Improving Recall

For communication to be effective, not only do you need to hear information accurately, you must also remember it. Remembering a name, key points of a client's wish list, a deadline or a list of concerns your boss mentioned can be challenging. Writing notes isn't always enough; you may need to carry that information in your head to stay on top of your job. Your memory is like a muscle: The more you use it, the stronger it gets. Repetition, association and organization are three keys to improving your recall. Here are some tips:

Repetition

Repeating information helps move it into the long-term memory area of your brain. Actors learn lines by repeating them many times over the course of several days. If you want to recall something you've heard, repeat it to yourself several times. Try writing it down from memory.

Association

Associating what you hear with something familiar ties it to other material in your long-term memory. One way to associate is to think of something the information reminds you of. How does it apply to your job, your experience, your needs? If you can associate it with something familiar, it will help you remember. For example, if you need to remember a number sequence, split the number into pairs and think of people you know whose ages fit the pairs. It will be easier for you to remember the people's names, rather than a string of numbers.

Organization

If you're required to absorb large amounts of information each day, try mentally categorizing it. Studies show that people given a large number of words to remember recall them better if they organize them into categories. Categories can be by alphabet, subject (animals, kitchen utensils, colors) number of letters, parts of speech and so forth.

Taking Notes

Taking notes during or immediately afterward uses repetition, association and organization to reinforce your memory.

Using Mnemonics

Mnemonics is a technique to help you remember things by using certain formulas. For example, you can make up a story using the information you want to remember. You can use rhymes (Thirty days hath September...), word play (think of "mixed up men" to remember "mnemonics") or association with rooms in a house.

Remembering a Name

  • As a person is introduced, focus on the name. Pay more attention to the name than to anything else being said. Notice a physical characteristic, such as a mole unusual hair color or a scar, not what the person is wearing.
  • Repeat the person's full name: "Hello, Paul Jones." Do this instead of the usual "Pleased to meet you." It'll give just as good of an impression and you'll have the reinforcement of having actually spoken the name.
  • Associate the name with a vivid image. It might be a rhyme: "Paul Jones, Ball Bones." It doesn't have to make sense. In fact, the sillier the image, the more likely you are to remember it.
  • Associate the physical feature and the name in a rhyme. Think of the feature and the name together. Make up a silly story or image that includes both.
  • After meeting someone, take 15 minutes to repeat the person's name to yourself, using your associations to guide your memory.
  • If necessary, write down the names and features of people you meet.
  • If you forget a person's name, ask for it again as soon as you can. "I'm afraid I'm terrible at remembering names. But yours is important to me. Would you mind telling me again?"
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