How To Remember People's Names

Almost all of us have faced at least a few embarrassing moments, when we were not able to remember people’s name, when we met them. While this is a one-off instance in most of us, there are some people who have this problem of forgetting names of almost all new acquaintances. Now, you need to know that there is no magic or any sharp memory involved in remembering a name. Everybody can remember names; all it takes is some attention and interest. In this article, we have listed a few useful tips for people who claim to forget other’s names. These simple tips will help you reflect back as to why you forget names and then, get rid of the hurdles coming in the way of your remembering new names. So, read on and know how to remember people's names.

 

The best way to remember your new acquaintance’s name is by repeating it again and again, in your mind. When you are first introduced to a new person, repeat his/ her name; three-time repetition will cement it in your memory. If you want to spell out the name, the trick is to repeat it without people noticing. First, say the name directly, like “It’s nice to meet you Raj”, how do you do? Now, repeat it twice during the course of your conversation. Repeating a new name like this will surely help you remember it.

 

Another way of remembering a person’s name is by associating with it in some way. During your first conversation, subtly study the person’s face and clothing, paying particular attention to any distinguishing features. Once you have noticed any distinguishing feature, anchor his/her name to that particular feature, for e.g. Raj might become Raj with long hair, Raj with round face etc. These kinds of tags will help you remember the name, the next time you see the person.

 

You can even make a small rhyme out of the name of the person you want to remember. It can be as ludicrous as you like it to be, because it has to make sense only to you. If you can tie the rhyme with that person’s special feature, it will be all the more simple to remember their name, for e.g. “Dave needs a shave” (for someone who has a noticeable beard).

 

Introduce your new acquaintance to a friend, by using his/her name. This will help you get into a conversation and will give you opportunity to repeat the name, which will further help in memorizing the name. Introducing your new acquaintance to your friend will also give you a back up. If you tend to forget the name later on, you can ask you friend who might remember it.

Some people tend to develop an attitude that they cannot remember anyone’s name or that they are bad with names. This might just be a false attitude, which can be more of psychological in nature. This attitude needs to be changed at the earliest. As you do so, you will able to undertake more effort to remember names.

 

One of the common reasons behind your forgetting names may be that you were not focusing on the person, at the time of introduction. Forget about yourself and focus on the person who is being introduced. Smile and make eye contact as soon as people say their name and then repeat it back to them within 4 seconds. It is one of the simplest ways to improve your concentration while being introduced to a person, so that you remember his/her name later on.