From Business Cards to Business Relationships: Personal Branding and Profitable Networking Made Easy, 2nd Edition

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. With a little practice and specific intent, solidifying freeze-framed mental snapshots in your mind will give you something to recall when you see this person again. Hopefully, at the very least, this picture will be worth two words: the person's first and last names.

Think

The most important strategy to remembering names is to think. After meeting people, I reflect on our conversations. What did we talk about? Who were they? What do they do? What did I like about them? How did we connect? Who introduced us? I don't spend hours obsessing over everyone I meet, but just a moment of conscious awareness after a conversation seems to pay dividends in the long run to winning the name game.

If I missed a name during an introduction, I look and listen for clues. In group discussions someone will usually reference a person's name, which is a great reminder. I read name tags and business cards. I ask mutual contacts, “Who is that again?” I read program books and event agendas to look for names of committee members, key volunteers, and sponsors. I gather all the information I can and connect the dots.