Imagery: Create an image that incorporates words, ideas, or people that you need to remember. Thinking of the image then sparks the recall of the information. For example, creating an image of your friend Greg in a Bishops hat fighting Uncle Henry from the Wizard of Oz will help you remember that Pope Gregory III clashed with Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire in a struggle that had wide ranging effects in the political restructuring of Europe during the Middle Ages.
Loci: Most helpful in remembering information that must be recalled in serial order. First create images of yourself walking through the rooms of your house or a building you know well. Create a visual image connected to the each piece of information and place one in each room. When it comes time to recall the material, visualize walking through each room and looking at each object. This will prompt the recall of the information in the proper order.
Keywords: Especially helpful in learning new vocabulary. Connect a familiar key word with a new word. Then create an image that includes the meaning of the new word with the familiar word. When trying to recall the meaning of the new word, think first of the keyword, which will bring the image to mind and the image includes the meaning of the new word. For example, to remember that the Spanish word for letter is carte think of the English word cart. Then create an image of a letter in a cart. At the beginning, recall of carte = letter will require the intermediary step of visualizing the image you created. Over time, however, you will learn the word and your recall will be automatic.
Chaining: Another strategy useful for recalling information in serial order. Chaining involves creating a chain of visual images or words that connect each piece of information in a list to the next piece. Verbal chains are most effective if you can develop a sentence or short story using words that will prompt the recall of the information.
First-letter or sentence mnemonics: “My Very Excited Mother Just Starched Uncle Ned’s Pants” =order of planets. “Argh, never help x-ray kryptonite!” = noble gases.