15 Ways to Remember Names
By Youth Specialties on July 11 2012
Are you struggling to remember your students' names? With so many energetic faces, they can be easy to forget. Here's 15 tips we have to help you remember them.
1. Say their name quickly.
2. Use their name frequently in the conversation.
3. Ask a question using their name. ("Jana, how did you hear about tonight?")
4. Say their name in your conversation departure.
5. Relate their name to someone you knew previously, or to a place.
6. Take pictures of them and write their names on the backs of the pictures, and use them as flashcards.
7. Look closely and attentively at them as they speak and try to find distinct features about them.
8. Do something fun with them. You always remember someone more when you are laughing and having fun!
9. When all else fails, give them a nickname that's appropriate for them or sounds like their name. (i.e., Hector=Nector)
10. Ask for identfying information.
11. Associate the name with someone else you know with that name.
12. Study the student's face while you're being introduced.
13. Ask God to help you remember and care--we remember what's important to us.
14. Write the name down (on your hand, card, or scrap paper). The act of writing will help you retain it.
15. Ask the student to test you on it.
What would you add to the list?
Comments
From howie snyder on July 11, 2012
my trick is to ask them how their name is spelled - then I visualize the spelling in my mind. I’ll say something like, “is that Chelsea with an ‘ea’ or ‘ey’?” They are often surprised that I know various spellings of their name. All this helps me remember their name and when I see them again I remember, oh yeah, that’s Chelsea with an “ea”.
From Sean on July 12, 2012
I’ll have to use these on the adults in the congregation. I have quite the time remembering their names.
From Kyle on July 13, 2012
Man, my quick way to remember names is to write it in my phone (when they’re not looking so I don’t creep them out!) and then friend request them on FB in the next few days. Then I build a “friend group” on FB of all the kids I work with. Then I pull up that friend group when I am going back out to hang with those kids again and study it. Boom!
From David Vollstedt on August 04, 2012
Love this list! I try hard to learn names quickly, but still have a difficult time sometimes. I always tell teens that I have a hard time remembering names and ask them to be patient with me because I’ll probably ask them their name several times (and sometimes still not get it right).
Kyle’s method helps a lot. When we become friends on Facebook, it not only helps me remember their names, but it also helps me get to know them and gives them a chance to get to know me by seeing each others’ posts.
Gotta say though…not gonna do #6. Most of the teens I work with would find that a little…creepy. :)
