Forgetting Names?

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Dr. Allison Lamont, Brain and Memory Foundation.

A Strategy for Memory Improvement

One of the most common problems described by people who discover I am a memory doctor is "I can never remember people's names". This causes enormous embarrassment, especially when the forgotten name is a friend they have had for the last twenty years!  Do you know what I mean?  I expect so…

Recognising faces is one of the skills we are very good at. During your lifetime you will learn to distinguish between thousands of faces, and yet they are basically very much alike. They all have two eyes, one nose, two ears, a chin and so on, yet we can recognise them with ease even when the faces have changed. Have you experienced meeting someone after thirty or forty years and knowing you have met them before? Maybe at a school reunion, or a chance meeting at the Mall. How we wish that the names matching the faces were quite so easily remembered!

Try these strategies the next time you are introduced to a new person:

• Focus on the introduction. Seems simple! But so often we are a little nervous during introductions, maybe wondering what the person will think of us, or what we might say in the ensuing conversation. Be very sure you really hear the name. Focusing and paying attention to the first moment you hear a person's name is vital. It is like taking a mental snapshot.

• Repeat the name straight away. "It is lovely to meet you, Jack", or "Is that Catherine with a 'C' or a 'K'?" "Jeanie is a Scottish name – do your family come from Scotland?" This helps to create a memory trace for later recall.

• Notice the person's features, associating them with the name in your mind.

• If you know other people with the same name, bring them to mind – create a mental picture linking them all with the name in common.

• When you leave the conversation, take a moment to remember the person and the name – if practical, write it down.

• Before going to bed that evening, recall the person and the name. If it has slipped from your mind, recreate a 'mind picture' of the person and gather all the information you can remember. The name often turns up!

If you do have one of the embarrassing moments with an old friend, perhaps just say "Have you ever had one of those mortifying moments when a name vanishes into thin air…" You can be sure they have, and will understand your lapse.

This week, pay particular attention to the first three people you meet in the day. Notice what they are wearing, what they are doing, their facial expression – everything you can see. Several times during the day, recall a mental picture of them with all the detail you can. You will be astonished at how observant you become as a matter of course. Paying attention and noticing detail is a wonderful aid to memory improvement. Try it and see!

Biography:
Dr. Allison Lamont is founder and clinician at the Auckland Memory Clinic and specialises in memory testing, the prevention and treatment of memory loss. She works with clients to develop brain and memory resilience. She has authored and co-authored (with her sister, Gillian Eadie) several books and papers relating to brain and memory improvement for continued well-being and independence.

For further reading, visit the GrownUps Store , and order your copy of Seven Second Memory: Memory techniques that will change our life.

By Allison Lamont