William Shakespeare is often attributed with saying: “There is no sound so sweet as the sound of one’s own name” – but, even though I have to brush up on my Shakespeare, I was unable to verify if The Bard’s pen was responsible for that particular line.
The statement however, is no less true…
Regardless, of whether the word we most like to hear is the sound of our own name, or not, I don’t think too many people would argue that they would love to remember people’s names with ease – particularly when you find yourself in a crowded room, bumping into somebody in the street you’ve met in another time and another place, or meeting a visitor at your BNI meeting for the first time.
Names have power. You feel good remembering them, and the other person is ‘warmer’ for you having remembered their name.
I once had a woman respond enthusiastically to me: “Oh, you remembered my name!” If only she knew what a feat of mental power that took me – I was even more surprised that she was.
If, like me, you may sometimes struggle to remember names, don’t take any consolation from the fact that you’re good with faces. Everybody is good with faces.
However, you can take some cheer from the fact that most people are similarly challenged to remember names. here are some techniques you can use to remember names when next you’re networking or welcoming a visitor to your BNI chapter:
1. Repetition: Repeat the person’s name frequently during the conversation – ‘so Joe’, ‘tell me Joe’, ‘you might know better, Joe…’
2. Association: Create an association with the person’s name. Use your imagination to come up with something that is colourful, bizarre, a little bit weird.
For example, if his name is Bill Richards, imagine a cartoon Bill Clinton character cuddling Keith Richards.
Try not to laugh out loud when actually projecting the image on to the inside of your eyelid. This technique is useful because it engages both your right and left brain hemispheres in the act of memory.
3. Rhyming: Mental literacy wizard and mind mapping pioneer, Tony Buzan, advocates rhyming associations, for example, Rick ‘Sticks’. Make a mental picture of Rick as a stick, and repeat the rhyme to yourself. It could even be ‘Rick eats sticks for BNI breakfast’.
4. Forget this one: Another technique I have heard about and attempted to apply, with little luck, is looking for something in the physical make-up of the person that is a bit unique and then using that as memory trigger. You might have better luck than I did with that one.
Apparently the act of focusing on a detail of a person’s face precludes eye contact and your ability to take in the ‘whole face’.
Try it, you might like it…
5. Most important, however, is to pay more attention. Put other thoughts aside and live in the moment. Actually engage in the conversation.
Active attention and sincere engagement is what most aids memory retention.
