Can You Remember Names?

A person’s name is the most beautiful sound in any language. Using someone’s name is guaranteed to get their attention, and help you build rapport.

With that in mind, how good are you at remembering names?

In my workshops, I ask participants who thinks they are terrible at remembering names? 80% of hands shoot up. For the past twelve years I have been conducting a secret worldwide survey and to be honest it seems like you are all pretty bad at it.

Remembering names is not a memory problem; it is an attitude problem!

Think about it, if you tell yourself you are not good at doing something, how likely is it that you are going to excel at it?

Remembering names is a skill that anyone can do, including you, and you can start improving your memory skills today.

Try these tips:

1. Give your name and ask for theirs

a. “Hi, my name is Stuart, what’s yours?

2. When they give you their name you must focus your attention. It sounds obvious, but many people ask for a name and do not bother listening to the answer. Pretend you are trying to catch their name in an imaginary baseball glove.

3. If you do not hear their name have the confidence to ask them to repeat it

4. Ask people how they spell their name. I find getting a picture of their name in my mind helps me. (Top tip, do not ask people how they spell their name if you have forgotten what it is. I once tried this trick at a party, I asked a guy I had previously spoken to how he spells his name. He said B….O…..B - awkward!

5. If theirs is a difficult name to pronounce, ask them for advice

6. Add the names of people you meet to your address book as soon as possible and add something you learned about them and when and where you met