Memorizing a text is a great way to successfully pass exams, prepare a presentation and improve your cultural background. If you want to learn it word for word, study small passages at a time. Some techniques, such as visualization or physical movement, can help you recall information whenever you need it. Of course, it's not always necessary to memorize everything verbatim, sometimes it may be more useful to memorize the main ideas or the most important quotes.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Learn Each Part of the Text
Step 1. Prepare a program
Plan how long you need to memorize the text. If you have a lot, you can study every day for twenty or thirty minutes. If you only have a day or two, try learning it in thirty-minute sessions by taking one or two hour breaks between half an hour of work and the next.
Step 2. Memorize a few passages every day
When you have to memorize something, start early. Spend a day on each page or paragraph. Focus on one section at a time. Once you've memorized two different parts, try putting them together.
Step 3. Break the text into smaller parts
It is easier to memorize it if you separate it into small pieces. Depending on the overall length, each part could be made up of a few sentences, a paragraph or even a single page.
Step 4. Read the text aloud to start learning it
This is important because you will be forced to read and pronounce every single word. This will help you remember it.
Step 5. Test yourself after reading
After a few hours, put the text away and recall everything you remember. You may not remember much at first, but with practice you will be able to make progress.
Ask a friend to help you. If you miss a word or forget a sentence, he can suggest a couple of the following ones for you to remember
Step 6. Start from the end if you can't memorize from the beginning
If the text is long, you might want to start from the end. Start by memorizing the last sentence or closing paragraph, then move on to the immediately preceding sentence or paragraph.
Step 7. Break study sessions to quickly memorize the text
If you are short on time, you should study in small doses giving yourself a few breaks between sessions. Use some memory-stimulating strategies, such as visualization and rereading, to better remember information.
- For example, you could apply for a quarter of an hour and take a ten minute break before studying for another fifteen.
- Try transcribing the text once or twice. It could help you improve your memory skills.
- Avoid studying the night before. Memorizing a text at once is not the most effective way to learn its content. Repeating small steps will be much more helpful than slaving away in one endless session.
Part 2 of 3: Remember the Information
Step 1. View parts of the text
Associate them with certain images. You might imagine that the content comes to life as you speak. In this case, recall the pictures to remember the words more easily.
For example, the first part of the text might be about protecting tigers, so try visualizing these animals as you go along. The second could be about their habitat, so think of a jungle
Step 2. Use the memory palace technique
Imagine a room or building that represents the text to be studied. Place a piece of furniture in each highlight and associate each piece of furniture with the point to remember.
- For example, if the main parts of the text are about family, collaboration, and communication, you might imagine a photograph (family), a table (collaboration), and a telephone (communication).
- If you need to remember the content, imagine walking from the photograph to the table and back to the phone in the correct order.
Step 3. Link the steps to certain body movements
Gestures can help you memorize parts of the text because they lead you to associate words with movements. You may adopt a certain pattern when starting a particular paragraph or gesture to emphasize a specific word.
Rhythm can help improve memory skills. Some believe that even a few dance moves can help memorize a text
Step 4. Come up with ideas if it's a presentation
As you memorize the speech, use some strategies to remember the succession of topics.
- Gesture with your hands as you speak. Associate certain gestures with certain passages of the text;
- If you can use flashcards, you may want to briefly summarize the main points on various cards. Every now and then take a look while giving your speech.
- You could ask a friend in the audience to give you a signal if you forget something.
Part 3 of 3: Remember the main concepts
Step 1. Make a summary to remember the main points
Draw an outline that encompasses key concepts, notions, and arguments. Make sure you enter only the essential information and organize it in the correct order. You could memorize this pattern in place of the text.
Step 2. Create flashcards if you want to learn a few quotes
If you need to recall quotes from literary or academic essays, write them on a few slips of paper and memorize them one at a time. Make sure you also know the author, the year of publication, and any other valid information.
Step 3. Outline the main concepts of the text if you are inclined to learn by visualizing
Draw a diagram or map that represents the salient notions of the text to be learned. Put the thesis at the center and draw links to the arguments in support of it.
- To recall all the information in the text to memory, try drawing the graph again.
- You can also draw pictures within the diagram or outline the main events in the form of speech bubbles.
Advice
- If you sleep well and eat a healthy diet, you can improve your memory skills.
- If you need to give a presentation, review the text in front of family and friends.
- Record your voice as you read the text aloud and listen to it repeatedly.
