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How to remember a list of facts using the chain story linking method.
Context:
I’m currently taking the Recall Masterclass from Kwik Learning right now, and as part of the homework, I am to teach what I learned each class to other people. The class is taught by Jim Kwik, a renowned brain coach. Since I’m a blogger, I’d like to share my notes with all of you. I hope you can use the knowledge and practice the methods to improve your memory as well.
Class 4: Recalling Facts
Whether at school or at work, successful people are able to recall facts, figures, and ideas right at their mental fingertips. This lesson is all about how to do that.
Key Ideas:
The Body List
The Chain Linking Story Method
Key Idea 1: The Body List
Similar to the Sun List from class 1, the Body List is another Peg List, but it is especially useful because it involves kinesthetic learning. You can touch the different areas of your body when you attach information to it.
The body list is
Top (of head)
Nose
Mouth
Ears
Larynx (Throat)
Shoulders
Clavicle (Collar Bone)
Fingers
Belly
Seat (Butt)
When we attach items to it, we need to use PIE: Place, Imagine, Entwine, as mentioned in class 2.
For example, let’s say you get a call from your spouse about some groceries to pick up for a party. You don’t have pen and paper with you. You can use the Sun List you learned in class 1, or you can use the Body List. We’ll use the Body List here. The person says
Cake. You imagine cake melting on your head.
Wine. You imagine red wine coming out of your nose.
Asparagus. You imagine your teeth are asparagus sticks.
Potato chips. You imagine potato chips coming out of your ears.
Green juice. You imagine and taste green juice in your throat.
Pineapples. You imagine balance two pineapples on your shoulders.
Cheese. You imagine wearing a smelly necklace with different cheeses on it.
Potatoes. You imagine each finger inside different colored potatoes.
Salsa. You imagine rubbing salsa on your belly.
Milk. You imagine accidentally sitting on milk while wearing your best black pants and feeling horrible.
Once you peg the items to your body list using PIE, it’s very easy to recall.
Remember that when we get information, we have to do something with that information within 6 seconds, or else we will forget it. PIE is a great way to use that information. To move that information into long-term memory, we should used spaced repetition. Review that information after 1 hour, 1 day, and 1 week.
Key Idea 2: The Chain Linking Story Method
This method is great for remember boring information and facts. Jim Kwik goes through an example of memorizing the periodic table of elements for chemistry class. The first 10 elements are
Hydrogen
Helium
Lithium
Beryllium
Boron
Carbon
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Fluorine
Neon
The slow way to remember such a list is to repeat the list over and over again. You can use the Peg Method to remember it, but there’s another way: The Chain Linking Story Method.
The idea of the Chain Linking Story Method is that we remember things by association. So if I say dog, you say cat. If I say cat, you say mouse. If I say mouse, you say cheese. If I say cheese, you say swiss. And on and on. This is useful because you're not restricted to the list of things you memorized for the Sun List or Body List, and you can make it very long.
Let’s use the Chain Linking Story Method to remember the list of elements above.
First, turn each item into a picture. Then connect the pictures one by one.
Hydrogen – hydrogen is in water. Imagine a water bottle. Fiji water bottle.
Helium – helium is in balloons. Imagine a giant red helium balloon tied to the Fiji water bottle, lifting it up into the sky.
Lithium – lithium is in batteries. Imagine it starts raining batteries, which pops the balloon.
Beryllium – sounds like barrel. Imagine that the batteries came from a big barrel in the sky.
Boron – sounds like board. Imagine the barrel has a surf board penetrating the side of it.
Carbon – diamonds are made of carbon. Imagine there’s a giant diamond on the surf board.
Nitrogen – sounds like night rider (a black sports car). Imagine the diamond rolls off the surf board and falls into the night rider car’s open roof.
Oxygen – sounds like ox. Imagine the you drive the car and park it between two oxes.
Fluorine – fluorine is in toothpaste. Imagine the ox have smelly breath, so you brush its teeth with Colgate toothpaste
Neon – Neon reminds me of neon signs. Imagine after you brush the Ox’s teeth, a big sign appears with fireworks saying “Congratulations! You are awesome!”
Notice how this story is extremely easy to imagine and therefore recall in your head. You can easily continue the story to remember elements 10 to 20. To see an example that someone else did, check out this video.
Homework
Practice using the Body List and the Chain Linking Story Method.
Teach them to someone else.