Learn how to remember peoples' names

I have a fairly unique name. Unique enough that everyone seems to remember it, which makes me feel horrible when I run into someone and I can’t focus on what they’re actually saying because I’m trying to remember who the hell they are. Today was particularly bad – within the space of ten minutes, I ran into a teacher and a friend from high school (more than ten years ago!), both of whom remembered me by name. If I’m lucky, a first name will pop into my head within the next few days. If not, I’ll drive myself crazy trying to remember where my yearbooks are.

It’s bad enough when I’ve only met a person once or twice, but these are people I saw every day for three years.

Clearly, something needs to be done.

NOTHING, JUST WANNA KNOW

I used to think I was horrible when it came to remembering peoples names. And it kind of seems that I had just given up and accepted it as some kind of law of nature (which it clearly cannot be) so from now on I’ve decided to STOP being horrible remembering names…

I’ve done some research and this shouldn’t be that hard. The easiest way to learn someone’s name seems to be to use it right away speaking with them, and then again. Some say it works even better if you write it down. Also to learn a little bit more about the person so you can connect the name to some other word. I’ll be working on this one in the near future.

“You will make more friends in two hours by being interested in other people than you will in two years by trying to get others interested in you.” – Dale Carnegie

I teach ESL groups in school. To remember student’s names I picture the initial of their first name over their head. That usually works. Once in awhile it doesn’t, if I have more than one student in that class with that initial!

If I mess up a student’s name, they have permission to call me the wrong name all day. They can call me another teacher’s name.

this could be very helpful..

that I don’t need to have this on my list. He’s amazed at my ability to remember people’s name. The area I was concerned about is right when I meet someone and they say their name and it goes in one ear and out the other. I’ve been working on this. And just having it here has brought my attention to it. It was a goal I put on when I made my list which I think now isn’t a problem.
So I’m marking it done!

A notebook, some repetition, and reminding myself from the notebook at the end of the day and in a few days’ time generally does it, if I don’t have to remember too many new people’s names in one go. I have a related problem with faces – but I suspect that may be an emotional attachment thing.

It’s kind of faux pas to forget the name of someone you would like to have a second conversation with, but those tend to be the people who’s names I remember the least. I’m not really interested in their name, im interested in everything else. And those that do not pique my interest at all, well, all i can ever seem to remember about them IS their name. Sort of ironic, when you are trying to remember friends from high school, or some interesting stranger you had a 45 minute conversation with on a bus.

There are currently 253 people employeed where I work. I think I know about 70% of their names. I’m on a mission to learn the rest!

We moved to Little Rock and joined a large Church with 4,000 members. I meet a man a few weeks ago, who is 16 years my senior and is a semi-retired news caster on a local TV station, we just exchanged pleasantries that one time. I saw him again Sunday night and he walked right up to me and said, “How are you doing Cal?” I would love to have that kind of recall.