I have developed a habit of calling everyone at work Bubba, often whether I can remember their real name or not. I admit that this is a symptom of laziness, but it has became so habitual that I accept it. They say that the sweetest sound to anyone’s ears is the sound of their own name. When you address a person with their name, it makes them feel that you value them as a person. I have always wanted to improve in this area of being able to remember names, but my commitment has wavered.
Of the different techniques I have heard of for remembering names the primary (and easiest) one, is the use of repetition. If someone introduces themselves to you, you can repeat their name as you give yours. “Nice to meet you [name], I’m Nick”. The trick that I developed, which I am still working on fully implementing in my daily life, is a combination of repetition and association. What I do, and again I am still working on using this system consistently, is that I have an animal for every letter of the alphabet, and when someone tells me their name, I repeat it while thinking of the animal. On my crew right now I have Bob bear, Bill bear, and Beth bear. Often I may remember that someone is a bear, or cat or dog, but it will take a minute to remember the Bob, Bill, or Beth. That does not bother me however, because I know that my system of association is working. A coworker recently told me that he thinks of someone with the same name, either a person he knows or in the public sphere. I believe that technique of making a personal connection may be too random to work for me every time.
I am using my renewed commitment to make my system a regular, habitual part of my life as an exercise in my own personal development journey. They say that you should constantly use your mind in order to sharpen it. Some people do puzzles, or study new topics that interest them. I have decided that my name game will serve both of these purposes for me, exercising my brain and helping me make better personal connections. I have made a commitment to use my system on a daily basis so that it becomes my new habit. I will give an update on my progress. I am not, however, giving up my option to call someone Bubba if the are annoying me.