Zen College Life

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I’ve noticed a widespread problem among most college students. Well I say most, but it’s really almost every student minus the business students; We are not good at remembering people’s names.  Just moments after being introduced to someone we’ve already forgotten.  We are so obsessed with introducing ourselves, saying our own names, that we forget to pay attention to the other person’s name.  Business students are taught the importance of networking and remembering people, but the rest of us neglect the importance of such a thing.

In networking, remembering a name is the most important part.  If you pay me a compliment, or remember my name after our first meeting, it tells me that I made an impression on you, and I will feel more important.  When networking, making the other person feel important is the best thing you can do, it’s the easiest way to build rapport.  I don’t know about you, but hearing my name spoken is like music to my ears.

Tips for Remembering Names

• repeat someone’s name as soon as you are introduced, along with a handshake (or hug if appropriate) and a small but meaningful compliment. (Hi Kathy, nice to meet you.  I love your shoes!)
• stop thinking about making an impression, stop thinking about what you are going to say next.  pay attention to the other person, respond to them, and throw their name in the conversation a few times. (You know Matt, you are right. We do bla bla bla)
• Franklin Roosevelt used to imagine the person’s name was printed on their forehead, in his favorite color… might work for you too.
• neural linguistic programming experts suggest getting a feel for what it would be like to write the name by moving your finger in micro-muscle movements as you are seeing the name and saying it to yourself.
• use your mental camera - close your eyes for a brief second and picture the person’s face with their name printed under it.  store this picture for later, and be able to recall it when the time is right.  The more exaggerated and colorful the picture, the easier it will be to remember. Make the picture larger than life. Make it funny. Add a little danger. It will take practice but it works.
• stop making excuses.  Everyone has trouble remembering things now and again, get over it and work towards improvement.

What to do if you have forgotten someone’s name

The most clever way to find out someon’es name that I have heard of is this.  Introduce a good friend of yours to the person “Hey have you met my friend Johnny?” and let the person complete the introduction.  Hopefully it works.

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