I’m absolutely horrible at recalling a person’s name, even if I just heard it a couple of seconds ago. I find using one or more of the following 8 tips on remember people’s names helps immensely. I can remember numbers without any difficulty at all, but unfortunately, I don’t often meet people who are named after numbers!
Not everyone carries around a business card or personalized stationary with their name on it. If I encounter a person whom I wish to keep in mind for business purposes, then I always get a personal business card or have the person write his/her name down on the back of a company business card. This gives me something to remember this helpful person’s name by, as well as a card to put on file when I get home.
Look right at the person you are being introduced to or are meeting for the first time. I sometimes have to focus intently on a person as introductions are being made or I don’t realize I’ve been given a name at all. If I glance away for a second, the name escapes my mind. Make good eye contact and listen as the person’s name is being said, whether you are receiving this information directly from the new person you are meeting or getting it from a friend who is performing the introduction.
The rhyme doesn’t need to have anything to do with the person all, but it helps if it does. For instance; you meet a guy named Dan and think ‘Dan drives a tan van’. Dan might actually drive a blue Volvo, but you might be able to remember his name better with the silly rhyme you made up.
I am more of a visual person, so I find this tactic helps me most of the time. If I’m unsure of the spelling, I’ll have the person spell his/her name for me. This actually helps the name sink in even further. I can recall words and stories I’ve read much better than those I’ve heard, so ‘reading’ a person’s name helps me to commit it to memory faster.
If you can remember a person’s name long enough to bring it up again during a conversation, then by all means use it! Usually, if I can recall someone’s name during the first minute of our meeting, I don’t have a problem remembering it after that. It’s getting through the first initial introduction without spacing the name I just heard.
You might do this after the person you just met isn’t standing in front of you, unless you aren’t embarrassed by the fact that you have difficulty remember names. I personally would be flattered if someone cared enough to write down my name so he/she could remember it later. That’s just me though!
My husband uses this tactic all the time. The funny thing is that he does it out loud and often right in front of the person whose name he’s trying to remember. Typically, people get a kick out of hearing him make the association. When it comes to using word association with names, the association will most likely be something that makes sense to you, but is completely off the wall to someone else. For instance, you meet someone names Robert. It just so happens that Robert is a friend of Joe’s who raises chickens and you enjoyed raising chickens when you were a kid. So, the happy memory of raising chickens or even seeing a chicken will make you think of Robert. It’s odd, but it does work for some people. Like I said, the association will make sense to you.
It’s best if you repeat the name in your head and don’t stand there chanting the name of the person you just met. I know I’d be weirded out if someone started doing that to me. Say it a few times upon hearing it and then repeat it to yourself every so often.
I hope you can use these 8 tips on remember people’s names to help you recollect the identity of people you meet. What techniques do you use now to try to remember someone’s name?
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