Have you ever forgotten someone's name just as soon as you met them?
I recently listened to a speech on the book Remember Every Name Every Time: Corporate America's Memory Master Reveals His Secrets by Benjamin Levy. In the book Levy, a "memory trainer" known for wowing groups of 150 by reciting all of their names shortly after meeting them, describes two different procedures that can be used in any personal or professional setting.
The speech focused on the FACE approach, which teaches you to imprint correct names in the first place and then link them to specific faces. Not that I ever have a problem with this......but, I thought I would share the information I learned. (disclaimer: I have not read the book...just listened to the speech)
One of the goal's of the FACE approach is to say the name three times when you initially meet someone.
F = Focus When you are meeting new people you need to be fully present, in the moment. Truly appreciate why you are there and what this new person has to offer. Be more interested than interesting.
A = Ask When meeting someone new, repeat the name back to them in the form of a question. "Did you say your name was David?" or "What do you do for a living, David?"
C = Comment When you are talking to the person connect or categorize the name with someone you know or something that you appreciate. "Julie, my daughter's name is Julie." or "Woody, as in the best college football coach of all-time, Woody Hayes."
E = Employ During the discussion use the name at the beginning or at the end of a sentance. "It was very nice meeting you, Jack" or "You know Jack, this financial crisis is serious"
I have been testing this approach and it seems to be working fairly well for me. The key will be practice, practice, practice.
Amazon's Link to the book: