Skip to main content

Seven Ways to Remember Any Name


By: Think Simple Now
10/22/08, 9:53 PM


Our name is one of those hard-wired words in our subconscious (like “free”) that has the intrinsic trigger to get our attention. You are more likely to react and respond to the sound of your name than say the word “apple.”

The ability to remember people’s names is an incredibly useful skill in business and social interactions. Do you remember how impressed or surprised you were the last time someone remembered your name? I still get impressed, and I tend to remember these people in an especially warm and friendly light.

I often fall victim to the embarrassment of not remembering names of people who approach me with, “Hi Tina, how are you?” I would panic, thinking, “Oh crap! What’s her name again?”

So in order to help myself remember names, I have developed the following techniques. I’ve used each one extensively and they have proven to be effective in my experience.

1. Trust Yourself
Many of us believe that we are horrible at names and we are very proud of this fact by telling other people about it. By relying on this story we’ve created, we instantly forget people’s names the moment we hear it, without even trying, because we are “horrible at names.” I have been guilty of this. So, stop telling people that you are bad at names. You are not bad at names; you just have not implemented a system that worked for you yet. Tell yourself, “I am fantastic at remembering names! And I’m going to start practicing now.”

2. Seeing Faces
If you know another person with the same name, try the following:

a) See that person’s face in your imagination.
b) Now, see the person’s face bounce up and down.
c) Now, see the new person’s face, bouncing up and down beside the first face.
d) Repeat steps a) and b) several times.

3. Using Sound Tricks
If you do not know another person with this same, try the following mnemonics using sound:

a) Repeat their names several times in your head, while noting the following:

* Exaggerate the sounds. Prolong the syllables. For example, “Teee-Naaa!” The funnier, funkier, and more disturbing, the better.

* Try chunking which is breaking the name into several distinguishable parts or words.

b) Associate parts of a name with words you’re already familiar with and can easily pronounce. For example, “Ramesh” equals mesh, mash.

c) For foreign, long, or unusual names, create a story. Make the story highly visual, especially great if the story sounds silly and makes you laugh. For example, “Bengodi” could be “Ben Affleck is going to become a deejay.”

4. Hear the Sounds Repeated

Look into their eyes while being introduced, and repeat their name several times out aloud. I like to ask questions after being introduced. Doing so gives me additional time and opportunity to practice their names on the spot:

* “Did I pronounce it correctly?”
* “How do you pronounce that?”
* “Could you repeat it?”

I would repeat it several times after they answer the question, and check with them that I have the correct pronunciation. Again, this technique gives me an excuse to practice his or her name, and also ensures that I’m pronouncing it right.

5. See the Spelling Visually

Practice seeing each letter clearly in your mind. Sound out each letter as you see them. Repeat the process of seeing and hearing each letter in sequence. For example, “Tyler” would be “Tee, Y, L, E, R, Tyler!”

Two tips for this technique:
a) Clarify spelling. Ask, “How do you spell that?” This gives extra time and chance to practice the technique. Make sure to repeat the letters back to the person (and see the letters as you say it). Don’t worry about sounding or looking silly. If you are genuine about learning someone’s name, he or she will appreciate it.

b) Dancing letters. As you pass through each letter, see it move a little. It could be shaking, bouncing, wobbling in its place. This will help your mind to remain the memory.

6. Writing It Down

It is always useful to have some scrap paper and pen with you. Better yet, use your notebook if you carry one. When the person is not looking or when you are in the bathroom, quickly jot down the names or sounds of names.

* Write a one-liner description beside the name.
* At conferences, I will have a page in my notebook dedicated to names. After meeting someone new, I would write it down in this page, along with a quick distinct reminder about that person. For example, “John, the real estate guy from Portland,” or “Zoe, the Myspace programmer.”

I like dumping names on paper or in a record (Item 6 below). Using this technique, I don’t need to carry it around in my mind and be constantly reminding myself of it.

7. Keeping Records
Keep a file on your computer, or even better yet, use google docs (virtual word documents). Call it “The Name Record” or TNR.

I use this to record names of people who I may meet again. I use this to record names of people from my building (as I meet them) and for anyone I meet at any gathering. When writing down a name, it is important to associate the name with a memorable fact or story. For example, “Unit 406—Manik, Indian guy, very nice, thirty-years-old, works at Boeing,” or “Derek—friend of Josh, music director, they went to same college, big eyes, sarcastic.”

Try using these techniques one at a time. Practice, and when you feel comfortable, try another. Believe in yourself; the more you want to remember a name, the easier it will come.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Best scents to help you relax and stay alert

By: Allie Firestone, 10/15/08 3:03 PM Fall is chock-full of scents, and that’s one of the reasons I love it. Picking up on the huge variety of smells—whether it’s pumpkin pie, freshly-baked cookies, or spiced apple cider—is something I recently realized that I take for granted. Scientists say that humans can distinguish over 10,000 different odor molecules. Turns out, while it doesn’t require any conscious thought, our ability to pick up on a scent involves a sensitive and complex function that has powerful effects on our memory and behavior. How else can I explain how one whiff of pumpkin immediately conjures up thoughts of trick-or-treating and holiday gatherings? Scientists dedicated to tracking the complex relationship between smells, our behavior, and our moods have found that certain scents trigger feelings, including those that help us relax and fall asleep and those that perk us up and keep us alert and focused. Sleep and Relaxation Looks like I’m not the only one tossing and t

Anti-cancer foods

Posted by: Zap Mon, Sep 29, 2008, 1:44 pm PDT Source: Yahoo Health It turns out that a healthy diet can help to override any cancer-prone genes you might have at work in your body. "Nutrition has a bigger influence on cancer than inherited genes, which means you could significantly reduce your odds of the disease through diet alone," explains Joel Fuhrman, M.D., author of Eat for Health (Gift of Health Press). OK, OK. I know what you're thinking right about now: She's going to tell me I have to eat kale at every meal. Not so! I mean, for the record, you should always eat as many fruits and veggies as possible, because they will dramatically lower your odds of ever hearing the dreaded diagnosis. But there are many other, less rabbity ways to eat away at your cancer risk. Add whole grains to your diet. My two faves, aside from a thick piece of freshly baked whole-grain bread? Oatmeal with a pinch of cinnamon for breakfast, or brown rice with a chicken and veggie stir-f

Heart Healthy Fish - Health Benefits of Fish

July 6, 2010 Do fears about mercury keep you from reeling in the health benefits of fish? If so, you could be missing the love-your-heart boat. For most people, the healthy fats in fish provide a huge benefit to your heart and overall health -- even with a little mercury. Skeptical? Get this: Eating one to two 6-ounce servings of omega-3-rich fish each week reduces your risk of dying from heart disease by 36 percent! And your all-cause mortality rate drops by 17 percent. Soon-to-be or currently breastfeeding moms need to be especially careful to avoid excess mercury. Still, most people can do their heart and body right by eating one or two servings a week of omega-3-rich fish that is relatively low in mercury. Unfortunately, most fish contain some mercury, thanks to industrial processing. But the less time fish spend simply living in a mercury-laden environment or eating other fish containing mercury, the lower the contamination levels will be. So for low-mercury fish, we're talkin