On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your ability to remember people’s names? Is it a skill you wish you had, or something you wish you didn’t have to work so hard at? No matter which category you fall into, you’ve likely been in a position where you’ve forgotten someone’s name, and it’s an experience you never look forward to reliving. Below you’ll find four proven strategies to remember every person you meet.
1.Give yourself some credit
If you tell yourself that you’re terrible with names, you’ll just chalk it up as a skill you don’t have, and you won’t invest the time and effort it might require to improve your talent in this area. You’ll be delighted at how much simply changing your outlook on your name-recall abilities will improve your performance. Also, think about all of the times you’ve met someone new and connected with them immediately. You found something in common with this new person, and after a few minutes, instead of knowing no one, you felt like you had one friendly face in the room.
2.Ask
Is there someone in the room that you want to meet? Don’t wait to be introduced to them. Be proactive, reach out to them and introduce yourself. Yes, it’s a little gutsy. However, when you’re waiting for someone to make an introduction for you, you’re so focused on figuring out when it’s going to happen that you can’t focus on anything else. In addition, as the introduction is happening, you’re zeroing in on how you’re being introduced. Because you’re busy listening to what they’re saying about you, you’re in no state of mind to listen to the person’s name that is on the other end of the introduction.
If you make the gesture to go up and introduce yourself, all you’re focused on is what you’re going to say to the person you want to meet. By taking away the middleman, you can completely direct the interaction. You’re in control of the outcome of the conversation and making the connection.
3.Focus
Try to put yourself in a situation where your brain is not on overload when you’re meeting new people. A tough scenario to focus in is when you’re meeting multiple people at once. Your brain is trying to process multiple things about each person being introduced, so it’s easily overwhelmed. That means you’re only catching about 50% of the things your brain would normally note about a new person you’re meeting because it is trying to focus on everyone you’re meeting, not just one new person. You’ll have a better chance of remembering one person’s name, rather than the names of five new people.
Additionally, when you are meeting a new person or a group of people, focus on their name (s). For example, if this new person’s name is Rick, think about another Rick that you know and determine if they have anything in common. Or, if you love The Walking Dead, the main character’s name is Rick, ask yourself, do they share anything else other than a name? With this strategy, you’re giving your brain direction on where this Rick fits. So, when you encounter Rick the second time, your brain might show you an image of The Walking Dead, and even if it’s not an immediate recall, you’re more likely to get to remembering Rick’s name.
4.Write it down
The era of business cards is not completely dead. Try to keep a pen near you so that you can scribble an attribute or something you learn about the person during the conversation to record it on the back of the business card. No cards? No problem. You know that smartphone that is constantly chirping, buzzing or blurting in your pocket? Bring it out and ask if you can get their contact information to follow up with them on something you discussed in your time together. In your notes section of your contact, add a few colorful descriptions about their appearance, your conversation, or something that you learned about them. Yes, that means the pressure is on for you to find something interesting to discuss that could warrant a follow up interaction, but you’ll be building your network one email at a time.
Use these four strategies when you’re meeting new people, and you’ll find yourself remembering names instead of searching for them.