BY JEFF CORBETT

A friend of mine in nursing school shared details of a most unique pop quiz given by her instructor.

Among the many questions there was one – the very last one that nobody was expecting: “What is the first name of the janitor who cleans this building?”

She said many of the students thought this was some kind of joke.

Most of the students in the class had seen this janitor and even bumped into him several times. He was in his 50s and smiled frequently.

When the time was up, the students turned in their quiz with all but the last question answered. Nobody knew his name.

Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward the quiz grade.

“Yes, absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, and the least you can do is speak their name when you see or greet them. It makes them feel both human and valuable.”

What’s in a Name?

So why is knowing others’ names so important?

Names carry a deep sense of identity and recognition. When you know someone’s name, you’re acknowledging their individuality — it’s like saying, “I see you, and you matter.”

When you use someone’s name, it builds rapport, fosters trust, and makes your interactions more personal and more meaningful.

Have you experienced that “wow” moment when someone unexpectedly remembers your name? It feels good, doesn’t it?

“Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language,” advises Dale Carnegie.

The Big Question

“But I’m terrible at remembering names,” you say.

You’re next question becomes “How can I improve?”

First, let’s understand what makes remembering names so difficult and then we can look at the solution — to make you a rock star at recalling names.

Too Much Information

Charan Rangathan, a neuroscience professor at the University of California at Davis, and author of the New York Times’ bestseller “Why We Remember” says that “the average American is exposed to 34 gigabytes of information a day, the equivalent of 11.8 hours of images, words, sounds. And that’s why the human brain is designed to forget most of what it comes across. Forgetting is natural. We’re not supposed to remember everything.”

Purdue University psychologist Jeffrey Karpicke suggests that forgetting isn’t a failure of memory, but rather the mind’s way of clearing clutter to focus on what’s important.

You have two types of memory: short-term and long-term. When you hear a name, it is saved in short-term.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, short-term memory is a temporary storage space that holds information you’ve learned. You can easily access this limited amount of information for a few seconds to a few minutes.

On average, you can hold five to seven items in your short-term memory — like the digits of a phone number, an email address, or a name.

By the time you finish reading this sentence, your short-term memory has already removed previous sentences from its temporary storage space to make room for this one.

The Key Solution

I am convinced the No. 1 reason for not remembering names is that we don’t pay attention and intentionally listen for their name when we’re meeting someone.

In his book “Remember Every Name Every Time,” Benjamin Levy offers something that has doubled my name recall. See what you think.

His formula is the acronym FEAR, the key point is the letter F, which stands for Focus.

There are so many things happening simultaneously when you meet someone, and it’s so quick— handshakes, exchanging names, eye contact, wondering what they think of you, you’re sizing them up, and thinking of what to say next …. all in about three seconds.

So, in the five seconds before you meet someone, be laser-focused in this moment, telling yourself “You are going to hear their name. You must listen for it, then repeat it in your brain multiple times.”

Also, use their name several times during your conversation and when you part company.

Use Associations to Remember

Another way of remembering names is associations. I have been using word associations and it has really helped my recall.

For example, my postman’s name is Lyndon, so I connect his name to President Lyndon Johnson delivering my mail.

The trainer at my gym is named Lauren, so I think “Ralph Lauren.”

Using wild, unusual, or outlandish associations are especially memorable.

If someone’s last name is Green, think of them with green hair.

It could also be that the person’s job or hobby is memorable, or where they’re from.

I give people a hook or shortcut to remember my name — “Jeff the Chef” or “Corbett, as in Corvette, but not as sexy.”

Kate Lorenz, the advice editor for CareerBuilder.com, tells how President Franklin Roosevelt continually amazed his staff by remembering the names of nearly everyone he met.

His secret? He imagined seeing their name written across that person’s forehead.

Kate says this is a particularly powerful technique if you visualize the name written in your favorite color of Magic Marker!

Your Dilemma?

What if you’re talking with someone who knows your name, but you don’t have a clue about theirs? You’ve obviously met before.

Experts say you have two choices either the obvious way, “Please help me with your name again?”

Or, proceed with the conversation, asking questions that may give you clues.

Here’s a cheat I use when with a friend and I do not know a person’s name but should. I introduce my friend to them, and 99% of the time, they respond with their name.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

Improving your name recall takes time and effort, so don’t be discouraged.

You will find loads of ideas and methods on the internet.

So promise me this … if you have room for improvement remembering names, will you make 2025 the year you really work to improve your recall?

Better yet, team up with a friend in a challenge to improve your name recall.

Remembering someone’s name, just like smiling, is a simple, no-cost way to make a better impression on people, and to make them feel good. Start today!

Jeff Corbett is an experienced public speaker, meeting facilitator and sales and marketing professional. He lives in Statesville. He can be reached at jeff@speak-well.com.