How To Remember Names Easily | RMRS

So you show up to a party…..

…meet 2 to 3 new people…..

…..and then realize you’ve forgotten their names almost immediately.

Doh!

Don’t worry – this happens to most of us.

In fact an English study that appeared in the Journal of Experimental Psychology (2000, Vol6, No2, The Name Game – Morris & Fritz) had participants try to remember details about certain people they met.

These subjects consistently talked about their hobbies, work, details of their lives and of course mentioned their names.

Consistently, the participants of the study forgot the names of the subjects.

However they were able to remember other things about the people they met at a MUCH higher rate, suggesting that there was a type of association.

The lawyer looked like a lawyer, the para-glider hobbyist seemed adventuresome, the woman who collected seashells had an oceanic feel to her.

Names on the other hand are often quite arbitrary and are not a “description” of a person- which is why it can be all too easy to forget them and for other people to forget yours.

The good news is there are steps we can take to help others remember our names and for us to remember theirs.

Here are 7 tips to assist you in the name game:

1) Use a shorter version of your name

People who have longer, complex names may have trouble getting other people to remember them. For these individuals it is worth trying out a shorter version of your name.

Take the name Svitlana, for example. This is my daughters name, but here in the United States we use “Lana” as most American’s can more easily remember it.

Even in our local Slavic community, Sveta is a shorter and easier version that they use.

Another problem is if you have a unique spelling or pronunciation. Although people might think this makes them memorable, it often outs others in a bind as they can’t remember the variation or difference in pronunciation.

Consider an abbreviation if you want to make it simpler.


2) Use a Nickname

There are individuals who come from cultures where it is difficult to find a shortened version of a name.

My Chinese and Thai friends immediately come to mind here, as do some Indian and Middle Eastern names.

For these folks, a nickname may be the key to better recall.

These nicknames are not even necessarily a derivative of one’s real name. Which is kind of cool as they get to start over in sense and go with whatever they want!

Be careful though of using a nickname that within the culture you choose has a negative stereotype. I had a friend from China who chose the nickname “Jethro” in business school – after it was explained about the stereotype associated with this name (thanks to the Beverly Hillbillies) he opted for another!



3) Use a common variant of your own name

Let’s use my name as an example – Antonio.

A common variant of Antonio is Tony. As a child I was given this nickname as it was a family name and easier for my younger siblings to pronounce.

In this tradition my son, Alexander, goes by Alex at school and with his friends. I believe like me, he’ll eventually adopt his given name in more professional settings (FYI – we call him Sasha for short as it’s a Ukrainian tradition and family name as well!)

[MORTENable]

Enjoying the increasing amount of content, Antonio! Keep it up!

[Tipsnbs]

Love your tips Antonio, you were right I don't attach a lot of worth to remembering peoples names for the reasons you specified, and it gets me in trouble sometimes. Keep up the good work man.

[RealMenRealStyle]

Grayson - hard one here - maybe just Gray or better yet work on creating a better intro explaining where your name comes from!

[Cowelly]

One way if you need to ask them their name. "Excuse me what is your name again?" "John" "no, your surname" "oh, it's smith" . Its a great way to get there name without them getting offended or anything. Plus you have their surname too.

[VERSEStories]

Finally a useful video! Good job guys.

[TGunn]

I have two tips that I use. If I'm meeting an employee at a restaurant, store, etc., I write their name on my receipt. Also, If I know someone else that has the same name, I imagine that other person in my head when the new person tells me their name. I just can make that association in my head and it helps.

[mohammedshoaib]

I always appreciate your videos, things to be implemented....

[LeviG]

Thanks for the tips. I am really bad with names. I can forget the name few seconds after they told it to me, because I'm thinking about all kind of other stuff, like how do I look, trying not to say anything stupid, trying to smile and look them in the eyes etc.

[igorportnoy]

Hi! My name is kind of rare: ‘Armand’, especially in my country but I noticed that people remember it quite fast, maybe because when I say it for the first time, even if I do it loud and clear, people ask me to say it twice. I’ve never used nicknames or short versions. I also noticed that I like and remember rare names rather than the common ones. These is just me but I encourage people to respect their name and the others will do it too. I dislike when people tell me: ‘hey, just call me whatever you want!’
It’s just my opinion.
Great channel!

[yngwierox]

These are the types of videos I love to see from you Antonio! 

[mongooseblue]

I always say "Abel, like Cain and Abel - the good one" 

[CruXis]

I have a pretty complicated last name..
It's long and uncommon. What i do to help people remember it, at least i hope it does, is tell them the word it derives from (a profession) as a kind of mnemonic.
In my language it stems from fisherman and the resemblance is very recognisable.

Really great video Antonio!

[journeyforyourhealth]

Great tips, I love your professionalism. 

[BATAngTABA]

I enjoy these tips. Sometimes if I am making a really important contact I will write their name and quick notes on a napkin or whatever is handy once I can step aside after meeting a person. 

[graysonanderson]

Antonio what would a good nickname or shorten version of Grayson be? Love your videos!!

[merry]

I came back to watch this video again and the first thing that came up to me was the name: Melnic. It really works!

[Jgriff]

Thanks for the videos Antonio, they've helped me a lot.

[thqidwai.]

A tip one asking someone's name that you've forgotten is to directly ask them what their name is and when they (generally) say their first name tell them "well, I mean the last name" and thay way they wont mind you having forgotten their name because no one (really) cares if you don't remember their last name and you've alteady gotten their first name that they didn't even think you had forgotten.
I am nor sure how that goes with you but it works for me every time.

[darraghtate]

What I have difficulty with is remembering a specific name, as I tend to remember similar ones, too. For example, I  sometimes forget if one of my co-workers is Kirsten (pronounced Kur-Stun), Kirsten (pronounced Kear-Ston) or Kristen. I never have problems with people remembering my name though, since it's a pretty common first name in Ireland.

[SirDization]

Thank you Antonio this'll come in handy for me in the future.