Memory & Communication

I think that the most common mistake I make during listening relates to my memory. I’ve found, time and time again, that things that come up in conversation slip my mind. I think that the book offered some useful tools for my improvement in this area. The book talks about the distinction between short term memory and long term memory. Short term lasts from 1-60 seconds, during which time the brain decides if the info received is important enough to file over in the long term memory. The long term memory is an unlimited storage space for all types of information, relevant or ridiculous. But, as mentioned in the book, the info coming from short term must gain entrance into the long term through processing, processing that isn’t being taken up by distractions, and interpretations on what is or isn’t important. I think this is where my problem arises.
I’ve often had trouble with the simple conversations. A good example is in my home. I used to constantly be at odds with my mom over things that I needed to do or what she had asked me to do. And where the conflict typically arises is over the details of previous conversations, as she typically is able to recall little details about the conversation, while I typically remember the entire meaning of the conversation. I guess this would pin me as a “big picture” person. I think my problem with listening is that I usually concentrate on the entire scope of the discussion, what it was about, where it was, but most of the time not so much the exact terms and words. I don’t think this is technically an uncommon or bad thing, but it can prove annoying when trying to remember specifics of a lecture or conversation. After reading over the chapter, I think that a way to improve this part of my memory would be to up to make sure I’m adjusting the level of importance of each conversation accordingly. It’s important for me to recognize that the conversation is important and dial in my focus and therefore my memory.