We meet a lot of people in the course of our lives, but it's embarrassing when you keep forgetting the names of people you should actually already know.

You can practise remembering names and thus avoid embarrassing situations.

With a little practice, you won't forget the names of your fellow human beings in the future:

The face

Take a close look at the other person's face as you are introduced to him/her. There are certainly characteristic features such as narrow or wide-set eyes, thick eyebrows, nose shape, etc. The characteristic points on the face are the eyes, nose, mouth, eyebrows, chin, hairline and ears.

Once you have established the personal characteristics of the person, make a link between this face and the corresponding name. The link can be a mental caricature, someone this face reminds you of or visual differences to a person with the same name that you already know.

You can also rhyme the most obvious characteristic of this person with their name, e.g. "Peter Schwinn - double chin".

 

Repetition

When you are introduced to the person, have them repeat the name to you again and then repeat it yourself. Use the new name several times during the conversation, just don't overdo it!

If it is an unusual name, ask how it is spelt or where the name comes from.

After saying goodbye to this person, imagine the face with its characteristics and repeat the name in your mind.

If it's a particularly important person whose name you don't want to forget, make a few notes.

 

Summary

The association of mental images or rhymes is really helpful in creating the appropriate link in the brain to the person's name. Frequently repeating the name in connection with the person deepens this link.