BY Tim Londergan
Most of us are visual learners, therefore, at first meetings, it’s easier for us to remember faces than names. It happens, in part, because we are more focused on ourselves than THEM. Considering effective tactics in sales, there are few greater than remembering your prospect’s name!
Forgetting a name at first meeting is easily explained as we are attempting to be interesting rather than interested. In Lisa Kanarek’s words, from this article on getpocket.com, “You can’t remember the name because you never learned it properly.”
Effective Tactics for Information Processing
A recent study by Microsoft revealed that human attention span has dropped to eight seconds. Researchers say this is a depletion of 25% in the past few years. They blame reliance on technology, social media consumption and the online realm in general.
Attention is obviously a necessary ingredient for effective learning, but digital lifestyles are changing our brains. Consequently, we’ve decreased the ability for prolonged focus and increased our appetite for more stimuli. Here are some proven strategies to enhance your ability to remember a person’s name:
Retrieval of key facts.
Don’t let too much time pass before you revisit the name and visual of the person’s face. An effective tactic is to find a reason for another direct encounter, if possible, to solidify the face-and-name association. Repeat the person’s name aloud so it resonates in your head.
Look for something unique.
Make a cognitive effort to associate the person’s name with an object, emotion or significant event. Concentrate on their image, the association and the sound. Alternatively, you can develop a short narrative that links the person's unique characteristic to their image.
Choose your electronic filing system.
Your phone’s contact list, notes or other convenient app may be your choice. Whatever your preference, be sure to organize it so you can retrieve the name easily. Add any notes or facts about the person and where you met.
Once you have noted the contact in your filing system take a few minutes to link their social media profile. It’s a simple process to complete and the payout is generous. An effective tactic is to reach out via LinkedIn to complete the circle of familiarity.
What Effective Tactics Help Us Remember?
Memory is a highly complex process that takes place consciously and subconsciously. Also, because brains remember information that forms a memorable pattern, visual organizers — real or imagined, are extremely useful.
According to the UNC Learning Center anyone can train and develop their memorizing abilities. “Research shows that students who use memory tricks perform better than those who do not. Memory tricks help you expand your working memory and access long term memory.”
You can’t remember something if you don’t understand it. So, first try to thoroughly understand whatever the item is. After that, here are some effective tactics for remembering:
Link the subject to something you already know.
According to the authors, “material in isolation is more difficult to remember than material that is connected to other concepts.” Practice interleaving related subjects where you study related concepts in parallel.
Test yourself with questions to force your memory.
Self-tests are best done a few hours or days after digesting the material to see if it has truly lodged in your mind.
Mnemonics are systems and tricks to make information memorable.
A common practice is to use the first letter of each word in a sentence. Perhaps you were prompted by “Every Good Boy Does Fine” for musical notes on a scale. Songs and jingles are also powerful mnemonic devices.
Writing connects the hand and brain to the function of memory.
Experts recommend while writing to say the information out loud and visualize the concept. These parallel interleaving actions will solidify your learning.
Exercise and get rest!
Exercise can improve recall because it helps create neurons in areas that relate to memory. Importantly, sleep-dependent memory consolidation is a real thing. Your brain will file information and categorize it for recall.
Photo by Samantha Garrote on Pexels.com