Focus on Knowledge, Not Repetition
The best way to memorize something — whether it’s a work presentation or a wedding speech — is to learn it, not repeat it. “If you’re giving a talk, don’t just read it,” says Healy. The act of frequent self-testing (a procedure coined by Henry Roediger, author of Make It Stick) can apply to both learning something new and maintaining the strength of info and skills you’ve acquired before. Madigan points out that participants in a CPR training who had passed the course were retested six months later, and few could remember how to effectively give CPR — a problem simply solved by giving more testing sessions in the first six months of the course. “Testing identifies the knowledge and skills that have weakened over time,” says Madigan. In other words, when it comes to your brain’s ability to get info to stick, “use it or lose it.”
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