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As individuals we store and retrieve our memories in different ways.
Some of us find the strongest memories are evoked by a smell or an aroma. Others will hear a piece of music and be instantly transported back to an event in the past. For some memory is visual – they store and retrieve their memories in pictures.
For a memory to be locked fast in our minds it is really helpful to be able to develop more than one type of memory. You will have a preference, and that can usually be easily identified by looking at your learning style, but that preference should not stop you developing the other memories linked to the other senses.
Visual memory, as the name suggests is the memory associated with things we perceive optically – things we see. Individuals with a strong visual memory are usually also visual learners – and if you think that through, it makes sense. When we learn we are memorizing facts and figures so there is an obvious connection between learning styles and memory.
Those who have a poor visual memory will develop one of the other sensory memories to compensate. This will usually be either auditory (sound) or olefactory (smell). But, all is not lost as visual memory can be improved and strengthened by visual memory training.
Visual Memory training – Practice Makes Perfect
Whenever a new skill is to be mastered a period of learning and training precedes mastery. It is the same with visual memory training. To develop and strengthen visual memory it is important to improve the links between the brain and the eyes. It really is that simple.
Think about the daily opportunities you have to practice. Think about everything that is on your desk or in your work space. Close your eyes and picture the scene. You may be able to see a vivid image in glorious technicolor or your mental image may be blurred and hazy; it may be in black and white or you may even just see a list of words representing the objects you are trying to recall.
Don’t judge your recall at this stage. Just be an interested observer to discover for yourself what your memory preference is. If you have no trouble creating a visual image of a selection of items – you almost certainly already have a well developed visual memory. If you struggle with the exercise just know that this is an area for development.
Take opportunies to practice. If you are travelling, buy a magazine and spend time studying and memorizing the small ads from the visual impression they make – not from the text! If you are standing in line use the time productively by testing your memory about what others are wearing.
Simply hold an object, study it and then look away. Conjure up a visual image of that object. Keep practising until you can do this with ease.
There are sites on the internet that offer memory games if you have time to sit in front of a computer – but it does make the exercise more real if you use everyday experiences to reinforce the learning.
An example is your shopping list. You may be a digital learner and able to memorize a list of words with no trouble at all but for this exercise we are going to use pictures. Take your shopping list and rather than trying to remember the word I want you to picture the item in your shopping cart. Do this for all of the items on your list. In this way you will build up an image of every single item you need.
When you shop, recreate the visual image you formed for yourself. Place the items in the real cart in exactly the same way as you placed them in your imaginary cart. These may sound like simple exercises – but if you do not have a visual memory preference you will not find it so easy in the beginning.
Often the simplest methods are the least expensive and the most effective! Set yourself little visual memory tasks that you can do throughout your normal day (and night) and you will soon begin to notice an improvement in your visual memory which will increase your overall ability to remember the things that are important to you.
