About three years in the past, my husband and I moved to a new area. One of the first to meet was a teacher who lived in six homes. Each time I saw her walking her two dogs, she would yell and say, “Hello, Lisa.” I smile, pull back and say, “How’s it going?” or “What’s new?” After participating in almost every day ritual for a long time, I was embarrassed to tell her that I did not remember her name.
I doubt I will “Very well known,” a person with a special facial expression. However, I began studying memory techniques with the help of two experts: a neurosurgeon and a world-class historian.
You Know the Face, Why Not The Name?
Education like this, from Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, show that we are better at remembering names than face. For me, the opposite is true. I will recognize the face, but their name does not survive. It turns out that one of the reasons I don’t give my brain a chance to learn more.
“The hippo is very important in our ability to take two inconsistencies into our minds and combine them,” says Drs. Bradley Lega, assistant professor of neurology at UT Southwestern / Texas Health Resources in Dallas. When you meet a person whose name and face do not match your mood, your hippocampus plays an important role in putting these together. This gives you an idea of how to approach the person. The good news: Popular names no longer depend on your hippocampus.
Find Out Why It Is Hard to Find Names
When you meet someone, you can focus more on impressing that person with your skills and abilities than just learning more they. You show off and shake hands or punch. But if you pass the person off again, why not make a record of it?
“The biggest problem is that people don’t listen name, ”he says Kevin Horsley, master of memory and author of Unlimited. “They’re not really stable because they’re trying to be fun instead of interesting.” The bottom line: Finding a name can be difficult if you don’t have time to listen.
Go Listening to Study
When you first learn a new subject in school or prepare to give a talk at work, it takes time to learn it. It is absurd to think that you can learn much at once and remember a few minutes. Instead, you study and review the article before being tested or meeting with a client. The same applies to meeting someone once and expecting their name to shine in your mind. Lega describes this as “the wonder of the tongue.” You cannot remember the name because you have not studied it correctly. There are several ways in which you can do this.
Consider Recovery
It’s easy to find something you’ve got out of your head for a long time. Lega recommends that you return to the other person as soon as you have finished meeting them. When you’re at a party, you might say, “Sorry Jill,” and then two minutes later say, “I’m sorry, Jill?” This is a clear indication of whether you know the name or not. So even remembering that name once, whenever you can, helps to establish it in your mind.
Search for Something Special
Suppose you meet a workmate who has a reputation for being confident that you will never forget it. But when you walk into a hall a few hours later, you forget what he said. “The problem is that you haven’t tried to figure it out,” says Horsley, “and because you didn’t know the name in your mind, that’s the one you can forget.”
When you hear someone’s name, repeat it. You could say, “Nice to meet you, Bill,” and then give their name a meaning. In the case of Horsley, I can draw a horse or, in my mind, I can feel a horse floating. They recommend finding the meaning of a person’s name within 20 seconds of hearing it.
Focus on Face Needs
Search for a special look on someone’s face. Horsley gives the example of his nose. “You’d think Kevin – like a ‘cave inside’ – if my nose was stuffed,” he says.
Years ago, I was a guest at a local show, and the recipient mentioned his memory skills. He said, “I heard Kanarek, so I’m drawing a bucket around your neck.” While it was not a picture I would like to be played in, I understood the kind of connections they make.
File Electronic Names and Notes in one place
I’m talking about Apple Points app on my phone like my brain. When I think of a story idea or need to add something to my Costco list, I just have one place to look. Horsley also used me for this program. When you meet someone, write down their name, a few details about the person (his job, the number of children), and where you met him. He also encourages Evernote, Google Save, and Trello. If you keep the reminder close, you can read it.
Look at the List Most of the Time
When I am well prepared, I encourage my clients to use the list. For some, the process was a resilient one. Some say the list did not work, but later admitted that he did not explain it to them. If you want to put someone else’s information, take the time to read the list, especially beforehand. Horsley uses Apple Notes and sets up a reminder every Monday to check out the folders they make. He sets the record straight after two weeks, and then he remembers it.
Other options include a Word document, Google Docs, or whatever you already use. “What you’re doing is reconnecting with people and recounting what we’ve experienced at meetings,” says Horsley.
Use Social Media as a Reminder
Without moving, when you meet someone, ask to be connected to the video. LinkedIn is good for business, right Facebook and Instagram can provide more personal information. To prioritize the tweets you see, you can create Twitter list about other accounts created by title, occupation, or preferences. Even if someone does not approve of your request, you can review their photo as a reminder before meeting again.
A few years ago, I joined a Facebook group of people who will be attending a joke-writing conference. I answered a woman who asked if there was anyone connected in her city and we agreed to meet at the airport. Before I got to the gate, I clicked on his post. Although he added a painted mustache to his picture, I recognized him immediately.
Change Your Mind
While most conferences and business meetings are still online instead of looking at people, take the opportunity now to develop your memory skills. With my real name clearly visible, it’s easy to connect face to face when chatting online.
Most important, consider changing your mind. As with any skill, if you think you can’t figure it out, you probably won’t try to fix it. “There’s no such thing as a good or bad memory of names,” says Horsley. They remember only the good or the bad. ”
Inspired by all these experts, the next time I see my neighbors, I come. Instead of responding to the weather, I ask for his name. This time, I will listen.
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