The Art of Remembering Names

Do you struggle to remember people’s names?

Remembering names is so important – it makes the person feel important when you have remembered their name and unimportant when you don’t. However, with busy minds and busy lives, forgetting names is actually very common and most of us will be guilty of doing it on more than one occasion.

Dr Emer MacSweeney, Medical Director at Re:Cognition Health was featured in the Daily Express sharing her tips on how to remember names. Below, she shares 4 easy steps to help us remember:

1)    Meet, make eye contact and repeat: When you are first introduced to a person, make eye contact with them and repeat their name e.g. “It’s nice to meet you John”.

2)    Reinforce: Use their name again shortly after the introduction to help reinforce and remember.

3)    Association: Make an association between the person and their name, the more visual and unusual the easier it will be to remember. E.g. if John likes to jog the association could be “John the Jogger” and visualise John jogging.

4) Focus: One of the key reasons we forget names is because we don’t actually make a conscious effort to remember. It requires considerable concentration and effort to commit a name to our memory, but it is well worth making this effort, particularly in business environments.  Often, introductions are made in  a busy environment and there are  lots of distractions; this requires making a positive effort in making it a habit to spend a few seconds focusing on remembering the person’s name.

The article explores various experts giving advice on common problems. To read the full article in the Daily Express  visit : https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1313355/Health-advice-scientists-healthcare-professionals