I am really bad with names
It is terrible I know, but I am really bad with names, you could tell me your name fifty times and even though I really like you or even fancy you, your name will simply have evaporated from my brain.
A case in point, when I met my ex-husband and he told me his name, I could not for the life of me understand what he said, and after having asked like twelve times I figured enough was enough I’d just have to fake it. All I knew was he was really cute, tall, buff and smart albeit really quiet. I couldn’t tell you when I finally caught and understood his name, it may have been close to eight months later, around the time we were filling in the forms to get married, until then I think “sweetie” and “pufflehead” were probably the main terms of endearment I used and of course “hey, you” always got his attention.
I was out last weekend and met some really cool people although their names escape me entirely, I can remember their occupations, the profound discussions we had, where they live (easy as they were my neighbours) and yet names… gone. It is kind of embarrassing to have intense deep conversations with people and yet no amount of cajoling, dredging or beating with two-by-four will bring the names to conciousness.
I am sure there is some way to train my brain to remember and that is probably a good idea given that my job is all about creating and maintaining relationships and being able to remember someones name is key. Calling a customer “hey, you” or “pufflehead” I am sure will not have the same positive effects it did with my ex. Although, I for one, am always game to try.
Hey you …
What I’ve learned to do is to continually use their name when talking to them. You may need to do it on the first sentence you use!
So Bob, what do you do at xyz company?
Obviously you can’t do it on every single sentence, but mix it up a bit. That’s what works for me. I am the same way and if I don’t do that, poof – gone.