Being good with names is a skill everyone can benefit. It makes meeting new friends easier, socializing smoother and makes people feel important. As Dale Carnegie puts it, “a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” We want doctors who can remember the names of their patients and teachers who know their students by name. People receive job rejection letters because  of misspelled names. Names are important!

I used to be on-and-off with remembering names. Some people’s names would easily stick with me while others I would forget within the first 10 seconds. However, I have created a method using old time-tested techniques and modern technology that has helped me remember over 95% of the names of people I meet over a period of months and even years.

How To Remember Names

1. Pay Attention – The crucial period for remembering a name is within the first 5-10 seconds of hearing it. Concentrate and focus when a person says their name. Mentally repeat the name to yourself a few times. The most common reason for forgetting a name is that people don’t paying attention or were not listening when a person said their name. How can you remember a name if you didn’t even hear it? Treat this first interaction as if they were announcing the winning numbers of a lottery draw. Often, I find paying attention to the introduction of a name the first time is often enough to make me remember their name. Don’t think about your own introduction and how you’ll make a good first impression when somebody is introducing themselves. Remembering their names will be one of the best first impressions you can do.
2. Repeat Their Name, Use it in Conversation – Once you hear their name, repeat it, repeat it, repeat it. Say it to yourself in your head several times. Use it in the conversation to address the person. For instance, if somebody introduces themselves as Sally, you could follow it up with “it’s nice to meet you Sally.” Just the action of saying a name out loud makes it hard to forget. It strengthens your memory of the name through different senses. I guarantee that if you say their name immediately, you will remember their name until at least the conversation is over. It will make the conversation more natural too, but don’t overuse their name either.
3. Make Associations with the Name – Building upon the concept of remembering a name in multiple ways, mental imagery or silly sounds will help solidify a name. For instance, if you meet a Victoria, you could picture her dressed up in Victorian-era clothes or if you meet a Christopher, you could make the sound in your head of chris-TO-fer. The more exaggerated and wacky the associations the more likely is it going to stick. If the person has a shared name with a celebrity or another friend, you can look for common associations between the two. Even creating a mental imagery of the two people standing together will help you remember. Picturing your best friend Kevin with the Kevin you just met will create an image you can refer back to if you ever forget their name. Read the rest of this entry »