Learning How To Learn
In school, we are generally taught to memorize material and remember it for an exam. You might remember spending hours doing this at university, but we now know that it’s an extremely inefficient way to learn: our brains are simply not made for this kind of rote memorization. It is much more useful to spend some time with a subject in a creative way. Try to understand the ideas behind what the paragraphs are saying and make meaningful connections between them. You will not only remember the material much better; you will become an expert in new fields quickly.
The Loci Method
This system was developed by the ancient Greeks, who used it to memorize their long speeches. You can also use it to memorize the bullet-points for your business presentations or a daily or weekly to-do list. The method involves thinking of a familiar room in your house or walking route that you take. Think of the first object you see in your location — it could be the front door — now think of your presentation’s first point. Perhaps it’s an introduction to Creative Office Solutions. Picture the front door covered in colorful paint with the word office writing across it in bold letters. When you need to think of the introduction, just think of the door.
Lists Are Fundamental
Are you the sort of person who thinks you don’t have a good memory? Perhaps you struggle to remember details of facts in meetings or while giving a presentation. The good news is that you’re not alone, and you can do something about it. Attempting to remember items in isolation will never work because the brain needs to engage the imagination. If you have a list of things you need to remember — perhaps bullet-points for a presentation, try placing them in the form of absurd images telling a story. If you do this, they will be hard to forget.
The Importance Of Faces
In business, remembering people’s faces is crucial to making a good impression, strengthening relationships, and maintaining a professional standard. However, the opposite can happen if you forget a name or a face. If you’re the sort of person who easily forgets these things, you can use some brain science techniques to your advantage. Firstly, try to pay attention to the name when you shake hands. Repeat the name or ask a question about it. Try to turn the name into a familiar image and link it to a standout facial feature.
Remembering Numbers
The world of business is full of numbers. They could be long account numbers, i.e., to phone numbers or log in numbers. If you’re like most people, you will have an app on your phone with all these various numbers written down — but actually, your brain is the easiest place to keep them. A method called ‘chunking’ will help you break long numbers down into easily manageable ones. If you want a more sophisticated method, then try ‘The Peg System.’ Each number is assigned an image — 1 is a pencil, 2 is a swan, 3 is a fork, etc. So the date 1984 becomes a pencil, balloon, snowman, yacht.
