Tips To Remember Names

Remembering names is very important to networking & relationship building.

Forgetting someone's name can be awkward and send them a negative message.

Remembering names — and learning how to recover if you forget someone's name — will help you in al kinds of social and professional situations.

1. Meet and repeat

When you first learn someone's name, repeat it right away. For example, if a person introduces themself as Sasha, say, "Hi, Sasha, nice to meet you."

Use their name in the conversation. When saying goodbye, be sure to use their name one last time.

2. Spell it out

Asking someone to spell their name, especially if it's an uncommon name, can help you to remember it.

You may also write down their name or ask for a business card.

As soon as you can, write it down or add the person to your contacts with a few pieces of information about them that will help you remember who they are.

3. Associate

It can be helpful to associate someone's name with another word or image. This could include an alliteration with something about them, like "Bridget plays basketball."

You can also picture an image that sounds like the person's name. For example, say you meet someone named Carl. You could imagine Carl driving in his car.

4. Make connections

You can connect the person you've met with someone else you know with the same name. It could be someone you know personally, or a famous person.

5. Choose to care

It is important to focus on remembering the person's name. Make a conscious decision that you're going to remember it.

If you forget someone's name — it's okay! Here are some strategies if you do forget someone's name.

Photo by Yingchou Han on Unsplash

• Ask them to put their number and name in your phone.

• Ask for their email address. Many people have their name within their email address, which may help you to recall their name.

• Ask a friend to remind you of their name.

• Ask them how to spell their name.

• Ask for their business card.

• End the conversation by reminding them of your name.You could say, "It was great meeting you. My name is ______. Can you remind me again of your name?"

• Be honest.Sometimes it's best to apologize for forgetting their name, and ask for it again. Keep in mind this is probably okay if you've met the person once. But if you've met them many times, things might get awkward.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

The first step to forming a new relationship or networking is remembering someone's name.

With some focus and effort, you can perfect the skill of remembering people's names: