When waiting around for appointments, etc. I like to read in my spare time. I can remember names and places by rhyming words and sounds. I doodle and draw on any available paper. They will tend to listen to a lecture, and then take notes after.
Memory is like a muscle - the more it is used the better it gets.
The more it is neglected, the worse it gets. An important feature of memory, is imagination that allows you to construct the strong mnemonic links between things to be remembered and the cues for their recall.