Need Help Remembering Names? This Simple Trick From a Brain Training Expert Is a Stroke of Genius. Start with an odd image and add motion to it.
You can train your mind to remember all sorts of things, including the names of people. This is what memory teacher, author, and expert Vicki Mizel says. Mizel’s training methods have helped leaders remember names and other information better. They have also helped people with Alzheimer’s slow down their own memory loss. Even though Mizel lost her memory after being hurt in a car accident, they helped her get it back and let her go back to her job as an author and public speaker. Here’s a quick look at how she remembers names, so you can do the same.
Step 1: Say the name in a sentence
When you first meet someone, use their name in a sentence right away. If you say the name out loud, it can help you remember it. More importantly, saying the name back to the person gives them a chance to fix you if you got it wrong.
Step 2: Find a name-related image.
Mizel says to think of a picture that makes sense to you when you hear the word. She says, “Some names are already real.” “You could see a microphone, just like with Mike. You can’t always see or touch Sally, but you might be able to think of things that sound like her name. So I make a salad out of all Sallies.”
Step 3: Include motion and make it weird.
Mizel says that for the picture to stick, it should be something that moves. So, to remember Sally’s name, she thinks of Sally eating a salad or maybe tossing her hair, since salads are also thrown.
Summary
Many are company owners or leaders who are aware that forgetting someone’s name can result in embarrassment for both you and them; conversely, remembering someone’s name, particularly in circumstances in which they do not anticipate it, can result in the formation of bonds and the strengthening of relationships. Remembering people’s names is an essential ability for every successful business leader, and Mizel’s method is a tried-and-true means of improving in this regard.
