Secret to Remembering Names

I’m at a conference this week with 2500 other people, some of whom I know very well, and some of whom I will meet for the first time. I love meeting new people and going from complete strangers to friends is something I hope to do with as many folks as possible. You can never have too many friends.

One of the best ways to connect with people right off the bat is to remember their name. Thankfully every person has a nametag so in a pinch, I can cheat and look at the tag. But being able to recall someone’s name from across the room and greeting them warmly as soon as you see them lights people’s faces up in a most incredible way.

Over the year’s, I’ve gotten quite good at remembering people’s names and putting them with their faces, even for folks I only see once or twice a year. How do I do it?

Repeat – I repeat folks names as often as I can when I first meet them. I use it with them, I introduce them to other people, and I say their names over and over in my head until I have the name down cold.

Evaluate – Is there something unique about this person? Do they look like anyone I know? Do I know others with their same name? I’m focusing on first names here, though a unique last name can be really helpful too. Or a last name that rhymes with their first name. Or the same first letter. Try to picture the name. I actually think about typing the name on my computer keyboard and it helps me remember it. I evaluate where on the keyboard each letter is.

Ask questions – I like to get to know the person a little more, so I ask some questions of the person. Where they’re from, what they do, what they’re looking forward to about the conference. Something interesting about them. This is also a great opportunity to repeat their name a few more times, to keep it in my head.

Deliver them to someone else – If you can introduce someone to somebody else and use their correct name (pronounce the last name too if you think you have it) and a few cool things about them (this is where your questions come in), you can remember someone forever…and you can be memorable to them. Deliver the other person with a smile, a nod, a handshake, a hug, whatever makes you (and them) comfortable.

Smile and walk away – Now that you’ve learned someone’s name, and a little bit about them, and introduced them to someone else, now is the perfect time to meet the next person. Just smile and walk away, knowing you’ve made another connection, and you’ve connected your new acquaintance to another new person too.

And there you have it. If you can remember READS, you can remember names.

What are your best tips for remembering folk’s names? Please leave a comment and let me know. I’m off to meet a few more of the 2500 at my conference.

Image courtesy of www.myspacelayouts.org/generators/Name-Tag/