Remembering Names

This week I've been reading a chapter in Frank Bettner's book titled "How to Remember Names & Faces". He describes how he learned to improve his names and faces recall skills after attending a Sales Course while he was working in the United States.

Here are five techniques that will make remembering names a lot easier:

1. Recognise That Names Are Sometimes Challenging to Remember

The first step to being better with names is respecting how difficult they are to remember. This might seem counterproductive. But much of the trouble people have with names comes from our tendency to assume we can easily remember arbitrary information.

It’s the same when you learn someone’s name. You meet them, hear their name, and assume it will be easy to remember — you just heard it, after all. But inevitably, something else will pop into your mind and distract you. Before you know it, you have no idea what the person’s name is.

Don’t make this mistake. Recognise that names take effort to remember, and you’ll naturally put more notice into remembering them.

2. Use the Person’s Name in Conversation

Secondly you need to do more than that if you want to improve your recall. One of the most powerful techniques for remembering someone’s name is to use it in conversation after you meet them.

The simplest way to do this is to change your response when you meet someone. Instead of saying,?Nice to meet you,?you should say,?Nice to meet you, [person’s name].?It’s a subtle change, but the effect on your brain is powerful.

When you say the person’s name out loud, you force your brain to interact with the information in a new way. Instead of just hearing the name, you’re now engaging all the parts of your brain (and body) required to?speak?it.

This can take some practice to seem natural; using someone’s name too much can come across as creepy. But if you do it right, you won’t just increase your chances of remembering the person’s name — you’ll also give that person the great feeling that comes from hearing their name.

If you’re not sure when else to use someone’s name in a conversation, at least use it when you part ways. Don’t just say,?It was nice to meet you.?Instead, say,?It was nice to meet you, [person’s name].?This is also a good opportunity to ask the person to remind you of their name if you’ve forgotten.

3. Practice Retrieving the Person’s Name

Using someone’s name will help embed it into your memory, but it’s not foolproof.

First, quiz yourself at least once?during?the conversation with the person. Be sure you don’t zone out and lose the thread of the conversation, of course. Once the conversation is over, quiz yourself again. Optionally, write down the person’s name in your phone along with a note about who they are and how you met.

One of the best ways to be sure you do this is to keep a journal and write down the names of anyone you met. The more you can practice retrieving the person’s name, the more likely you are to remember it.

4. Use Mnemonic Techniques

Our final tip for remembering names is to use mnemonic devices. Mnemonics, are “memory aids” in which you link arbitrary, challenging to remember information (names, telephone numbers, etc.) to easy to remember information.

A mnemonic can be anything from an acronym to a rhyme to a ridiculous story.

For instance, if you met someone named “Avery,” you could think of a word that rhymes with their name (let’s say “bravery”).

Then, you could make up a quick mental story involving Avery displaying some act of bravery (fighting a dragon, for instance).

It may appear silly, but that’s exactly the point: linking someone’s name to a vivid, silly image turns arbitrary information into something memorable.

5. If You Forget Someone’s Name, Admit It

Even with all the memory techniques in the world, there will come a time when you forget someone’s name. When this happens, the best approach is to admit it and ask the person to tell you their name.

Sure, you could hope that their name will come up in conversation, such as when another person enters the room and greets them. Or, you could wait until the two of you exchange contact information (at which point you can ask them to spell their name).

It’s probably better to be honest and just ask, “Can you remind me of your name?” Not only does this save you embarrassment, but it also shows that you care enough about the person to make a point of knowing their name.

Remembering Names Is Worth the Effort

I know remembering names may seem like a lot of work, but it will be worth the effort. You know the warm feeling you get when someone says?your?name, so you can imagine how great it will make other people feel when you can say theirs.

And once you make remembering names a habit, it will get easier.?

Good luck!

Ref: From Failure to Success in Selling, by Frank Bettger

Ref: https://collegeinfogeek.com/how-to-remember-names/