A friend of mine always says he suffers from CRS (can’t remember sh*#) whenever he forgets something. Most of us have forgotten information at one time or another. Not only can forgetting things be annoying, it can also limit your career potential. Good memory skills are part of a well-rounded skill package that can help you move up the career ladder.
We never lose information
It’s been said that short of an injury, disease, or death, we never actually lose any information. Once we commit something to our memory it is stored there for the rest of our life. The reason we can’t remember things is that we either never commit the information to memory to begin with or that we can’t figure out where to find it in our mental filing cabinet.
Committing information to memory
When we receive information, it goes into our short-term memory. We are able to retrieve it for a short time frame and use it. An example of something we may commit to short-term memory is a phone number.
In order to commit information to our memory filing cabinet, we have to force ourselves to remember it. We can do this several ways. We can use repetition to help remember. We can create associations to help recall information. Actively learning something also helps. For example, we are more likely to remember how a fuel control works if we have a cutaway model in front of us versus reading a couple of paragraphs in a manual.
Remembering peoples names
Remembering peoples' names is important in any job. In the tight-knit world of aviation where success relies heavily on associations, it can be even more critical to success. Mindtools.com offers the following tips on remembering peoples names: Face association. Examine a person’s face discretely when you are introduced. Try to find an unusual feature, whether ears, hairline, forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, complexion, etc. Create an association between that characteristic, the face, and the name in your mind. The association may be to link the person with someone else you know with the same name. Alternatively it may be to associate a rhyme or image of the name with the person’s face or defining feature.
Repetition. When you are introduced, ask for the person to repeat their name. Use the name yourself as often as possible (without overdoing it!). If it is unusual, ask how it is spelled or where it comes from, and if appropriate, exchange cards. Keep in mind that the more often you hear and see the name, the more likely it is to sink in.
Also, after you have left that person’s company, review the name in your mind several times. If you are particularly keen you might decide to write it down and make notes.
What if you forget?
So, what do you do if you forget someone’s name? Consider the following hypothetical situation. Darryl is a QA inspector at Alpha Bravo Charlie repair station. He is at a trade show and someone comes up to him and says, “Hi Darryl, how are you?” Darryl has no idea where he met the person, and he scrambles to remember his name as he reaches out to shake his hand. No luck. The face looks familiar, but he just can’t remember his name or who he works for.
The typical reaction most people would have is to say something like, “I’m doing good, how are you?” Seems innocent enough, right? It bought Darryl some more time to try to remember who this person is.
Actually, the conversation is almost guaranteed to go downhill from there. Darryl doesn’t want to embarrass himself by asking the person’s name at this point, so he makes small talk as he keeps on trying to place him. He hopes that something the guy says will spark a clue as to his name.
Then Darryl comes up with a brilliant solution. He will just sneak a peek at the guy’s name on his trade show badge, and everything will be OK. He looks down, and his luck doesn’t get any better. The guy’s lanyard is turned around so that all that is visible is the blank white back of the badge.
Next, the stranger adds insult to injury by remembering something personal about Darryl. He asks, “So, have you been hunting lately?” Darryl scrambles for an answer. “No, we have been pretty busy at work, but I plan to take a week off next month for some time in the woods.”
The stranger parts by saying “Good to see you again Darryl. Be sure to say hi to Pete for me.”
Great, Darryl thinks. Not only does he know my name, he knows his boss as well. “Sure will,” he says. “Good to see you again.”
In case you haven’t figured it out by now, Darryl totally blew it. Consider the following alternate conversation that could have happened. Same trade show, same situation where Darryl doesn’t remember someone’s name.
“Hi Darryl, how are you?”
“I’m doing fine, thanks” Darryl says as he shakes his hand. “I’m sorry, I forgot your name.”
“I’m Tim Timmerman. We met at the PAMA chili cookoff last year.”
“That’s right Tim,” Darryl says. “You started a repair station consulting business, right?”
“Yes I did,” Tim says. “So how have you been? Have you been hunting lately?”
“No, I’ve been busy working with my boss Pete on our new repair station manual. You remember Pete, don’t you? He’s our QA manager and was at the chili cookoff with us.”
“Of course I remember Pete. Be sure to say hi to him for me. And if you need any help with your repair station manual, be sure to give me a holler. I can give you some pointers.”
“Thanks Tim, good to see you again.”
“Good to see you too Darryl. Take care.”
Classroom tips
We are often faced with situations where we are sitting in a classroom learning technical information. Whether at an IA seminar or at an OEM training course, how can we get the most out of our learning experience?
One good tip is to be an active note taker. Always arm yourself with a note pad, pen or pencil, and highlighter. During the presentation be sure to take notes. Jot down major points that will help you remember as you review your notes.
If the course provides you with a take-home handbook of course information, whatever you do don’t leave the class with the book in pristine shape. Make notes in the margin as applicable. Highlight key points. Circle things you want to emphasize or follow-up with.
To help commit the information to memory, review your notes as soon as possible. Review them right after the class or lecture if possible. Make any additional notes to help you remember key points. If you need to, ask follow-up questions of the instructor for any items that need clarification. If you make it a point to review the notes again a few days after the instruction, you go even further in helping remember the information in the future.
When NOT to memorize
There are times when we do not want to memorize information such as when we are dealing with limitations, torques, or repair procedures. We may think it saves time by memorizing this type of information, but if we do we are setting ourselves up for failure. Manufacturers update information all the time. We should always start a maintenance or inspection task by referring to the applicable manufacturer’s manual. That way, we ensure we are using the correct information and not some incorrect information. These have been a few pointers on increasing your memory skills. If you want to improve your mental power, you can start by visiting mindtools.com. It has a variety of articles with tips on improving your memory skills.
So how is your memory? In our earlier example, what was the name of the mechanic that forgot the other person’s name? See how little repetition goes a long way towards committing information to memory?
