I don’t know about you but I am just horrible at remembering names. I will remember a face, most likely the persons business name but for some reason struggle to remember names. It can be an instant loss like as soon as the handshake is finished so is my ability to remember a name… I admire and aspire to be one of those people who can easily remember and use a person’s name in conversation. I believe a strong connection is felt when you can use a person’s name in conversation. Plus, let’s be honest blanking on a person’s name whom you have met person, or worse, just been introduced to is borderline rude and crazy embarrassing.
Has this happened to you? There’s nothing worse than awkwardly coaxing someone to repeat their name so we can make a proper introduction, or using nonspecific phrases like “Hey there!” to work around the issue. My inability to retrieve names became a fear for me and I found myself avoiding names altogether. Apparently it gets worse with age, which is not reassuring since I’m only 32!
I believe we rely so heavily on resources such as contacts in phones and the internet for finding answers we no longer flex our memory and it is difficult to concentrate and take in all that is around us now that the art of memorization is being lost.
Remembering names is important. It builds a connection, it makes people feel good and it keeps their attention focused. Studies show that hearing our name activates our brain, even when it’s spoken in a noisy room. You may notice that influential leaders take care to use people’s names, this isn’t by accident — they know it matters and use it.
So, if you’re like me and you want to improve your name recognition, follow these great tips. These tricks show how easy it can be to catch a name and keep it top of mind, so you never have to say “Hey there!” again.
1. Meet and repeat – This is so simple. When you meet someone before the conversation continues use their name. For example, if the person in front of you says their name is Bob, say, “Hi Bob, it’s so nice to meet you”. Repeating the name throughout your conversation while making eye contact will only further embed it in your memory.
2. Spell it out – Psychiatrists suggest asking a person to spell their name, especially if it’s an unusual one. This technique is particularly helpful for people with a visual memory, as it creates a mental picture of the person’s name. For visual recall asking for a business card and seeing the person’s name in print can also be of benefit.
3. Associate – Creating a rhyme or verbal game when you first hear a name can also help you with name recall. You could use their name and their business or job to create a pattern with their name, for example ‘Sammy the Sales Man’, or ‘Sammy’s in Sales’. I particular like this one and often find myself giving people nicknames which is really the same concept, only in a professional environment you might keep the nickname as a prompter for remembering and using their correct name in conversation.
4. Make connections – Another form of association it to connect the person you have just met with someone you already know, for example Bob, like my uncle. IF you don’t have a personal contact you can connect the name with use a celebrity, especially if their appearances are similar which is almost a guarantee you will remember them again.
5. Choose to care – It’s sad to say but one of the main reasons we forget someone’s name is simply because we are not fully focused on learning it in the first place. This could be because we are distracted by something around us, a calling phone, too much noise, the list goes on. I know I am bad at remembering names so something I started to do after having too many of those awkward forgetful moments was to really concentrate on the initial introduction and even if I didn’t use any of the other tricks above, just paying a little extra attention lessened my fail rate on name recall.
How do you remember a person name?
