7 top tips to help you remember names

It can often be very difficult to remember names. How many times have you come across someone that you met a couple of times before and you find that when you go to say hello you have forgotten their name? It can be very embarrassing to meet up with someone and you just cannot bring their name to mind and have to ask them again. Well this could soon be a thing of the past as there are some tips and tricks to remembering names and here are 7 of the best.

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1. Pay special attention to the name of someone when they tell you. While this statement might seem to be obvious, in practice it isn’t easy to do as often people state their name and then begin to talk about a subject straight away and you forget the name. This can also help if you are going to be introduced to more than one person at a time. Concentrate on the name above anything else the person says.

2. As soon as you hear the name repeat it to yourself a couple of times while looking at that person. You can also say it out loud in the form of “Nice to meet you James.” You should then repeat the name again a couple more times in your head. Of course the conversation can be ended by using their name too.

3. You should make a comment about the name as soon as you have heard it. For instance you could remark that you have a relative by that name or a friend. You might ask what the meaning of the name is or how you spell it.

4. Try to think of something that you can tie the name to. For example if the name is Rose you could think about the flower.

5. Try to picture something in your mind that is associated with the name. An example of this could be if someone’s last name was brown and they had eyes the same colour you could associate the colour of their eyes with their last name.

6. Check to see if the person you are introduced to or who you come across has a name tag pinned to them. If so you can look at the name and then at the person a few times to get it to register in the brain. You should also ask them for a business card and you can use this card to jot down notes on the back of it to help you remember things about them. This could include colour of eyes, hair, whether they are tall or short, where you met them, etc.

7. We all own smartphones and of course you can get an app. You can download “Namerick” and this app will allow you to enter information about a person along with their name. The app also makes use of mnemonics, reminders and keywords. The only issue with the app of course is that you then have to remember that you have it on your phone and use it discreetly.