How To Remember Names (with some fun)

The other day I was researching the Internet for new and ingenious tricks for remembering names. Through my research I came across a book mentioned a few times – How to Develop a Good Memory for Names, Faces and Facts by Robert H. Nutt. Now the title sounds quite straight forward yet I was hesitant to read the manuscript because it was written in 1941. But let me assure you, the contents are a gem! The information in this short book are not only pertinent to today, it is also quite delightful to read. Delightful because Mr. Nutt transports you back to the early 1940’s using photos and snapshots of history during this era.

I’ll share with you one brief example from Mr. Nutt’s lessons on remembering names and then allow you to explore all of them at your leisure. In fact for this example, let’s take my name, Carol Bory.

When most people meet me for the first time, they comment on the color of my eyes, which are green. Mr. Nutt suggests using one or a few facial traits, in this case my green eyes, and link it to the name. Then, listen to the sound of the name and associate words or a phrase to the name. So for Carol Bory, or phonetically Care-roll Bore ē, we need to think of a word that rhymes with my name or a phrase that reminds you of my name.

Let’s give it a try. How about, “Carol Bory with the green quarry.” I tied the green eyes with a word that rhymes with my last name.

Or if you have a friend with the name Lori, or Corey, or Torri, possibly, “Carol Bory reminds me of my friend Lori” or whichever friend’s name you associate with Bory.

Or if you can remember the eyes, but the name is causing the struggle, try “Carol Bory has a great story.” (My mother says I got the color of my eyes from the milkman.)

Or if the name Carol reminds you of Christmas Carrolls, try, “Carol Bor-yē great tidings of joy.”

As you can see the associations are endless. And the best part is they can be as silly as you want because no one knows the association but you!

Now the real trick is remembering the word association for each face and storing it in memory. But don’t worry, Mr. Nutt walks you through the process- repetition and writing the name.

Now if you want technological assistance with associating names with faces I found a software product Name Recall that might do the trick. Good Luck!

P.S. Did you notice my Carol Bory logo includes the color green?