Improve memory - Link and Story method

Remembering simple lists

The link method is one of the easiest mnemonic techniques. It's done by making links between items in a list by creating a vivid image involving both the items. For instance you could visualise putting them on top of each other or smashing them together.

The story method has you visualise combining items together in a flowing story.

If a word you need to remember doesn't have a strong image for you. Use a similar word.





Example:

You may want to remember this list of counties in the South of England: Avon, Dorset, Somerset, Cornwall, Wiltshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, and Surrey.

Remembering with the Link Method

An AVON (Avon) lady knocking on a heavy oak DOoR (Dorset)
The DOoR opening to show a beautiful SuMmER landscape with a SETting sun (Somerset)
The setting sun shines down onto a field of CORN (Cornwall)
The CORN is so dry it is beginning to WILT (Wiltshire)
The WILTing stalks slowly droop onto the tail of the sleeping DEVil (Devon).
On the DEVil's horn a woman has impaled a GLOSsy (Gloucestershire) HAM (Hampshire) when she hit him over the head with it
Now the Devil feels SoRRY (Surrey) he bothered her.

There doesn't need to be any reason or logic behind the actions, sometimes obscure or humorous images can be helpful. It's also worth mentioning that the more senses you include within the images you use will increase your memory.

Remembering with the Story Method

An AVON lady is walking up a path towards a strange house. She is hot and sweating slightly in the heat of high SUMMER (Somerset). Beside the path someone has planted giant CORN in a WALL (Cornwall), but it's beginning to WILT (Wiltshire) in the heat. She knocks on the DOoR (Dorset), which is opened by the DEVil (Devon).

In the background she can see a kitchen in which a servant is smearing honey on a HAM (Hampshire), making it GLOSsy (Gloucestershire) and gleam in bright sunlight streaming in through a window. Panicked by seeing the Devil, the Avon lady screams 'SoRRY' (Surrey), and dashes back down the path.

Again using more senses in your visualisations will increase retention.




These simple techniques can be very useful and are easy to learn. However it's worth noting that they can be unreliable as it is easy to confuse the order of images or forget images from a sequence.