To achieve whole mind memory you need to teach your mind to use all aspects of it, and the more different types of memory techniques and brain games you use to practice the better the connections in your brain cells (neurons) will become and the stronger your memory will be. This will help those who are getting older and worried about memory loss, and those who are still young and need a fantastic memory to get ahead – in school, career and life itself.
One of the best ways to attain whole mind memory is with the use of mnemonics. This involves the coding of information to memory with the use of vivid mental images. Vivid images are much easier to recall. Mnemonics uses stories, strong mental images, humor and repetition.
If you want to make your mnemonics memorable, use the following memory improvement techniques:
- Your brain often blocks out unpleasant memories, so use positive images.
- Images that bring out emotions and are colorful are easier to remember.
- Mnemonic includes all of your senses – so create stories and images that contain sounds, smells, tastes, touch, movements and feelings as well as pictures.
- Make your images three-dimensional – use movement and create space to bring out a flow of association to help you in remembering actions.
- Distort the images – exaggerate their size, or emphasis important parts of the images with extra pizzazz.
- Unusual and funny images and action are easier to remember than normal ones.
- Rude rhymes are very hard to forget – remember the old poems that start with: There was a man from Nantucket… (Fill in the rest).
- Use symbols you are familiar with, like stops signs, red traffic lights, pointing fingers, etc. that can code complex messages to make association easier and quicker.
Making up a song or dance to go along with your image makes it even more fun, and will be something you can easily remember. Take for example the kid’s game – the Hokey Pokey. When training your children which hand is left and which is right, you make it a game – “Your put your left hand in, you put your left hand out, you put your left hand in and you shake it all about…†Children will learn “in†and “out,†“left and right,†and different parts of their body. That is simplistic, but adults can convert the same concept to something in their everyday life.
Rhymes also work exceptionally well. Example: How many times have you repeated the old rhyme: “Thirty days hath September…†when trying to remember how many days are in a certain month? This is something you learned as a child that has been invaluable to you all through life.
 
About the author:
Ron White is a two-time USA Memory Champion and memory training expert. As a memoryspeaker he travels the world to speak before large groups or small company seminars, demonstrating his memory skills and teaching others how to improve their memory, and how important a good memory is in all phases of your life.
Sources:
Mind Tools – Introduction to Memory Techniques: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTIM_00.htm