The Challenge
Remembering Names and Faces
"I'm sorry. I know you just told me two minutes ago . . . . What was your name again?"
We have all been there before. We meet new people at school, work, or social gatherings almost every day. Wouldn't it be pleasant if we could remember all the names to go with the faces? Remembering names is not just a courtesy-it is a necessity. Names are personal; they represent who we are. Failing to remember someone's name often results in embarrassment. However, when we greet someone by name, we make them feel important and encourage good feelings. We would surely make many more friends if we could recall everyone's name on demand.
So, how can we learn to remember names more easily? Try these three basic strategies for name and face recall:
#1 Pay Attention--Get the Name
A big reason we forget things is that we never learn them in the first place. Memory comes in three parts: input, storage, and output. Even though output seems to be the toughest part, it is really the input we should work on. If we can learn to focus all our attention on whatever we are doing, then we will better retain important information. "Be here now." When we genuinely listen to a person's name with the intention to remember it, we have taken the first step in storing the name.
We must try to maximize the degree of the first impression made by the name. Right after hearing the name, we should repeat it to the person. This tests whether or not we heard it clearly and correctly. It is important that we hear it right; we do not want to store the wrong name. Also, when we use the name in casual conversation, it stores in our minds better since we are repeating and rehearsing.
The following are some examples of verbalizing the name just after hearing it: "Nice to meet you, Jeff."
"Thank you for coming, Kristin." "How are you doing, Jenny?" "I'm glad you could be here, Mr. Russell."
#2 Notice Facial Features--Get the Face
Our memories have an amazing ability to remember visual images: pictures, movies, and things we did or places we went. Remembering something we see is easier than remembering something we hear. It is not as easy to remember words or sounds. Also, we can more easily remember unusual things. For example, if we were in a big city, and many people walked past us every day, remembering a particular person would be hard. But what if that person had been wearing a clown outfit? We are sure to remember that person because someone wearing a clown outfit is unusual. Here is the key to remembering anything easily: make it visual and make it unusual.
When we meet people, we should take a moment and concentrate on their face and notice their facial features. We must take a mental picture of anything that stands out, anything unusual, or anything remarkable. Focus on a particular feature that jumps out: a big nose, curly or red hair, a wink, a laugh, a frown, or a nervous twitch. Then, we must use our imagination to exaggerate this feature. We can make it look even more unusual in our mental picture. This will allow us to recall what they looked like. It is also important part of the next step-Keywording.
#3 Keywording--Store the two Items Together
Keywording is defined as giving visual qualities to words that do not naturally have them on their own and choosing words that rhyme with or sound like the word or name we want to remember.
Once we pay attention to the name and make a mental picture of the face, we can do as many do-repeat the name over and over all day. However, repetition of names is like writing them in the sand; in time, new sand covers the old. With repetition, the name remains visible in our memory for only one day, or perhaps a week. As a result, if we don't see that person's smiling face for a few months, we will be in trouble when the time comes to recall the name. So, what if we could create an unusual picture to associate the name with the face? Since forgetting pictures is hard, creating a visual image is like writing the name with permanent ink.
First, we should make a connection between the name and something visual or auditory. If the name is Smith, we can picture a large blacksmith hammering away at a red-hot piece of metal on an anvil. If the name is Doug Wheeler, we can picture a dog (Doug) behind a steering wheel. If the name is Gene, we can picture a pair of blue jeans. Next, we need to associate that picture with the person's face. Mr. Smith is the blacksmith; Doug drives the truck in which the dog sits; a pair of blue jeans hangs form Gene's large nose. So, now we are visualizing the face (with that unusual feature) and something to represent the name in the same picture. This may sound silly, but it works. The picture should be easy to recall whenever we see that person's face.
Here are some examples of keywords:
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lace for Alice, |
ant for Ann,
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barbed wire for Barbara, coral, curl for Carl, Carol, blue jeans for Gene, Jean, merry-go-round for Mary
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bobcat for Bob, chain for Jane, corn for Karen, dive for David, pole for Paul |
When we create a keyword, it is important to remember that the keyword must be effective for us. If the word "judo" does not help us remember the name "Judy," then we must chose something else to picture. Also, it may help to picture an action or emotion in your visualization. Make Gene laugh, or Mr. Smith pound on the anvil.
The power of visual imagery is one reason we easily remember faces and not names. Visual impressions remain much longer than verbal ones. Therefore, if we can create an unusual picture representing names to go with their face, we will remember better.
Summary
Memorizing names is important, but often hard to do. The problem may be that we never stored the name in the first place. We need to focus on remembering the name and pay attention to what the name is the first time we hear it. It is a good idea to repeat the name and use it regularly in conversation. After meeting new people, we should take time to concentrate on their faces and note any unusual or remarkable features. We will more easily remember these because storing and retrieving visual images is simple; remembering unusual images is even easier. We should create a mental picture of new people (and their unusual features) and associate them with keywords-a picture for a name. Keywords are visual representations of names, and they should mean something to us. In this way, we can store unusual pictures and names in our memory.
Finally, we should take the time to actively retrieve and rehearse the newly learned name. Before going to bed, we should picture again all the new people we met that day and their keywords. We should then review these the following day, again in a week, and once more in a month. All this combined can make us masters at remembering faces and names.