QUESTION: What's your best trick for remembering someone's name at a networking event or meetup?

I am totally hopeless at this and I usually remember names when I see the person again! I try and instantly write down someone's name in my notebook and write their job description or position beside it, this helps me remember the person for future reference.

@EmilyMockett I have a feeling this might be something you can contribute to, I know you talk to new people all of the time and host events. How do you remember someone's name at a meet-up or networking event? :) Comment below!

Hi Jessica,

I have a rather unique way of remembering peoples names. In my old job I used to work with a team of 15-20 new people every time I did a shift and so someone told me their technique. I associate the persons name with someone famous I know! Simple as that.

I hope this may help other people in remembering peoples names!

Kind Regards,

Emily

Hi @EmilyMockett,

I knew you would have a great way of remembering peoples names!

Associating them with someone famous is definitely something fun and that would certainly make me giggle too! Great contribution, Emily. I am definitely going to give this a go.

Happy Wednesday! :)

Hi, @ParkwayInc

Hope you're having a great Friday 

I would love to know your perspective on this! Do you attend a lot of networking events?

Hi @Jess W,

That is a great question, one that I wish I have completely mastered.  When I first meet a person at an event, I will always repeat their name to myself multiple times to try to help it stick longer.  If I am in a situation where I can write it down, I try to draw a little map that shows where people are seated along with something memorable from their introduction.

Unfortunately this trick does not always work if there is a large amount of time between interactions ( days or weeks), in those situations I find it very useful to team up at networking events.  In most situations you will have a least a quick moment to signal your partner in crime to extract the name for you by quickly introducing themselves.

The best way I have found to be forgiven for forgetting a persons name, is to say something like.... "If I remember correctly, the last time we met you were....." insert something unique"  how has that been going?

So, now that you all know my secret tricks, I will have to come up with some new ones to use! 

Hi, @ParkwayInc!

Thank you so much for sharing your tips! These are brilliant. Especially the use of the map to show where people are sat. 

& brilliant sentence starters too! I am sure many people experience the same and aren't always great at remembering names. 

Do you attend many networking events? If so, how do you know about them? Do you follow any resources for notifications?

Hi @Jess W

I have one important rule, always have business cards with you. ALWAYS!  As the owner of two companies, I spend a good portion of my time networking in one form or another.

For Parkway Business Solutions, we are members of a local BNI group called the Masters of Business.  My business partner Mike Snelson has been attending their weekly events for the past 6+ years and it has absolutely helped our business grow.

Additionally, we opened our first office location within a small business incubator called The Pharos Center for Innovation so there are always new people and new opportunities around every corner. One of my favorite things about the Pharos Center has been Kick A** Cafe, which was started by a Pharos community member and has grown into a weekly event filled with entrepreneurs, business owners, mentors, investors, and even a rocket scientist.

More recently, I have started attending more accounting conventions as we continue to launch our new QuickBooks Desktop application called Vendorsync.  I never realized that there is an actual convention season in the US!  It seems like there are different events every week.  

Going to shows as an exhibitor can be very expensive, especially as a start up, so we have to be very picky on which shows to go to, so I rely on some of my friends at Ledgersync, AutoEntry, and Chata.ai to know which ones to attend and which ones to avoid.  

One last networking Tip:

Earlier I shared that you should always have business cards with you ALWAYS, but I have one more important tip to share.  Whenever you hand someone your business card, always hand them three cards. When they try to hand them back to you, tell them:

"That's OK, please keep them.  You never know when you might run into someone that our team might be able to assist, and we always appreciate a referral!"

Hi, @ParkwayInc!

These are brilliant tips - especially the idea with the business cards. I have done the same thing when it comes to multiple cards. Giving more away is always a handy tip!

Love the office location within the small business sector. Do you like the co-working spaces? I know I do, a great chance to network and exchange ideas with others.

Where do you research for events? How do you keep up-to-date on the events near your location?  - you always seem busy and active with your networking, which is amazing!

Hope you're having a great week & thank you again for your contribution. 

Hi @Karsty!

I hope you're well. Are you prepared for the cooler months? How's business?

Also, do you attend any networking events for your business?

Hi @Jess W,

Business was great, then one big customer delayed me, I was off sick for a week, and another big customer dropped me completely! Not because I did anything wrong, but because they took their own bad advice about the needs of their garden.

Anyway, out of the blue I got a free 30 day trail with Rated People and got about 10 new leads in 2 weeks. Talk about chaos! Anyway, thankfully, for now, my time is filled up!

Here's the link - I had to see a Ted, a Terry, and a Trevor! Yes, I got their names mixed up multiple times 

I never go to meetups or networking events for my business. But the way I remember people's names is to pretty much be open about having to make an effort to remember it. I look at them thoughtfully, repeat their name several times like a parrot, and say out loud how I think I'll remember it. Like I met a Mat and an Ally recently, a couple. So I think of "alley mat" and that's how I remember it. I basically said this at our first meeting, saying it out loud seems to help a lot!

It's a humorous moment in time. You have to spend some seconds on it with each new person. If I just say hello and move on I always forget their name.

Hi, @Karsty

Great to hear from you! 

Wow, that does sound busy. But busy is always good. Rated People is a great site for finding tradesmen, especially if you need a lick of paint somewhere or need something fixing. Great to hear that you have some new leads - well deserved! Running a busy schedule is worth it sometimes. I am guessing people want their gardens preparing for the cooler months. How is business towards December?

Wow - T, T, T = Ted, a Terry, and a Trevor. I bet you got their names mixed up, I would have too!

I am not the greatest with names either but I use the same trick as you - repeating it out loud and mentioning it throughout the conversation. Making it more humorous allows you to remember it too. Thanks for the great tips, Karsten!