Read How to Remember Anything: The Proven Total Memory Retention System Online
Authors: Dean Vaughn
Everyone can remember names. What we lack is organization and the willingness to invest just a little time to learn how to do it.
To remember someone’s name is to show that person that you believe they are important. And that makes you important to them as well. If a person remembers your name, you respond much more positively to them. You are much more likely to return to a place of business where your name is remembered.
Because most of us remember much more of what we see than of what we hear or read, we have to learn to change audible and abstract printed data into objects we can see in our minds. Applying this concept to names, we simply change names that we hear or read into things we can see—objects that can be visualized—or audionyms.
The object we see must sound like or suggest the name to be remembered. For example:
An audionym for Ken could be
call.
An audionym for Sally could be
salad.
An audionym for Hu could be
hoop.
An audionym for Manuel could be
manual.
An audionym for Habib could be
hairy bib.
You cannot see a Ken, a Sally, a Hu, a Manuel, or a Habib, but you can see a can, a salad, a hoop, a manual, or a hairy bib.
It is best to have an audionym already in mind for the most common names you are likely to hear. The uncommon names you encounter will be the only ones you will have to spend any time on. The unusual names, by the way, are often the easiest for which to make on-the-spot audionyms. It is also important that you develop audionyms for both first and last names.
Have you ever been in a social situation when someone said something like this, “The guy [or gal] standing near the door is a pilot with ABC Airlines. His [her] name is Myron [Debbie] Beckwith.”
Even an hour or so later, you will be able to recall that the person is an airline pilot. You may also remember that he or she flies for ABC Airlines. But will you remember the name? Most likely not. The reason for forgetting the name is as simple as the reason for remembering the occupation.
At the moment it was mentioned that the person was an airline pilot, something happened in your mind. Your imagination automatically and subconsciously went to work. For only an instant, an image—a picture—of an airline pilot flashed through your head. Maybe you even imagined the person seated in the cockpit of a plane.
We all have our idea of what an airline pilot looks like. But what does a Myron (or Debbie) Beckwith look like? This is exactly where our memories become confused.
Engrave this in your mind:
We remember incredibly more of what we see than of what we hear or read.
Therefore, if we want to increase our chances of remembering anything, the best way to do it is to change what we hear or read into mental pictures. So what does a Myron (or Debbie) Beckwith look like? Or a Harlen Grueber? Or a Kimberly Seigleman? The beginning of the answer to that question is: think of an object that sounds like the name you want to remember. Think of an audionym.
Once you have an audionym (a visual soundalike) for the name you want to remember, then associate that audionym with the total person. Make the association illogical. The more illogical the association, the easier it will be to remember.
There is a sequence that must be followed in order for you to be consistently successful in remembering names. Use the following sequence every time you meet someone for the first time:
1.
Meet (see) the person and hear the name.
2.
Ask the person to repeat his or her name.
3.
Change the name into an audionym (a soundalike object).
4.
See (imagine) the audionym with the person in an illogical association.
5.
See (imagine) the audionym with the person in various activities.
There are certain general rules that you should follow until they become fixed habits. If you observe these rules, your ability to remember names will increase dramatically—even without a memory system!
1.
Always ask the person to repeat his or her name. This can be done very politely, in a number of ways:
a.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
b.
“Would you mind repeating your first name?”
c.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch your last name.”
d.
“I’m sorry, your last name is?”
e.
“Would you give me your first name again?”
f.
“I’m sorry … your last name is—?”
g.
“Pardon me, it’s Joe … ?” (Wait for the last name.)
h.
“How do you spell your first name?”
People are flattered to know that you care enough about them to want to remember their names accurately. They don’t mind being asked to repeat their name. If you have an unusual name or know someone who has, you can appreciate what a person goes through. Imagine, if you can, a lifetime of getting mail with a badly misspelled name—oddly similar, but frustratingly different from your own. Imagine being called in class by some sound with too many or too few syllables, or with some of the syllables juggled around. Such sufferers are especially appreciative when someone—at long last—cares enough to take the time and the effort to get their name right.
2.
During the handshake, always keep a firm grip until the person has repeated his or her name. If you will observe this rule, you will soon develop the habit of always asking for the name to be repeated. The biggest problem with people who don’t remember names is that they never even heard it during the introduction.
3.
When you meet someone, concentrate on the person you are meeting—rather than wondering what they might be thinking of you. If you really want to remember names, then you will find it easy to be interested, not only in the person’s name, but in what that person has to say. The most successful students I have ever taught have been those who are sincere, caring people and are honestly interested in the people they meet.
There is no finer act of sincerity than to give the person you are meeting all of your attention. Even if the president of the United States were to walk by at that moment, you should not notice. The most important thing in your life for those moments must be what that person has to say.
4.
Enjoy the opportunity to meet and remember people. Let them know that you want to remember their names. Tell them that you are studying the art of remembering names. You will be surprised at the number of people who will give you an easy way to do it—especially if they have a difficult name.
The people who remember names well are usually the ones who become the most popular. There are so few who can do it well that those who can do it are held in high regard. It is said of Napoleon that he knew all of his 10,000 officers by name. President Franklin D. Roosevelt continuously amazed his staff and associates with his remarkable ability to remember their names.
Follow all of the rules of remembering names because they work! Your reward and your excitement will come when you see the system working for you. I promise you it will happen—very soon.
You may want to use three types of cards as an integral part of a system for remembering names:
1.
Audionyms for first names.
2.
Audionyms for last names.
3.
People I know.
The audionym cards for first and last names are extremely valuable. By having a deck of 3-by-5 cards for the audionyms you create, you can measure your progress as your vocabulary of audionyms increases. Psychologically, this is rewarding—especially when you reach the milestones of 100, 200, 300, or 1,000 audionyms that you confidently know. Also, the audionym cards can be used as a set of flash cards to:
1.
Look at the name and try to remember the audionym.
2.
Look at the audionym and try to remember the name.
The cards can be filed alphabetically by name so you can continue to add newly developed audionyms in an organized manner as you create them.
Few hobbies are as exciting and practical as collecting audionyms for use in remembering names. The audionym cards let you see your collection as it grows. As your file grows, so will your interest and enthusiasm for your new hobby.
The “people I know” cards would include names, addresses, and phone numbers of the people you know and could include where and when you met and any other pertinent information.
The use of the audionym cards will serve as a well-organized system for documentation, practice, reference, and accumulation of data. I urge you to immediately use audionym cards as you begin to learn audionyms for names!
You should always carry some cards with you to record any new audionyms that you develop during the day, to record the pertinent data of the new people you meet, and so you can store the cards in your permanent file when you return home.
The use of audionym cards as outlined above will be the key to your immediate, rapid, and continuing success in this exciting new endeavor. It would be most practical to enter the information into an electronic database on your computer.
You can remember names if you have a sincere desire to do so. The ability to remember names has to be developed. It will take some effort on your part, but it will be worth it. You will be surprised to discover that your ability to remember names can develop remarkably fast.
One of the secrets to remembering names is that every name must be changed into something you can see—a tangible object. Don’t use action words or words descriptive of action. For example, if we were to form an image for the name Harris, one system would have you use the word
harass.
Well, what does a
harass
look like? When trying to recall the word later, we might confuse it with
worry or annoy.
One major problem with adjectives and verbs is that they can have many synonyms—words that mean the same thing, but sound different. The object of memory training is to organize our thoughts—not to add to the confusion. I believe that a good audionym for Harris is
hairs.
You can see
hairs
very clearly in your mind. Common sense and our often-underrated natural memory will translate
hairs
to Harris for us.
Some memory systems use a rhyming technique. But, too often, that system breaks down because, even though the word may rhyme with the name, the use of a different sound—especially at the beginning of the word—can cause chaos when you try to change the word back again.
If a name begins with a consonant sound, try to create an audionym that begins with the same consonant sound—or, at least, the same phonetic sound.
You may freely interchange
bs
with
ps
or fs with
vs
and
phs
when creating audionyms. However, whenever possible, always try to begin an audionym with the same letter as the word you want to remember. If you can’t find a satisfactory soundalike with the same first letter, then use another (but similar) first letter.
Part of the success of my memory system is its consistency. If a
can
is always the audionym for Ken, then when a can comes to your mind it will always be Ken. If you have some Kens carrying a can, while others carry a cane, and still others are carrying a cone, there will be confusion. When a Ken enters your life, the name will always be represented by a can. There can be no mistaking it, no confusing the object with anything else. Just by adding a single audionym to your visual vocabulary, you add an image that can be used over and over again. Therefore, you will very rapidly develop your ability to remember names.