Web Site Promotion | About | Contact | Web Design News |

 

Search Engine expert ChicagoAnimation's top of the line services:

Web Site Promotion - We Guarantee you #1 listing in Yahoo and Google.

Flash Template customize service - We invented a way for small business owners to be able to afford a high end Flash site.

Pay Per Click management service - We help your small business to manage and bid on valuable keywords that can help produce profits for your business.

Press Release service - We help you launch your press release to news sources (reporters) through out the United States and all over the world.


10 Effective Ways to Remember Names

 

Search Engine Specialist

search engine expert Free Internet Marketing consultings from ChicagoAnimation.
To use this free service please fill out the form below and we will call you to offer you free tips.

* First Name: * Last Name:
* Email Address: * Phone Number:
Street Address: City:
ZipCode: Your State (2 Letters):
URL (if available): Your Cell Phone #:
Company Name:
How long has your website been live?
What services or packages can we help you with?

How may we help you?
My current budget is. . .



Sigmund Freud says "a person's name is the single context of human memory most apt to be forgotten." Feelings of embarrassment and social ineptitude are conveyed through this forgetfulness, and unfortunately, the problem persists daily. The ability to remember names is an important skill that gives you an advantage in social and business settings. However, the way you associate and remember names is based on your learning style and personality type.

The following list of ten effective ways to remember names combines visual, aural and strategic techniques. Once you find the best fit for you, it will become easier to avoid muttering the most awkward and impersonal sentence in the English language: "Hey you!"

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition
As soon as you hear their name, repeat it back to the person. "It's good to finally meet you, Karen-I hear you're the expert on mufflers."
If you don't do this, you will forget her name within ten seconds of meeting her. Also be sure to repeat the name aloud in the beginning, during and at the end of the conversation. This will allow you to widen various areas of your memory circuit.
"That's a great story Stephanie!" "Wow Tony, you obviously know your hockey." If you speak the name, hear the name, and listen to yourself say the name, you will remember it.

Inquiry
The number one rule in interpersonal communication is to show a genuine interest in the other person. So, ask your new colleague to explain the personal significance of their name. Ask if they go by a nickname. Inquire about the culture from which their name was derived. The spelling question is also effective. Even if Dave or Bob is only spelled one way you can always ask if they prefer "Dave," "David," "Bobby" or "Robert."

In so doing, you show them you care about them as a person. You also transform their name from an arbitrary fact into a meaningful representation of them. Ultimately, you will flatter them and make them feel appreciated.

Dramatize Faces
You probably remember faces better than you remember names. Great! This will only make it easier when you dramatize someone's face and associate facial feature with their name. For example, if their nose or hair is particularly memorable, make a connection using alliteration with their name. Brian has bright red hair. Lucy has a long nose.

The trick is to make your associations and dramatizations memorable and interesting. Remember, that which is exaggerated and ridiculous is memorable.

Forget About You
"Did I give him the 'cold fish' handshake?" "Did I even look into her eyes?" "Do you think she noticed the logo on my company briefcase?" If you try too hard to make a good first impression, odds are you will have no idea to whom you make a good first impression to!

So don't think about yourself! Forget about you! Concentrate on them. When you become too self-conscious and nervous during the moment of introduction, it will interfere with your memory.

Write Them Down
If you are a visual learner, write down the name of the person. This is a flawless method to remember. Most networking functions and meetings take place where tables, pens and paper are available.

Throughout the conversation, look down at the name in front of you, and then look at the person. Maria. Then look at the name again. Maria. Then look at the person again. Maria. You'll never forget.

The additional benefit when you do this, unbeknownst to you, is that at least one other person in your group will see you write the name down. Talk about a good first impression!

Inner Monologue
Imagine you've already used Samantha's name during the conversation. You seem to have it committed to memory. Then again, you don't want to overuse her name aurally. Even if a person's name is the sweetest sound they will ever hear, you don't want to make it too obvious that you use the repetition trick.

Fortunately, there are countless opportunities during the conversation to quickly say the name to yourself while you look at their face: while they get a pen, while they take a drink, while they get something out of their desk, while they laugh at your hilarious joke.

It only takes a few seconds to look at someone and silently think to yourself, "Samantha. Samantha. Samantha." Don't worry; you won't miss anything if you choose to do this at the appropriate times.

Introduce Someone Else
"Have you met my coworker Patty?" you ask the nameless person. "I don't believe I have," he says, "My name is Roger. It's nice to meet you Patty." Roger. That's his name! You thought it was Antonio! Thank God you introduced him to someone else or you would be floating up the eponymous creek.

Furthermore, if you introduce someone you just met to another person, it allows you to: take control of the conversation, show your willingness to encourage connections and expand someone else's network of colleagues.

Listen and Look for Name Freebies
More often than not, you won't be the only person who knows the name of your new colleague. This means that other people will say their name, and you will be reminded. No charge. All you have to do is pay attention.

Also remember to keep your eyes open for subtle, visual reminders such as business cards, receipts, nametags, jewelry, table tents and personal papers. Without getting too nosey, it will be easy to identify these "name freebies" that paint you out of your memory corners.

These ten effective techniques to remember names will be helpful to cross the chasm between you and a potential colleague or associate. When you identify and amplify someone's name, you won't suffer a loss of face. Ultimately, your interactions and conversations will become more personal and comfortable.

Practice. Practice. Practice. That's the hard part. But over time you will learn how these different techniques for name memory will work best for you.

Attitude. Attitude. Attitude. That's the easy part. However, while practice enhances your name memory over time, it only takes a few seconds to decide to change your attitude. Don't yourself that you can't remember names. In fact, from this moment on, you are no longer bad with names. Combine this new attitude with your recently acquired skills, and you'll never have to say "Hey you!" again.

© 2005 All Rights Reserved.

Scott Ginsberg is a professional speaker, "The World's Foremost Expert on Nametags" and the author of HELLO my name is Scott and The Power of Approachability. He helps people MAXIMIZE their approachability and become UNFORGETTABLE communicators - one conversation at a time. For more information contact Front Porch Productions at http://www.hellomynameisscott.com.

 

MORE RESOURCES:

Marketing Pilgrim

The SEO Bubble is Expanding
Marketing Pilgrim, NC - Dec 2, 2008
While the world is experiencing an economic financial crisis, the SEO industry is experiencing a surprising increase in demand. From intensive training and ...
Increase Visibility Achieves #2 Ranking in PromotionWorld's Top ... PR Web (press release)
Search Engine Optimization Company Submit Express Hires New Vice ... MarketWatch
Keys for higher rank in search engine results Cherry Hill Courier Post
PR Web (press release) - PR Web (press release)
all 18 news articles


Search Engine Strategies Chicago 2008 – A Video SEO Preview
ReelSEO Online Video News, CA - 5 hours ago
Since then, their number of sessions devoted to video marketing and video SEO has grown year-over-year. We’ll be providing coverage of sessions that will be ...


Flickr Axing Business Use of Photos for SEO
Search Engine Journal - 3 hours ago
One of the tools of the SEO trade has apparently been axed by Flickr. It seems like every SEO conference I have attended since Flickr went live included ...


SEO Lives On: Study Shows SEO Defies the Odds, Beating The Credit ...
WebWire (press release), GA - 1 hour ago
What companies such as Click Generation are trying to explain is how invaluable SEO is during the fall of the economy, because (as surveys such as those ...


International Business Times

topseos Ranks the Best SEO Firms for December 2008
PR Web (press release), WA - 15 hours ago
topseos is ready with its freshest list of the best organic optimization firms for this month. The compilation of this list is subsequent to a detailed ...
topseos Ranks the Premium Local Search Firms for December 2008 PR Web (press release)
all 6 news articles


Search Engine Strategies (SES) Training Provides Intensive SEO ...
MarketWatch - Dec 1, 2008
The SEM/SEO training immediately follows the Search Engine Strategies (SES) Chicago conference, running December 8-11, 2008, also at the Hilton. ...


Video SEO Tutorial - Using SWFObject 2.1 to Provide Alternative ...
ReelSEO Online Video News, CA - Dec 1, 2008
In Part 1 of this series, I introduced Video SEO, Flash Video, and the importance of using SWFObject to provide alternative content for accessibility and ...
Video SEO Tip - Using SWFObject 2.1 to Provide Alternative HTML ... ReelSEO Online Video News
all 2 news articles


Web Analytics: The Future, SEO, Tools, and Mistakes
WebProNews, KY - Dec 1, 2008
Rand Fishkin at SEOmoz lists web analytics as one of the top seven reasons that companies are investing in SEO during the economic downturn. ...
The Great Google Adsense Side Effect WebProNews
all 2 news articles


Practical Ecommerce (subscription)

SEO: Buying Links is Risky Business
Practical Ecommerce (subscription), Grand Junction - Dec 2, 2008
Garnering inbound links from websites with good PageRank is a mainstay of search engine optimization. Links are like votes for a given website in the eyes ...


15 on-page optimization tips: The foreground of SEO optimization ...
Promotion World (press release), CA - Dec 2, 2008
by Joanna Gadel We all know that SEO optimization is not an easy task and we do not have any particular guideline for SEO optimization. ...

SEO - Google News

ChicagoAnimation's Acquisitions: Market Polls - 1pennyStock.com
Sponsors: Paving | VTL's | Religious Statues