Learn Faster With Visualization and Emotion
To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.
— Winston Churchill
Can we learn how to learn?
It is often said that humans have the unique advantage over other living beings to both learn from our own experiences and to be intellectually and socially aware enough to also learn and adapt from the experiences of others.
As a species, we are actually severally disadvantaged physically. We can’t fly, carry heavy loads, or traverse through trees with fluidity and ease. However, because of the power of our mind, we have overcome this through the creation and use of machines to travel thousands of miles, move hundreds of thousands of tons, and create objects from the most basic chemical and biological components.
We have done some incredible things in recent history as a result of harnessing the power of our mind, but we have limited ourselves by acting as if these skills belong only to a select few. In this article, I will dissect the ability to learn into step by step actions so you can utilize any type of information accurately and effectively. These steps will be so simple you will be able to use them today. This new skill will then allow you to be the person that creates, builds, and grows the future of our world.
Does more information make us smarter?
In his book Think Again, Adam Grant discusses the importance of constantly exposing ourselves to new information to stay up to date with our jobs and events of the world. Similarly, David Epstein continues this idea in his book Range by explaining the information we are exposed to must be both broad and deep to facilitate a well-rounded perspective of the world.
But, is it simply the exposure to more ideas that makes us more capable? I would argue no because ideas are only valuable when they are connected to the situations in which we can use them. We mustn’t leave information in a random container in our minds. According to the popular saying, “neurons that fire together, wire together”, when you connect information to real experiences, you build a deeper understanding of that information. As a result, this new understanding allows you to connect disparate pieces of information to specific situations in your life — making you more capable.
If more information isn’t the answer, what is?
Experiencing new forms of information through reading and conversation is supremely beneficial to our lives. Being a lifelong learner is the skill most common across every biography and blog explaining what makes billionaires, CEOs, artists, and entertainers different. The skill we need doesn’t lie in exposure though. In fact, what we must begin to focus on is retention and recall. This is because having the exact information we need, in the exact moment we need it, is actually what sets the successful apart from the unsuccessful.
Unbeknownst to many, my job as a fighter pilot primarily requires hours of reading and preparation for a mission that may last as little as 30 minutes. This means after reading hundreds of pages explaining how to do something, I must go out and act with the precision of a scientist in the employment of a jet moving 500 miles per hour.
This job doesn’t require new mental skills. I have been acting this way throughout all of my schooling. Each day as I stepped into the classroom, I was listening to the professor talk about information that I would either need to use in different examples on a test or apply to designing and building an engine, robot, or computer program for the various engineering projects I had through undergrad.
As a result, my goal during preparation is not to utilize rote memorization to recall something in a single situation. Instead, I focus on effectively and accurately turning information into a tool that I can easily pull from a toolkit of experiences and knowledge in the exact moment I will need it. I do this so it doesn’t matter whether I am working in a routine or in unimaginable situations. I will be able to find exactly what I need, when I need it.
Speed and effectiveness are what make fighter pilots who we are. We work to do something really well and to be in and out of places in a matter of seconds. Without the luxury of time, we must utilize the most effective mental models to truly learn information.
How do we do this in reality?
Emotion plays an important role in memory retention and recall. Gabriel Wyner, who speaks in excess of 7 languages and created the app Fluent Forever, said during his interview on the podcast Finding Mastery, “if you can give some emotional context to things you’re learning you can basically double it in terms of how quickly you pull it in and how long you retain it.”
When we experience something on our own, particularly if it is an intense experience, it is as if that lesson is “burned into our memory.” In other words, the information has become affixed there permanently to be recalled at will. Why does this happen? It happens because of the emotions and sensations we unconsciously experience during the event.
In practice, we can apply emotion to memory retention through visualization. Visualization means envisioning an event in your mind with as much detail as possible. For example, if you have a presentation to do, you can visualize giving your entire presentation and how you think it could go, both going as planned or as if the worst possible scenario occured.
You can do this in many ways such as sitting in your office, closing your eyes and picturing the room you will be in with all of the people that will be there that day then reciting your speech. Or, you could go to that exact room and picture the crowd sitting in front of you as you go through your speech. Studies have shown that simply running through different scenarios in your mind with no other stimulus at all engages the same brain regions that are used when you do the event in reality.
This tactic is widely used by Fighter Pilots such as the Navy Blue Angels and olympians such as Michael Phelps. It is particularly beneficial in situations where you don’t have time to stop and think such as sports, flying, meetings, and other events that have a time limit and require immediate results.
It isn’t just visualizing the perfect scenario that leads to success. Actually, adding emotion by picturing scenarios where you mess up, become thrown off by a question, or lose your train or thought, solidifies the moments more deeply in your mind and prepares you with different responses in the event that something doesn’t go perfectly. This type of preparation allows you to respond to the moment rather than react impulsively.
To take it a step further, prior to visualization, you can ramp up your heart rate by doing push-ups or burpees to replicate the sensations you will be feeling when you are called on at a key meeting or on call as a first responder. Often, the moments we are most unprepared for are the ones we never thought were possible. These are called Black Swan events and are often associated with adrenaline and channelized attention. These sensations lead to a decreased ability to think broadly and recognize different possible responses. Preparing for this beforehand allows you to understand how you respond under stress and thus gives you a toolkit to draw from.
To me, visualization means removing all sounds from the room I’m in (I use noise cancelling headphones with nothing playing), finding a comfortable place to sit, and closing my eyes. Then, I think about everything I may be feeling, seeing and experiencing to make it as real as possible, and I work through the event second by second to trick my brain into believing that the moment is real. I will even move my hands as if I am truly working and look around as if I am moving to see something on the other side of the room.
By adding in incredible detail, thought, emotion, and feeling to our preparation, we trick our brain into believing what we are seeing is true. This leads to the same types of memories as if we had truly been in the moment and felt the individual sensations.
When you are doing this, think of as much detail, feelings, thoughts, and sensations as possible. The more the better. If you think you have enough, try adding a bit more to make it feel that much more real.
Is it possible to harness the experiences of others?
Visualization isn’t limited to our own experiences. Another reason humans continue to advance is because we have the capability to learn from other’s experiences. Utilizing empathy to fully feel and experience what another person portrays in their story can be massively powerful.
As another person tells a story of their experiences, you can listen and visualize exactly what they are saying. If they aren’t giving loads of details, ask for more to better visualize yourself in that scenario. You will not only receive the benefit of learning from their experience, but you will also grow closer to others because you will be able to relate on an even deeper level.
What can we take away from this?
The techniques discussed here help us to take in information from varying sources (books, experiences, stories from other people) then turn that story into a memory and a skill to be called on through visualization and emotion.
I encourage you to go out today to feel, experience, and learn by embracing our minds natural abilities and developing deeper connections with others as a result.
