At one time or another, you’ve probably forgotten someone’s name immediately after they introduced themselves.
All things considered, the best time to commit a moniker to memory is the first time you hear it. To keep it from slipping away, Lifehacker has a simple trick: Right after someone—say, Peter—says his name, start soundlessly chanting it in your mind. Even though he’s only said it once, you’ll “hear” it dozens of times, and the repetition will give you a chance to really connect his face to his name.
Another tip is to make the conversation about the person’s name. Since they’ve just introduced themselves, it might be the only opportunity you’ll have to talk about their name without it seeming out of the blue. An easy way to do this is to ask them about spelling, particularly if it’s a name you don’t recognize, or a name with multiple spellings, like Katherine or Hailey.
And, even if you’re not directly talking about a person’s name, you can still say it aloud once or twice. After Peter introduces himself, say “Nice to meet you, Peter,” and at the end of the conversation, part ways with a “Great talking with you, Peter!” or something similar.
Do you have a method to remember names? If you forget do you apologize and ask again or do you just try to fake it through the conversation? If we share this common problem it might be a solution to just to introduce yourself and put others at ease 🙂
