Some people might think that memorizing tips are only useful for actors. But that's not entirely true. Everyone has a chance to use some sort of memorizing technique in their life, whether it's for school or a speech, or even for an audition. Here are some techniques I have learned as a student and an actor that have helped me memorize material quickly and efficiently.
Repetition
Repetition is the most common way of memorizing material. However, there's a small problem with this method. Without realizing it, not only are you memorizing the words but you are also memorizing the rhythm, cadence and tone of your voice, too. This becomes a problem for actors because when you're acting in a scene, it has to seem like you're living it for the first time, every time. But if you're trapped behind your muscle memory, you're not vocally free. And you're not acting.. So when using this method, it's best to do it in monotone voice, like a robot. Or repeating the lines while doing regular activity with your hands and feet, like jogging or cooking. This will occupy the parts of your brain you don't need for memorizing.
Read it, Speak it, Write it
Reading it isn't always enough. I've learned that reading it and then speaking it is more effective. Then writing it out is always a good way to test if you got the material done (And if you're from AMDA it's a good way to check if your DLP). So my rule is: Read it 10 times, Speak it 10 times, Write it 2 times. And usually that does it for me.
Musical Technique
Being the musical person that I am, it comes at no surprise that one of my most effective methods of memorizing has to do with music. This method helped me a lot when I had to memorize notes for a test at school. I would take catchy, common songs, such as nursery rhymes and songs, and I would simply just sing my notes to that tune. I would sing it until the song would be stuck in my head and then I usually would remember it for the test. It might seem silly to do this method, but if you're a musical person, then this is the method for you.
Visual Techniques
Visual methods work very well with school notes. You can color code your notes and utilize it to draw attention to important information. You can draw pictures, diagrams, graphs, etc., to recall information. Even studying in cleaner areas with less visual distraction, such as libraries, can help you memorize your notes better.
Try one of these techniques to see what kind of learner you are. You might find that something that used to work for you doesn't anymore.
