"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." ~Juliet Capulet
August 1995. I stood in a long line with 1,200 other college freshmen. This line led to one prestigious event: Meet the President...a Friday tradition during the opening weekend at my school. There we waited, a bunch of anxious 18 year olds who would change their majors an average of 1.5 times, to shake hands with the most powerful person in charge of our education.
I wish now I would have had a better line as I approached Dr. Angelo Volpe, but "Hey, I'm Jake, from Centerville, TN," was all I could muster up. "Welcome to Tennessee Tech, I'm President Volpe." He was short, happy, and charismatic. "I hope you have a great 1st weekend here," as he sent me off.
And that was that. No climax whatsoever...Until 2 days later at church. Out of all the pews in the church, Dr. Volpe and his wife chose mine to slide into. I get to pray with the President! (or some other naive freshman thought). Only what came next was an impressionable shocker:
Dr. Volpe slid down the pew next to me, made eye contact with me, and said, "Oh, good morning, Jake."
Wow. Just wow. Now I'd like to pretend I'm that memorable. And I'd also like to disregard the theory that maybe he had a photographic memory. Regardless, at the end of the day of meeting over 1,000 students and welcoming back all the faculty, he simply remembered my name.
Thus, the lessons of the day will start there. Your life will have several introductions. Some professional. Some social. Others in passing that you'll only see again by chance, but you'll inevitably see a lot of those people again. And when you're shaking hands for the second time, it can go as hey, what was your name again? (repetitive and backtracking), or hey, Jake! (perhaps having an impressionable WOW factor).
How about some tips?
1. For 15 seconds, focus all of your attention on the introduction. A common reason for forgetting names is having your attention split between 10 different things in the room.
2. Repeat, and repeat again. Say the name silently to yourself. Upgrade this step by repeating the name out loud with, "Nice to meet you, Jake."
3. Association. Associate the person with the moment, the atmosphere, or a unique activity. Maybe his or her job, or an alcoholic beverage in his hand, or something quirky like a accent or tone.
4. Drive it home. Practice one last staple for your memory. Ask something about the name. Think of a quick celebrity look-alike. Maybe spell it out or use a question such as, "Do you spell that with an e or an a?"
5. If your memory is really, really bad, you can always write it down or quickly text yourself with some notes. This step works especially well in networking situations where you're meeting several people who are all worth remembering.
Bonus Emergency Tip: Uh Oh! you forgot a name again. Why not introduce that person to close acquaintances: "...and this my cousin, Jason." You'll grease the wheels to a re-introduction and everyone wins.
Dr. Volpe slid down the pew next to me, made eye contact with me, and said, "Oh, good morning, Jake."
Wow. Just wow. Now I'd like to pretend I'm that memorable. And I'd also like to disregard the theory that maybe he had a photographic memory. Regardless, at the end of the day of meeting over 1,000 students and welcoming back all the faculty, he simply remembered my name.
Thus, the lessons of the day will start there. Your life will have several introductions. Some professional. Some social. Others in passing that you'll only see again by chance, but you'll inevitably see a lot of those people again. And when you're shaking hands for the second time, it can go as hey, what was your name again? (repetitive and backtracking), or hey, Jake! (perhaps having an impressionable WOW factor).
How about some tips?
1. For 15 seconds, focus all of your attention on the introduction. A common reason for forgetting names is having your attention split between 10 different things in the room.
2. Repeat, and repeat again. Say the name silently to yourself. Upgrade this step by repeating the name out loud with, "Nice to meet you, Jake."
3. Association. Associate the person with the moment, the atmosphere, or a unique activity. Maybe his or her job, or an alcoholic beverage in his hand, or something quirky like a accent or tone.
4. Drive it home. Practice one last staple for your memory. Ask something about the name. Think of a quick celebrity look-alike. Maybe spell it out or use a question such as, "Do you spell that with an e or an a?"
5. If your memory is really, really bad, you can always write it down or quickly text yourself with some notes. This step works especially well in networking situations where you're meeting several people who are all worth remembering.
Bonus Emergency Tip: Uh Oh! you forgot a name again. Why not introduce that person to close acquaintances: "...and this my cousin, Jason." You'll grease the wheels to a re-introduction and everyone wins.
Your road to success will have countless introductions. How you process the information just might factor into your success...so make it a WOW factor. You're not only showing someone they were worth remembering, you're broadcasting your networking, social, negotiation skillset. Pretty powerful for just a simple little name.
Romeo and Juliet wanted to forget their names...you need to value remembering them.
~Coach Jake
P.S. Ask me how Maximal Me and www.MaximalMe.com programs can revamp you're entire Professional Profile.
~Coach Jake
P.S. Ask me how Maximal Me and www.MaximalMe.com programs can revamp you're entire Professional Profile.
