One of the greatest sitcoms of all time, in my opinion, was Cheers. The theme song for the sitcom was Where Everybody Knows Your Name. What the writers were trying to bring to life in this show was the power of having a place where a person is welcomed and accepted. A place where they feel at home. And this all starts by having people know your name.
I’ve been told that one of the sweetest sounds a person will ever hear is their name. Why, you ask? When you address a person by their name it tells them that you identify them as a person. It increase their status. It helps them feel important. It shows them that you notice them as an individual and not just another face in the crowd.
Dale Carnegie, in his book How To Win Friends & Influence People, uses a story about Mr. Jim Farley to help bring the importance of remembering names to light. Mr. Jim Farley never graduated high school, however, but before he turned fifty, he received degrees from four colleges. he had become the chairman of the Democratic National Conventional and was the Postmaster General of the United States.
What was Jim’s secret to success? Mr.Carnegie tells us, Jim Farely discovered early in life that the average person is more interested in his or her own name than in all the other names on earth put together. Remember that name and call it easily, and you have paid a subtle and very effective compliment. But forget it or misspell it – and you have placed yourself at a sharp disadvantage.
If you really want to connect better with others, remember their names. Use whatever means necessary to get better at this. Repeat the person’s name a few times during a conversation. Take the time to write her name down along with a brief description of the person. Associate the person’s name with something that will help you remember it. The point is, do what you need to do to remember a person’s name.
How do you remember a person’s name?
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