Memory Building Techniques

The fact is that once you are given a piece of information, much of it will actually be lost after just five minutes. And after one hour, two thirds of that will have been forgotten, and it only gets worse because after 24 hours chances are that 90% of the information will be completely gone.

This is a basic forgetting pattern. It will obviously vary between people, with the amount of information being given and the value that person puts on that piece of information.

There are a variety of simple techniques that you can use to help stem the forgetting process. If you find yourself in a social situation where you are trying to remember people’s names you should try using one or all of these techniques.

Focusing

Pay close attention to the introduction, give it your undivided attention. Do not allow yourself to be distracted by things around you. Do not have half an ear on the music or be listening to the conversation behind you. Pay Attention.

Using the Person‘s Name

If you a meet a Mr. Brooks, you might for example say, “Mr, Brooks what do you do for a living? Or try Mr Brooks where are you currently working?” The important thing here is to work the person’s name back into the conversation. Repeating the person’s name back will help build associations with both the conversation and the name.

Repeating

Once you have heard the person’s name repeat it to yourself three times over. And do this again in five minutes. Look around the room and see how many names you can remember. If you are having trouble go and subtly ask someone to tell you the person’s name before you leave the event. Don’t be shy, it happens to people all the time who are meeting large numbers of people at one time. It is important to get the name before you leave rather than trying figure out who the person was at a later date.

Association/Visualisation

When you hear the person’s name try to create a mental picture at the same time. This is especially useful when you can combine it with another piece of information about the person. For example if you meet a Mr. and Mrs. Collins and they are from Mexico you might picture them sitting on a beach. Not only will this help you to remember their name but you will probably be able to recall where they are from the next time you see them. The more information in the mental picture the better.

Incorporate as Many Senses as Possible

One way of doing this is to say their name out loud a number of times as soon as you can. When you shake hands deliberately take a mental note of whether they had a strong firm grip or was it soft? Are they wearing perfume or cologne? The more senses you use when you are introduced the more you will remember.