During my full-day Workplace Relationships seminar, I often make time first thing in the morning for a round of introductions so that I can get acquainted with my students.  I ask them to tell me their name and something about the topic of the day—perhaps what skills they already have, or what they want to learn.  After everyone has introduced themselves, I go back through all of their names, repeating each name out loud to make sure that I have remembered each person correctly.  Participants get so excited that I am able to remember so many names in such a short period of time, even in groups of 50-60 attendees or more.  (read the full article to learn my technique of remembering names)

There are times however when I haven’t remembered one or two names in a group.  I ask people later in my seminar how it made them feel to have their name remembered, and if I forgot anyone’s, I ask them to share how it felt.  Well you can imagine it is the opposite affect of building a relationship.  The lesson here for you is that sometimes, even though you want to connect and remember a name, you just miss it, or lose it, and it shouldn’t deter you from trying.  The fact that you want to remember someone is a step in the right direction, you can ask them to have their name again, and even again if need be.  Don’t say, “I’m terrible with names” because you will believe yourself over time, and you won’t be so keen on listening for the name and making the association.  You can read more about this in my full article, free for members.

Build beautiful sunny relationships this June and far beyond.

Penny