TheHEALTH September/October 2024 | Page 23

September-October | The HEALTH

SOURCE : ELEARNINGINDUSTRY . COM

Our brain has 87 billion cells . Of course , over time , brain cells die . With age , our brains do not operate as efficiently . There are methods we can apply to slow down cognitive decline . These steps have been covered in a previous column .

We also have cells called glial cells or glia . These are non-neuronal cells in the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system that do not produce electrical impulses . One of their tasks is to remove idle brain cells .

As part of the clean-up and maintenance process , which takes place every night when we sleep , these cells will look for cells that are not being used . If , over some time , it remains dormant , the glia will press the delete button and the information stored in that particular cell is deleted from our memory .

STORYTELLING METHOD

This is done to free up space for new information to be stored . Truly , the brain is a fascinating and amazing organ .

You may have come across various courses , especially in social media advertising , on how we can improve our memory . In reality , what these courses teach is not how to improve memory but how to remember better .

Typically , they suggest associating techniques to help people remember information better . The brain tends to remember visual representations better than just facts . Jim Kwik , a well-known brain coach , has suggested that the TIP technique should be used to remember information better .

TIP stands for turn into picture . Another technique to remember facts is storytelling . If , for example , you need to remember the various presidents

� Sun

� Socks

� Traffic light

� Car

� Stars

� Beer

� Rainbow

� Octopus

� Cat

� Fingers

� Skis

� Roses

� Witch

� Gold

� Dollar

� Candles

� Magazine

� Trailer

� Gold

� Fox

of the United States , using the Kwik storytelling method , list the names of the multiple presidents in chronological order and then create a story using their surnames . It is an effective technique .

Another technique Kwik uses is the Sun List ( see list ). This is effective if you need to remember numbers , where the car is parked or other such information . He suggests that to remember a particular series of numbers , create a story from the sun list and put that to memory .

For example , if you need to remember that you parked the car in bay D123 , remember that you parked your car in a location called December , where there are a dozen roses suspended on a traffic light based on the Sun Lists ’ representation of the numbers 1 , 2 and 3 .

• Spaced repetition The more one repeats information , the more it is encoded into our memory . Each time the information is recalled within a short period , the encoding of the fact in our memory is stronger . When studying for exams , this is precisely the tactic we use . And yet , once the exam is over and we stop this spaced repetition , the information soon fades from our memory .

• Assume you have to teach someone This is an excellent tactic . To make the memory stronger , imagine you have to teach what you have learnt to someone else . This strengthens the encoding process . That explains how teachers carry out their duties . I recall one particular teacher - my history teacher . He would come into class and deliver the lesson without ever referring to a textbook . He did this every day of the school term for various classes . Every fact was strongly encoded in his brain . And the constant repetition made it easy for him to recall the facts and deliver the lesson .

• Visualise what you need to remember A lot of training is now delivered using training videos involving animation . The belief is that when we watch an animation , we are more likely to remember what is being presented . More and more companies are using this method to deliver company policies and corporate governance principles . This is followed by questions which the participant is required to answer before progressing to the next part of the training video .

It is a silly picture , but Kwik says that the sillier the picture , the better the brain remembers it . For short-term memory retrieval , this method is excellent . I have tried it . It works !

Since I started using this technique , I have stopped taking pictures of where I parked my car . By taking a photo , you are actually not using your brain . In fact , using a digital device to help you remember has a negative effect on cognitive abilities .

The next time you are tempted to take a picture of where you parked the car , use your brain instead . – The HEALTH