How to remember names

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

The start of how to remember names is to pay attention when introduced

Some people (although not most people) are a whiz at remembering names. When a person has not set eyes on another individual in 15 years, yet without hesitation is capable of coming up with the person?s name that?s remarkable. How do people do that? How do you learn to remember names? A lot of people can?t remember their mother?s middle name let alone the name of something they haven?t seen in years.

The ability to remember names is quite impressive and something everyone should strive to learn. It is a combination of brain health, keeping your memory agile and in shape and using tools for remembering people and names.

This skill helps individuals in the work world as well as in personal life. People will be flattered that you remembered their name because when you do it shows that you cared enough to remember and that makes people feel special and important. Additionally, it allows you to avoid awkward situations where it is apparent the other person knows you and your name, but you can?t come up with his name for the life of you. When this happens rather than dodging the issue, say (apologetically) to the person that his name has slipped your mind and ask if he will please refresh your memory. This time remember it.

A name, or anything, for that matter, can?t be remembered if an individual isn?t truly paying attention when the introduction is made. ?Hi, I?m Penelope Price.? If one doesn?t fully process this information (Penelope Price) it won?t be remembered, even two minutes later. The people who do remember are paying attention when the introduction is made, they are not distracted or unfocused, and they make a point of committing the name to memory.

A highly effective way to improve your memory, including remembering names, is using mnemonics, which is a system that makes memorization easier.

In mnemonics the individual uses associations to remember. When you want to memorize something, such as names, this is an intentional mental process that you have undertaken so that you can store memory and at a later time recall names, phone numbers, poems, facts, appointments and addresses.

When applying mnemonics a person relies on easy-to-remember concepts that can be associated with the information that he is trying to remember. This works because the mind has an easier time remembering humorous information, as well as other significant information more so than it remembers random sequences. For example, “copper pennies = red hair” and the “price of pennies = Penelope Price.” Of course, some names or lists are harder to remember than others because the associations aren?t as easy to make as it is with this particular name.

If you want to remember the names of your client?s three children ? Timmy, Andrea and Sarah ? remember TAS or think of taser gun, which is a start, and then make other associations such as Tiny Tim, Andreas Fault and Sarah Jessica Parker.

A technique that can be used is repeating the person?s name several times after introductions are made. While talking to Penelope use her name repeatedly so that it?s engrained in the memory. The more the name is said and the more the name is seen or heard the more apt it is to be remembered.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt amazed everyone by his sharp recall of names. His technique was to visualize a person?s name written on their forehead and it worked for him. He rarely forgot a name.

You are going to be proud of yourself and may surprise everyone when you pull that previously elusive name out of your back pocket with total ease. People are going to be impressed.