Glimmerick

A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language. ~Dale Carnegie

When people remember my name, it makes me feel special. It should make most everyone feel special. This person has taken the time to remember my name.  Just recall a time where you have met a person maybe once or twice, you don’t remember their name, but they come right out and say, “Hey Tage, how are you doing?!” This one act is so very important and thoughtful, yet most people don’t think twice about it. “I’m bad with names,” is a common excuse, one that I am very fond of. Re-thinking that mindset, I have realized that it is just an excuse for me to be lazy. I decided to delve into the information super highway to uncover top tips to remember names. Here are a few of them that I found to be especially helpful:

1. Just Pay Attention!- What seems more important at the end of a conversation, the person you are addressing remembers your name or remembers every single detail of the conversation. Seems very logical to me– THE NAME!!!. Focus on their name and make it a priority over what they are talking about at first. They will be more forgiving if you have their name committed to memory. Sure it would be great to remember their name and catch every detail of the conversation, but let’s face it, a lot of us aren’t that good. Sure you may remember their name for those 45-60 seconds, but when you run into that person again in the workplace and are grasping at straws, you may have wanted to make a better effort. Those first moments when you meet someone are key! Focus, focus, focus.
2. Repeat 2-3 times- First say, “Hey nice to meet you Larry!” Then you might throw in a, “So where you work Larry?” This may seem a bit overkill, but many experts swear by it.  Then at the end of the conversation, of course part with their name, “Well it’s been nice talking to you Larry.”
3. Write It Down- NOT IN FRONT OF THEM. After the conversation is over you may want to jot down their name, where they worked, appearance, etc.  Whatever you need to remember them.
4. Name=Picture- Some people swear by this, others deem it unnecessary. These tips are yours to take or leave. If you meet a Bob, you may want to picture a fishing bob, red and white floating in the water. Or if you meet a Cassie, you may think of a glassy chandelier. These are great examples I know… but you get what I am saying- I hope.

Out of the many places I scoped out, these seemed to be the most popular and useful tips.  Some things that I did want to say were things that you shouldn’t do in this name remembering process. If you forget someone’s name, don’t keep talking to them while pretending to remember their name. In most cases they will notice, and may be offended. Just fess up, and say, “Sorry, but I can’t recall your name. Will you please tell me again?” Honesty is the best policy. I’m sure most people would like to see someone actually care to know their name rather than have that person pretend to remember. If your pride gets in the way, that may be a signal to show how shallow you are acting. Just remember, when you remember a person’s name, that mean’s the world to them!

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 20th, 2008 at 12:59 am and is filed under Books, Lifestyle, Organization, Productivity, RSS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.