Remembering Names

Sorry I have been away from the blog for a long time. No excuses from me though...no way. Just straight into the post.

I have always been good at remembering names. Give me one conversation with someone and I'll remember his/her name for years. I often hear, "I want to learn how to remember names like you," from my friends, and, "how'd you remember my name, I have no clue who you are" from my acquaintances. I used to think that it was simply me being attentive to what other people say and me being unimpressionable on other people. It wasn't until I was a little older and more self-aware that I understood what it was that I was doing that helped me flawlessly remember names. Here is what I do naturally that you can learn to do actively.

1) Repeat, Repeat, Repeat. Yes, three times. Here's how my introductions usually go. Pretend your name is Andy and I've just walked up to you.

Me: Hi, I'm Aaron.
You: Hi, I'm Andy.
Me: Andy?
You: Yup.
Me: Hey Andy, nice to meet you.
You: Nice to meet you too.
Me: So, Andy, what are you up to tonight (or some other conversation starter)?

Try it, you'll be surprised at how much better you remember someone's name by the end of the night.

2) Be observant. When you meet someone, as you're repeating his/her name three times, try to internalize something striking about his/her appearance. It may be a beard, a nice pair of earrings, a gigantic nose, or anything else that sets this person out from the crowd. Think to yourself, "Andy has eyes like emeralds," or "Andrea has the most peculiar mole on her neck." I don't want to hear any excuses, everyone has something interesting about their body. This will help with ingraining this person in your mind, even if you notice an article of clothing that you never see this person wear again. By remembering one thing about someone, your brain has an inkling about the rest of the person.

3) Be obsessive. I'm the type of person who not only remembers conversations I've had, but recounts these conversations well into the night while I should be sleeping. I'm not saying that you should be a borderline insomniac, but try to remember conversations you've had after you've left the party (or conference or meeting or what have you). If you can recall Andy's name and something he said after you've left your event, you will be far more likely to remember his name when you see him another time.

Do you have any techniques for remembering names? Have you tried anything I've listed? Does it work for you? Please let me know in comments.

Thanks for reading.