Can't remember what you were going to say?

Have you ever had a great thought - and then forgot it before you could say it in a meeting or conversation? Have you struggled to recall a particular word?

Here are some tips to help you to recall the thought or the specific word. First, think of the word's antonym (opposite) or synonym. For example, for the word "hot", you could think of either cold or boiling.

What superordinate category was the word in, such as food for "rice"?

Can you be more specific, such as "grain"?

Can you describe the thought or the word in some way, such as "part of the supervisor's action plan", or "soft and white"?

Can you associate the word or thought with some location, such as the conference room or your car? Did you originally think of the word when you were cooking lunch or driving past a specific store?

If you are trying to recall a name, what do you know about this person? When you met him or her, what was your initial impression of the person, his interests or appearance?

In many cases, you will think of the word when you relax, even though it may be later when you are not concentrating on it.

Word-finding problems can be frustrating, but trying these ideas may help those words come back faster.