Episode 14. The Championship Forum with Jeff Hancher typically discusses leadership skills, but these skills can only take you so far. Having a strong memory will set you apart as a leader. Can you teach someone to strengthen their memory? Or are you stuck with your biology? In this podcast, Jeff interviews me to talk about how you can boost your memory and become a better leader.
Why should leaders care about proactively sharpening their memory skills?
Leaders are faced with a variety of emergent situations requiring them to quickly think, internalize, and recall pertinent information. Part of memory is wanting to remember. Tie it to your goals and your purpose. Understanding the mechanics of memory will help you remember people’s names, prepare and deliver speeches, and keep up with people half your age.
“It’s not always that you’re forgetting. It’s that you never took the time to learn.” – Jennifer Little-Fleck
The Science of Memory
We used to think that you were born with the number of neurons you would have forever, but now we know that neurogenesis takes place in the hippocampus. Your prefrontal cortex takes in new information and within six seconds, it decides if it is important. If your brain is interested, the memory is stored in your hippocampus. The best way to work on taking that information from short-term to long-term memory is by practicing memory retrieval.
Some ways to remember:
The testing effect
After reviewing new material, write down what you know about a subject or create a worksheet for yourself rather than just studying. Do this over and over. When you do, you are “practicing” remembering, which will allow you to recall the information more quickly and accurately than studying.
Make emotional connections
Storytelling is another way to remember things. The part of your brain that stores memories works with the amygdala, which processes emotions. Always try to make your stories positive because the brain wants to remember good things.
Employ techniques from great memory masters like Jim Kwik, who teaches the BE SUAVE technique for remembering names.
BE SUAVE:
B – Believe in your ability to remember.
E – Exercise your brain.
S – Say the name (or thing you want to remember).
U – Use it in a sentence.
A – Ask a question.
V – Visualize it.
E – End with it. Say their name (or the information) as you close the encounter.
Move
Memory is improved with exercise and frequent movement, as it stimulates chemicals in the brain that boost neurotransmitter levels.
Visualize
Creating a picture in your mind of something you want to remember is incredibly powerful, especially when you make it slightly ridiculous.
Incorporate a motor skill into your memory. FDR, a former U.S. President was known for his ability to remember names. He would imagine writing a person’s name on their forehead with his finger. By visualizing it on their forehead, he would remember it.
Optimize your health – diet does make a difference
Your body functions best when it is using ketones for energy. You can create ketones through a ketogenic diet or by delaying your first meal of the day by intermittent fasting.
Sleep
Sleep is a key part of the memory consolidation process. Research shows that when given the same amount of information to study, students who studied for a little while and then got a full night of sleep did better than those who studied late into the night.
Connect with Jeff:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-hancher/
Instagram: @thechampionforum
Facebook: The Champion Forum Podcast with Jeff Hancher
Email: jeffhancher@thechampionforum.com
