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Culture: Names
How to remember names   (+3, -3)  [vote for, against]
"Hi, my name's Vlad the Impaler. I work for Microsoft"

In a business setting, one gets introduced to a lot of people. In my experience, the next time you see them, you can remember the company they work for but not their name. This is because generally their name will be something fairly ordinary - i.e. not distinctive enough to make you remember it simply because it's extraordinary - and yet it will also be novel - that is to say, you don't already know anyone with exactly that name, so your mind doesn't automatically make any associations (e.g. "Oh yeah - he's the guy with the same name as that idiot who used to beat me up at school").
So, what I propose is this. For professional and business use people should adopt names which will be easily remembered. They will do this by taking names which everyone already knows, such as famous historical figures, celebrities, etc. If your bank manager's name was Brad Pitt or Lucretia Borgia, you'd probably remember it, wouldn't you?
-- hippo, May 25 2002

New Surnames http://www.halfbake...idea/New_20Surnames
A different take. [phoenix, May 25 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

full name as RL moniker http://www.halfbake...20as_20RL_20moniker
A different take. [phoenix, May 25 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

New Identity Island http://www.halfbake...20Identity_20Island
Where to get your name. [phoenix, May 25 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Lucretia Pitt, may I introduce you to Brad Borgia, Brad - Lucretia. what would you like to drink? Oh not that slightly bubbly one dear.
-- po, May 25 2002


It works until every other guy's name is Brad Pitt, then how do you tell them apart?
-- phoenix, May 25 2002


Maybe it would be easier if we didn't have names at all, just made up our own names to call each other.
-- AfroAssault, May 25 2002


Or you could just say the persons name three times through out your conversation with them. Once when you meet, once with a direct question , once when you say good-bye. Simple.
-- [ sctld ], May 25 2002


I always forget peoples names. I've forgotten my housemate of nearly a year's name several times recently. She's not the first one.

I can normally get by with "our good friend here" or "you."
-- yamahito, May 25 2002


I had a business associate that once introduced me as "Forrest Gump" to another business contact....it was pretty funny and that guy has never forgotten my first name....actually, this has happened a few times since the movie came out.

On the other hand, I once had a man call me Mr. Woods. Seems he remembered my name as Forrest Woods instead of Forrest Green.
-- runforrestrun, May 25 2002


Most people are disappointed or offended when others forget their names. If using a name like, oh, Bart Simpson, one could not really take these little lapses personally. I need a name in my face on more than one occasion before I'll definitely remember. Maybe a bit of humility would help. If people weren't so sensitive about their imagined importance and didn't feel so threatened by indications to the contrary, maybe they could stop stressing one another about it and this wouldn't be a problem. Yeah, and maybe the world population will stop growing.
-- ThotMouser, May 25 2002


I always try to make up things that rhyme with the person's name. Such as for my buddy Dan, is known as "Dan the man with the bright blue pants". Never forgot that. It works until stupid people come up with names that don't rhyme with anything! :)
-- theenigma, May 25 2002


Just as long as you never actually introduce him to someone as "Dan the man with the bright blue pants"...
-- hippo, May 26 2002


A-MEN!
-- yamahito, May 26 2002



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