Improve Your Memory of Something by Talking About It
Memory is one of those things that we are all constantly trying to improve. It’s also one of those things that gets a little worse as you age.
If you’re trying to learn something, one of the best ways to help you remember it is to teach it to someone else.
The New York Times ran an article this week on how to improve your memory. One of his suggestions? Tell someone about what you are trying to remember. In a recent study, participants were asked to teach a lesson with or without notes in front of them. A week later, they returned to the testing center, where they were given a surprise test on what they had taught their lesson. People who were forced to teach this initial lesson in their own words, not those who taught the same lesson using tapes.
Key Takeaway: Talking about something helps you remember it. Setting something in your own words not only helps you understand the topic, but the process of sketching something in your own words to explain it to someone else will also help you get that information later.
Telling someone that doesn’t mean you have to give a complete course on the topic. Instead, consider explaining this to a friend at the bar or dinner partner. The goal is to simply explain something in your own words so that someone else can understand it.
Another good piece of advice from a New York Times article? After graduation, sit in the dark for a few minutes and let your brain relax. Research shows that memory retention is 10 to 30 percent better if you let your brain rest and process what you’ve learned as soon as you’ve learned it.