Ever been in the situation where you’ve just met someone then instantly forget their name?
It happens to the best of us, you are introduced to someone but as soon as they tell you their name it goes in one ear and out the other. What is it about names, especially first names that is just so forgettable? There’s nothing more embarrassing than having a conversation with someone you have just met but don’t have a clue what their name is.
There are steps you can take to train yourself to remember names better
With a little effort and some foresight you can train yourself to remember names better and to recall them quickly. Whether in a social setting or at work it is important to call people by their name, to draw their attention to something or to make a point. People feel more appreciated and respected when you refer to them by name within a conversation. Check out these simple but effective tips that will help you to put a name to face, always.
1. Repeat the name
When you are introduced to someone, at a party or in the office for example, after the person introduces you say something like “hi John, pleased to meet you”. It is proven that most people remember things a whole lot better when they repeat them. It is also good to repeat the new name a few times during the course of the conversation to make sure its in your memory banks.
2. Identify & associate
It is a lot easier to remember someones name if you find a defining characteristic. If you meet someone who is particularly tall for example you might identify them as ‘That tall guy Harry’ you may then even associate (lightly) tall people you know or see with that name.
3. Be attentive
One of the main reasons people forget a name is that they aren’t paying attention properly when introduced. First impressions last and this is true even when it comes to hearing a name for the first time. People are often busy thinking of something clever or witty to say to alleviate the embarrassment of the new situation and to temper the awkwardness. Try to focus your attention and listen carefully to name when introduced.
4. Word association
This powerful method, often used to remember new words when learning a foreign language can also be very effective when it comes to remembering a person’s name. The more wacky the association the better and creating some kind of visual for it is even better. Say for example you meet someone called Larry who happens to have very curly hair. You could associate this with ‘Larry the lamb’ (for obvious reasons) thereby creating a strong association and visual image.
5. Memorize
Names and faces are not hard things to memorize. For people like teachers or those working in managerial positions in big corporations who need to know tens or even hundreds of names it is much more of a challenge. As a former teacher myself it was common practice for me to sit at the beginning of a new semester with the list of student names and actually memorize it. This can be done even more effectively by identifying and associating the names with the faces.
