Occasionally, someone will tell me that the main reason they don’t like to attend functions is because they can’t remember names. They feel it’s too embarrassing to put themselves in that position. Keep in mind, you’re not the only one who forgets names.
When you have trouble remembering names when you first meet someone, remember anyone else you know who has the same first name. Start off by telling them your name, and they will generally follow with theirs. Don’t make a big deal of it. Try using the name two or three times during your five minutes together.
My very first sales training class was with a Dale Carnegie instructor. One of the exercises was in remembering names. The person I was paired with was Hans Kadatt Kalsa. Give me a break! However, it’s been more than 20 years and I have never been able to forget his name.
The technique is particularly effective with unusual names. We were told to create a story using the person’s name. The story I invented had me sitting on my “Hands” in a hotel lobby when a page “Caddett” walked by with a megaphone, saying “Call Sir” in a very proper English accent. Therefore, Hans Kadatt Kalsa has never escaped my memory because of this vivid pictorial image.