There’s nothing worse than passing someone who smiles and greets you by your name, only to fumble your words in the realization that you don’t remember theirs. A name is a crucial part of one’s identity, and remembering the names of others is equally as important. And on a campus like Corban’s, the expectation is to remember a huge number of names. So how does one go about doing this?
- Make sure you listen. It is incredibly easy to hear someone’s name for the first time and not actually hear the name and acknowledge it.
- Repeat it back to make sure you heard correctly. This will also make it easier to remember.
- Continue using it in conversation.
- Associate their name with something. Find something it rhymes with or a word it reminds you of.
- Ask someone if you don’t remember.
- Start consciously using their name in following interactions.
It’s a process which takes effort and time to improve, but will ultimately be worth it.