I hate to admit this but I am TERRRIBLE with names. Terrible. And I always end up feeling SO bad when I can't remember someone's name. It has nothing to do with them and ALL with me. I just can't seem to get it together that way.
I found this on YouGov.com and it turns out a lot of people suffer from the same name forgetting phenomenon!
65% of people surveyed said that if they forgot someone's name, they would avoid using it instead of accidently calling them by the wrong name. Only 25% would ask the person to repeat their name. So what do we do to prevent forgetting someone's name in the first place? Read on!
Step 1: Focus. Don't let yourself get distracted by something, including your own social anxiety. (Which I am riddled with, btw.) If you really stay in the moment, you won't forget so easily.
Step 2: Repeat their name back immediately. Saying something like "Nice to meet you, Chris" really helps you process it.
Step 3: Associate it with something meaningful to you. Like if their name is Tom, think "tom cat".
Step 4: Form a mental image between the person and your association. Like if their name is Victoria, and she reminds you of Queen Victoria, picture them wearing a crown. The sillier the better because silly is easier to remember.
Step 5: Connect their appearance with a name. Like if Victoria is wearing a V neck sweater, the "V" might help you remember it later on.
Step 6: Keep repeating their name. Say it again in conversation a few minutes later...then again as you are saying goodbye. Then maybe say it to yourself on the ride home. Repeating it over and over helps make it long term memory.
My next question is...how am I going to remember ALL of this??? I need to find an article on that!