The Oops
Has this ever happened to you at a networking event…? You introduce yourself and the other person shakes your hand and states their name. You shake your head, acknowledging their existence and then…Oops! What was that person’s name again?
Hey, it happens to the best of us. Even that one guy who remembers everyone’s name, face, company, age and favorite childhood pet’s name sometimes forgets a thing or two…in theory. It’s a fact: our brains are faulty. Now you’re armed with an excuse when your spouse asks you to do something that you honestly forgot. (You’ll probably still end up in the doghouse, but it was worth a shot, right?)
Despite our flawed memories, that’s not really an acceptable excuse to use while networking. After all, you want to make a good impression. You want to show you’re a smart professional. Immediately forgetting a name doesn’t exactly instill confidence in your ability to do a great job.
Never fear! The good news is there’s a simple trick you can use to help you remember people’s names.
The Trick
Remembering someone’s name doesn’t have to be a parlor trick. You can accomplish this feat (and wow the socks off your colleagues) by taking a tip from memory champion Ron White.
When you see someone you don’t know walking toward you at a networking event, you should repeat to yourself, “What is your name?” This will allow you to focus your mind; so when you introduce yourself and they say their name, your mind is listening. This alone should help your retention for names increase dramatically.
To retain those names long-term, the secret lies in creating personalized images that make each face unique. White’s suggestion is to have predetermined images that go with common names. So when you meet people, you find something profound or different about their appearance and then somehow relate that predetermined image to that quality.
For example, let’s say the woman you just met is named Mary. Your predetermined image for the name Mary is a Christmas tree. (Clever, I know.) Let’s say Mary has a prominent nose. This may sound silly, but go ahead and picture a Christmas tree on Mary’s nose.
You’ve now created an unforgettable image associated with Mary and her face!
The Result
When you see Mary again several weeks later and can’t remember her name, don’t panic! Try not to think, Shoot! What IS her name? or your mind might go blank.
Relax! You got this.
Look at her face. You’ll see her prominent nose and remember the Christmas tree standing on it. Aha! Mary! That’s it! If you lock-in that memory from the get-go, Mary’s name will come to you almost immediately and usually subconsciously.
You’ll be a master of names and the networking game before you know it!
Check out Ron White’s website at Brain Athlete to see how he taught a 6 year old to memorize all 44 presidents in order by relating them to furniture. You can also see him explaining his technique to the Dr Oz show here.
Cheers to great memories and Happy Networking!