Listen closely to their name and ask for it to be repeated if you didn’t hear it clearly. I think that taking the trouble to ask to hear their name again will never upset anybody!
It’s a good idea to ask for a name to be spelled out if you’re unfamiliar with it. That’s just showing respect for the person to whom you’ve been introduced.
Use their name yourself as soon as you can introduce it into the conversation. If you get the opportunity, you might further re-enforce their name into your brain by mentioning them to someone else whom you talk with during that event.
There’s another, ongoing extra benefit. Spelling out the unfamiliar names will focus your mind and fix them in place better there. You will also develop a greater ability in understanding the names which are common to people in each country or ethnic group.
With the influence of the Internet and more people traveling internationally, that can help to increase your potential social and business connections very quickly.
Copyright © 2006 by John Williams 51. http://www.ezymagic.com/
“Maximum Memory Power” by John Williams
Page 52 of 67
You may be able to construct a mind-picture using their face and their name. You could make a simple mental image, putting Mr. Baker in a bakery or just handing you an over-size loaf of bread, for instance.
It’s just as helpful to exaggerate the contents of these pictures as those which you create for the Peg systems.
Link Names to Significant Facial Features
With some people, you might notice that their nose, the shape of their head, ears or their chin is sufficiently different to be memorable:
There will be many times that you can make a mental association between someone’s name and a particular facial feature.
Start with their eyes because those
are less likely to vary with
changes in fashion or age
Then, there are noses
Chins (do not focus on beards
because they can change or vanish.
Ears are one of the most
easily identifiable features!
This conscientious effort will automatically improve your retention of the names of all the people that you meet.
Copyright © 2006 by John Williams 52. http://www.ezymagic.com/
“Maximum Memory Power” by John Williams
Page 53 of 67