Are you good with people's names? I am just shit. You'd think that being a teacher for all those years, and being presented every year with 200 new faces, that I would have found a fool-proof way of remembering 'em all, but sadly that just wasn't the case.
There are all sorts of tricks, like noticing something about the new face and connecting it to the name, like maybe Peter with the pointy nose, or Georgina with the ginger hair. I'll admit that from time to time the links were not all that complimentary but happily I didn't say it out loud and often the mean things were the most effective. If I didn't learn 'em in the first couple of weeks, well I just didn't ever learn 'em and so there were a lot of loves, honeys, sweethearts, and under the breath turdies from time to time.
Anyway, I am now still shit at names.
If I am lucky when, by çdstealth or blind luck, I find out a name that I should already know, I am on my own, I can walk away like some crazy person repeating the name and making up some silly rhyme. This happened this week but I can't describe the circumstances cos then the person would know that even after 5 years I didn't know their name. But the cue for me is now something to do with Christmas and pressies so perhaps I will remember it now?
I think that I don't pay attention to names cos I am more interested in what people are saying and I have a good memory for faces and information, so I might say, ' Oh, over there that's um...oh, that the girl who thinks it's ok to leave her dog's shit for me to stand in cos it's good for the grass.' Yeh there are people like this and they are happy to say it out loud, so that's more memorable than a name. And then there's the bloke, ummm, nope the name's gone, but that's him, yeh he's the one who has really bad breath and unfortunately insists on giving a little cheek peck hello - back away now.
It'd be more complimentary to be remembered for something you've said or done rather than just for your name - just saying.
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