Remembering faces

Techniques > Memory methods > Remembering faces

Usage | Description | Example | Discussion | See also

Usage

Use to remember people's faces and be able to describe them.

Description

First, divide the face up into up an ordered list, such as:

Hair color
Hair style
Eye color
Eye shape
Skin color
Skin texture
Nose shape
Mouth shape
etc.

Then list up to ten different variants of each type, for example hair style can be long/straight, long/wavy, short/cropped, bob cut, and so on.

Now when you see a person, you can turn them into set of numbers. Then use a number memory method, such as the Consonant Peg, to remember the whole set of details. You can also associate the result with the person's name.

Example

A person with black, long and wavy hair starts with the numbers 1 (black) 3 (long/wavy). With blue, wide eyes, the number sequence may continue as 3 (blue)

Discussion

Can you remember the faces of people you know? Really? Go on then, pick a friend and describe their face in detail. Many people can remember hair but few would remember the shade of their eyes and would be very hard pressed to do an accurate sketch.

There are other variants you can use to remember faces, for example associating letters and using these to make up words.

For people with good visual memories, the problem is not remembering the face -- it is remembering their name.