Remember a persons name. Remember their favourite word.

Posted on by Andrew Nicol

Whats your nameFirstly a confession: I love stationery and around 10 years ago when I first started Agoge, I loved buying all the stationery and desks as I set up my new business. As I shopped, one of the team on the floor of Warehouse Stationery, a young guy called Kelly, helped me over two or three trips into the store, and he got to know my name.

Fast forward 10 years and I bumped into Kelly, in a different store, and he still remembered my name. He came up to me with a big smile and greeted me, and said, “How’s it going Andrew?” and asked if he could help.

It reminded me how powerful a person’s name is. I have read that it is generally a person’s favourite word (though few admit it). When someone remembers my name, I feel valued; respected; special; and I become more loyal.

Sadly most organisations do a lousy job of names and as a result lose the opportunity to connect with people in a way that says, “I value you.”

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Second confession: I am lousy with names, particularly names I have not heard before.

I hate it when I ask for the second or third time, “What’s your name again?” but in the end remembering a person’s name is more important than my embarrassment of forgetting.

Maybe you can help me.

What tricks, or methods, or ways do you have for remembering names?

6 thoughts on “Remember a persons name. Remember their favourite word.”

  1. Ask them 1,000,000 times until you remember it 🙂 No, probably link their name to something you DO and WILL remember, either about them or something else. It can also help to rhyme their name with a word. It works for me.

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  2. When I meet someone for the first time I ask them a question and listen carefully to their answer, while I am listening I repeat their name in my head 5 times while looking at them, then ask them another question using their name (So *insert name here how long have you been with blah blah blah limited?). Instantly they know I am interested in what they are saying and tend find it easy to relate to me.

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    1. Thanks Matt. I have tried that in the past, but often get super distracted by their story then forget. 🙂 Will give it a try again.

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  3. I normally weave their name in to a super short story im my head. The more ridiculous the better. Somehow this method helps me cment their name into my subconscious.

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    1. Thanks Ivan. I hadnt heard that one before. I often hear a name, then associate them to a person I know with the same name. That works until I havent heard the name before 🙂 I will give your way a try the next time I get stuck.

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