How Do You Remember People?

This morning I was reading an article on CNN.com called “Tricks to remembering names.” There are some good tips there. I use a few already. For instance, I keep an up-to-date contact book like it is part of my religion. I like to have all contact information very organized and easy to draw from. I don’t like to lose friends on account of disorganization. (#7) Also, I will take a person’s name and try to associate it with a feature on their face or a famous person. (#5)

But there is another way that I remember people. Often times I will be able to remember a person by referencing what kind of cell phone or computer they have. “Oh, so-and-so,he’s the guy with the 12″ iBook.” I suppose this is because technology and gadgets are my area of interest and that is something that I am familiar with enough to remember easy.

Perhaps we all have something that registers easy when we meet someone.

For instance, my wife styles hair for a living. She recalls people by how long their hair is, how it is colored, or the style it was in. (Things that I would never notice…never…ever.) She remembers by their hair because that is her line of work and something that interests her.

My friend Richard studies and enjoys business and he seems to remember people by how they network to someone else. (I often call him “Rolodex Rich” because he’ll often help me place people that I don’t know, but know me. “Richard, do I know this person?” “Yes, he is a friend of Mike, who we met at that party at Michelle’s.”) He remembers by who they associate with because business networking is his area of interest.

How do you remember people?

(PS, the music gem this week comes from Jonathon Coulton and it is a nice acoustic remix of a great rap song. Take a listen here.)