|
Elise McVeigh's Life Camp
Dear Mrs. McVeigh,I have a hard time of remembering people’s names. After I meet someone, I must not pay attention to his or her name. Is this a problem that you hear about a lot, and do you have any suggestions on how to do better at remembering people’s names? It is just so embarrassing meeting someone, and then seeing them, and not be able to call them by name, or introduce them to someone else.T.M. Dear T.M., This is a very common problem that 99% of the population seems to have. Here are some tricks. When you are introduced to someone, try to make a conscious effort to hear his name. Once you do, really study his face in your mind, and then think of someone with the same name. A famous person typically works for me. For example, if I meet someone named Kelly, I may think of Kelly Clarkson, and get the image of the person I just met in my mind, and then an image of Kelly Clarkson in my mind. I have even said out loud to people, “Your name is Kelly? I will remember that by thinking of Kelly Clarkson.” Saying something out loud is also a helpful way to remember something. A way to help people remember your name is to give them some kind of name association. This is especially helpful if you have a different name such as “Elise.” When the television show Family Ties was popular years ago, the mom’s character was named “Elise Keaton.” When I was introduced to people, if they struggled with my name, I would say, “Elise, like Elise Keaton on Family Ties.” That seemed to help people to at least hear my name the first time. A trick that can help you (and the other person) out when you see someone you know but can not remember his name, is to put out your hand to shake his hand and remind him of your name. For example, I would say, “Hi. Elise McVeigh, good to see you again.” He should then pick up on this, and shake my hand and tell me his name again. If you are out with a friend or family member, and someone you have met before walks up to you, etiquette says you need to introduce them to one another. If you can not remember the approaching person’s name, say to him “Have you met my friend Sally Smith?” The other person should then know to shake Sally Smith’s hand, and give his name. “Hi Sally. I am Don Jones. It is nice to meet you.” Another common issue that makes people forget names is when they have to introduce two people to one another. People get very nervous, and sometimes even forget the name of one of their closest friends. If you get nervous and blank out on someone’s name, you can say to the approaching person something like, “Hi. How are you?” Then turn to your friend and say, “Have you two ever met?” The two people will then take the liberty to introduce themselves to one another. If you are with a friend or spouse who is talking to someone who walks up to him, and he has not introduced you, he probably can not remember the person’s name. Be quick to introduce yourself to the person, and you will save your spouse or friend some embarrassment. I hope these tips help you with the very common problem of not remembering someone’s name. I know it is not only challenging, but can be uncomfortable or embarrassing. Try these tricks next time you forget someone’s name and at least one of them should work for you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
