Basic mnemonics—simple association

Let me first clarify the word mnemonic. A mnemonic is any aid or technique that helps you remember something. You could consider all the techniques in this book as mnemonics. When people refer to mnemonics they usually mean these basic mnemonic techniques though.

There are two basic mnemonic techniques you may have already heard of or used. The first is first letter or acronym mnemonics. The second is acrostic mnemonics. You can combine these two techniques as well. In this section, I discuss these techniques, as well as provide some tips on using them.

First letter mnemonics 

First letter, or acronym, mnemonics are a proven way to commit sequential lists to memory. Pilots use these extensively. You can easily use these in many areas. Let’s see some examples. Here is a checklist a pilot might use before lining up on the runway:

• Flaps Set, Fuel Pump On.
• Instruments Checked and Set.
• Switches set.
• Transponder set to ALT.

Another example is a mnemonic for good photographs: FC-FD-FL-SS

• Film. Use the correct film (quality and speed), or think about the film you have in the camera now.
• Composition. Compose the photo. Don't crop subjects.
• Focus. Make sure focus is good. Where is the main focal point?
• Depth. Think about the depth of field you want in the photo and adjust.
• Flash. Use the flash properly.
• Light. Make sure there’s good light on the subject of your photo.
• Surroundings. Capture some of the surroundings. Think about moving around to get the right angle.
• Still. Make sure you remain still when you take the photo. Use a tripod or lean on something.

You could also rearrange these letters into FFF-CDLS and turn this into a phrase like “Three Film CanDLeSS.” Visualize three film canisters burning like candles, with emphasis on the ‘S’ to make it a double S.

Turning checklists into this format makes them easy to remember. Combine this with other techniques, such as visualization, and this technique becomes even more effective.

Acrostic mnemonics

Acrostic mnemonics are similar to first letter mnemonics except they use an easily remembered phrase, rather than a word. One of the first ones I learned (far before I knew these were acrostics), was “Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit.”  This represents the notes on a music stave (treble clef). These are E G B D F. Another one, “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas,” represents the (then) nine planets of the Solar System.

Combinations

Lastly, feel free to combine first letter and acrostic mnemonics. An example again from aviation is from engine failure training: “It’s Fuel, MOST of the time.” The overall phrase is an acrostic to help you remember “Fuel” and “MOST.” MOST stands for “Mixture Oil Switches Throttle.” These are the next four checks after checking that fuel is not the problem.

Combining the words and phrases with rhyme and rhythm can also make them more memorable.

Using basic mnemonics

One of the features of basic mnemonics is that they are only useful if you already have some knowledge of what you are memorizing. They remind you of material you already understand.

For example, in the FIST check above, the ‘S’ simply is a reminder for you to check you’ve set the switches as needed. You still have to know which switches you have to set, and whether they need to be on or off.

Here is a basic example of how to memorize a checklist:

1. Say the mnemonics while reviewing the checklist, so you can firstly recall each item (not necessarily each item’s setting)
2. Read out each check item, noting in your mind if (say) the switch is on or off. Think for a moment why you set it that way. For example, in an aircraft we turn off all the radios before starting the engine. This is because the starting process can cause electrical interference which can damage the radios.
3. Hide each item with a sheet of paper and test whether you know it is on or off.