Remembering Names

A colleague asked if I had any tips on remembering people’s names.  She had just come back from a sales conference where she met dozens of people who chose to forgo the courtesy of wearing their name-tags.  The week-long conference had approximately 200 attendees – enough to make name-remembering a challenge, yet few enough for you to recognize most faces after a week.

Here are my tips:

1.  In a meeting ALWAYS write the persons name down on your legal pad (which of course you always have with you).

2.  When possible, scribble notes about that person during the meeting that will help you remember them.

3.  If a meeting starts without introductions - stop the meeting and insist on them.  (Don’t be shy - I do this a lot!)  If the introductions go too quickly - slow them down so you can get everyone's name written down.  This doesn’t happen very often, but you’d be surprised.  Business-card swaps work well too – arrange them in front of you as you see the attendees.

OK, now what if you're not in a meeting? 

If you know you're about to go somewhere and meet new people, try to find out who they are ahead of time.  Often the host or someone on your team knows this information, so there's no reason for you to have to absorb all the information in real-time.

Being introduced to someone unexpectedly is inevitable.  When this happens, and you don’t feel it is appropriate to ask for a biz card:

1.  Repeat their name "Nice to meet you Maria."
2.  Get in the habit of thinking of someone else you know - or a celebrity - with that name and make the mental association.  (Maria on Sesame Street.)

Things to watch out for:  Tip #1. can become so automatic that it looses its effectiveness.  I have often repeated the name to forget it moments later.  Also be careful with tip #2.  When you meet Bill Stevens, think of Bill Gates – not Bill Wonka in second grade who used to eat paste – you may end up with a smirk on your face that those around you won’t understand.

Finally, be aware that common names like Dave and Beth (at least if you grew up here in the US) can be much easier to forget than Umesh or Mahtab.  As meeting new people becomes an important part of your career, you will learn to pay a little extra attention when you meet someone with a common name.