How to Remember People’s Names at Business Conferences

When you attend an industry event or conference, you expect to learn a lot of new information from panels, speakers, and workshops. One of the most important things to remember, though, can also be the most easily overlooked: people’s names!

It’s often the case that while you’ll remember where a person grew up, where they went to school, or what you chatted about in your first conversation, you’ll forget their name the moment they say it. There’s nothing worse than bumping into someone a second time and getting caught trying to talk around it, or worse — not knowing how to get in touch with them later.

Addressing a person by name isn’t just polite — it will actually improve your business relationship with them. Science shows that our brains light up at the sound of hearing our own names. Since today’s customers expect a personalized experience, adding this personal touch will humanize these relationships and make the people you interact with feel more valued.

Here are a few tips and tricks to take with you to your next conference.

Repeat Their Name as Soon as You Meet

Shaking hands and saying, “Nice to meet you, John,” instead of a simple, “Nice to meet you,” can make all the difference. Repeating a person’s name back to them forces your brain to actually focus on it for a few seconds, thereby improving your chances of recalling it later.

Focus on a Facial Feature

Our brains have the ability to associate visual traits with memory. Think about if you’ve ever lost your wallet or keys; you can often say with some degree of certainty where you last saw them. We can do the same thing with people’s faces. Pick out a memorable feature — a beard, dimples, glasses — that you can associate with their name to help strengthen your memory of it.

Connect Their Name to a Visual Image

For the same reasons mentioned above, quickly pairing a person’s name with a familiar visual can help you commit it to memory. For example, you can think of a word that starts with the same letter or has a similar sound as their name, like “Chris” and “cross,” or something that rhymes with it, such as “Claire” and “chair.” 

Think of Someone Who Shares Their Name

This can be a celebrity, fictional character, friend, family member — anyone who’s going to help jog your memory later. If you meet a “Peter,” you can think of Saint Peter, Peter Parker, or Peter Pan. Granted, if someone has a really unique name, this one might be hard to do — but that also might be a reason you’d remember it!

Focus on the Conversation You’re Having

It sounds silly, but there are a lot of distractions at big industry events, not to mention the potential for your mind to wander off mid-conversation to run through your own agenda or start thinking about your evening plans. Make sure that with each new person you meet, you’re staying present and actually listening to them and engaging fully in the conversation.

Image Credit: Image courtesy of Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock