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Are you one of those people who can never remember a name? After being introduced to them at the start of a meeting do you spend most of your time dreading being in a position when you need to use their name, even just so as not to appear impolite? Do you have to ask your initial contact for a list of names and job titles of those people at the meeting claiming you need to make sure your get their exact designation correct, or claiming you may have misheard a name or two?

I used to have trouble remembering the names of people I had just shaken hands with and exchanged first names with. I then went on a course where I was taught how to remember a speech by using visualization and a number of other techniques to improve my memory in general. But the lesson I learnt which has had most impact on my professional and personal life is how best to remember people’s names. It is not difficult.

The first thing to do is to be ready. As soon as the hand shake and introduction is about to take place, get ready to listen. Block out everything else and listen carefully for that name. And then, you must use it immediately. Get into the habit of saying “Good to meet you Steve”. More often than not just simply repeating a person’s name will make sure it sticks, believe me. But, once you get practiced at this, you can make extra sure by using it again as soon as possible, perhaps by asking a question “So how long have been with the company Steve?”. If you do that, Steve’s name will stay with you for ever and each time you meet him you will be able to great him like a long-lost friend!

Crescus offer a variety of professional development services including executive coaching and sales training. If you would like to discuss this, please email us on info@crescus.com