Strategies to remember names

How could you learn the name of a person? How could you remember that name?

I always had issues in remembering names, but for someonethe name is the most important thing: it’s his identity and is linked to the core of the person. Using the name we value that person and we create a personal relationship.

I tried all kinds of strategies during my training sessions and I also read Dynamic Learning by Robert Dilts & Todd Epstein, so I discovered that learning a name is not linked to the letters or the sound, but to the person and the memory links that we create.

At the beginning of my training sessions, I ask all participants to write on a badge their name and one of their characteristics they consider important. Like this, for me it’s easier to remember their names and for the participants is easier to create relationships between them: they already have an information they could use to start a conversation and they are much more interested in knowing the others because of the advantages they bring with their resources, skills and characteristics.

So, here are the efficient strategies to learn and remember the names of the people we meet:

1. start by wanting to know that person;
2. establish eye contact and try to really hear the name: create in your mind the images of the face and the name written on a badge that you attach to the person;
3. repeat the name yourselves and hear your voice when you say it;
4. focus on personal characteristics. Find one that is specific for that person, about how he/she looks, behaves, walks, talks etc;
5. associate the person with someone that is close to you and that has a similar name – this information will be stored in the long term memory and not on the short term one;
6. add something to the name: a characteristic, a nickname or a verb – for example Lisa-active. If possible, create a rime between the name and an obvious characteristic of that person;
7. make a short break: breaks allow the subconscious mind to think, integrate and sediment the information;
8. practice every time you get the chance, you will finally use these strategies automatically. There is also a game that you could use for practice, on Lumosity.

Have fun!