember the information as well.
There are now computer games available both for your PC and many of the handheld computers, such
as Game Boy and
PSP, which are specifically designed to help exercise the brain. One of the most common of these that is regularly
advertised both on TV, in magazines and online is the “Dr Brain Game”.
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