Forgetting someone's name at an event is not exactly the best way to impress them, and this can be very awkward when you are introducing people. It’s embarrassing and if the event is corporate, it may ruin any chance of a good business relationship.
This is why you need to learn to commit new names quickly to memory if you are going to make the best impression, and here we will look at how to do that.
Use their most obvious features
Most people have a very obvious feature or an obvious trait that you can pick out. Some people for instance will have a big nose, whereas other people might be very loud and overly friendly. This is a fantastic tool for remembering who someone is and it's ideal for quickly picking them out of a crowd.
A great thing to do here is to make a little rhyme or alliterative nick name in your mind - so 'curly Claire' or 'fat Matt'. Obviously, it's very important that you don't ever let these nicknames get out, but they can be very helpful for you personally because you will notice that trait again when you next meet them and this will then hopefully be the trigger for the full name.
People you know
Failing this you might find that someone looks like someone you know, or reminds you of someone you know and this can be a very handy tool for remembering names too. Simply think of the person you know who they remind you of and then link their names in your mind, 'Matt and Simon' for instance.
Ways around the problem
If you can't at first remember the name you're trying to conjure up then there are of course right and wrong ways to handle the matter. Try to make it as subtle as possible by not referring to the person directly by name, but rather saying 'you don't mind do you?'.
Of course, this becomes more of an issue if you have to introduce someone, so try to avoid this circumstance. In fact, you can even ask a mutual acquaintance to give you both a faux introduction (they're a stooge in this scenario) after which you can just say 'of course John and I go way back!'
Meanwhile make sure to keep an ear out for anyone who might talk to them and use their name and then be sure to make a mental note.
If you find these strategies a little complicated however and don't have much luck, then you of course always have the final option to just hire someone to do the remembering for you.
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