And rolling. Hey guys, Ron White here,
two time USA Memory Champion. If you like memory training and how to improve your memory,
don't forget to subscribe to this channel. On this video, I'm going to talk to you
about what TIME Magazine got wrong, they got it wrong, about why you can't remember names.
So I'm going to talk about their article on how to remember names and why you can't and
where I think they went wrong and where I think they went right as well.
Before we do that, if you really like memory training and how to improve your memory,
and you want to learn all about improving your memory, I have a course called Black Belt Memory.
You can get a black belt in memory, just like you can get a black belt in karate.
If you go to the link down below in the description of this video, get my free gift,
it gives you tips on how to improve your memory, but then get my Black Belt Memory course.
Now, let's talk about what TIME Magazine got wrong about how to remember names. First of all,
they got a lot right. This is a wonderful magazine and I'm not knocking TIME Magazine or this issue
here. It's a great issue all on the brain and memory. But they did one article in here that's
titled Why You Forget Names Immediately—And How to Remember Them. And I guess in two pages,
a couple paragraphs here, they did an okay job. All right? They did an okay job. And maybe I'm
just nitpicking, but let me talk about it for a second. I underlined a few things here.
In this article, they say, "A common name may be forgettable because it doesn't strike you as
interesting or because you already know people with that name." I'm going to suggest to you,
the reason that you don't remember names is not because you met a Brian and you met somebody else
named Brian and so you don't remember the name because you already know Brian. I think that's
irrelevant. I really think it's irrelevant. They go on to say, "On the other hand,
a rare name may be easy to recognize, but harder to recall." So
personally, I think the easy names like Tom and Brian and Steve and Lisa and Karen are
easier to remember than an unusual name because an unusual name has no base in your memory. It
doesn't have something you can latch onto. You meet somebody named Chin Shoo Bine. You meet them,
and that name, it doesn't register. In order to remember something, in order
to really remember something, if it's familiar to you and if it evokes an image in your mind,
the chances of you remembering it are better. So here's what I'm going to say. Whenever I
meet somebody named Brian, I think of a human brain, a brain, brain, Brian. When I hear Lisa,
I think of the Mona Lisa. When I hear the name Steve, I think of a stove,
a stove you cook something on. So common names or names that you already have an image for are
going to be more likely that you're going to recall them because it invokes an image.
Yesterday, a woman told me her story, her life story. And then afterwards, she said,
"What were the points about my life story that really stood out to you?" And I said,
"The story of you running to the helicopter. I remember that. The story of you taking all that
medicine and being drowsy afterwards and not being able to sit up. I remember that." And then I said,
"And here's why." I told her why I remembered that. "The reason I remembered you running
to the helicopter is because it's a picture. The reason that I remembered
you being drowsy and not being able to sit up at the table is because that's a picture."
Here's the point, your mind remembers pictures. If the name is common or uncommon, that's irrelevant.
And I don't think that is even a reason, a factor in why you remember the names.
You remember a name if it can invoke an image to you, if it can make you see something.
On here, they go on to say, "You're not only remembering the name, but you're remembering
the name in relation to the face," which is true. You need to attach that image
that you're seeing to the face. One thing that they talk about is, where they do get it right,
is they give you a tip here and they say, "Look for something distinctive on the
person's appearance." And this is right, but they should have gone into more detail here.
For example, the person may be wearing a bright red coat and that's distinctive about
their appearance, but it's only distinctive about their appearance for that day. You need to look
at something distinctive about their appearance that you think is going to remain the same. Do
they have a lot of hair, crazy hair? Do they have a shaved bald head? Do they have a beard? Do they
have a big nose? Do they have big ears? So yes, TIME Magazine is right. You do need to look at
something for a distinctive appearance, but you need to look at something that's distinctive that
you think is not going to change. So if you're tracking with me so far,
number one, you need to have a picture for their name. Brian is a brain. Lisa is the Mona Lisa.
Karen is carrot. Steve is a stove. And you need to search for something distinctive on their face
that's not going to change most likely. I could shave my beard, but I'm probably not, okay?
So they say that repeating the person's name is important. And I guess it is,
but I think that's overused. People say, "Oh, if you just repeat the name three times, you're going
to remember the name." I don't think you really are. You've got to do more than repeat the name.
I'm not saying it's bad to repeat the name in the conversation, but if you're like, "Oh, hey, Steve.
It's good to meet you, Steve. So how are you doing Steve? So Steve, tell me about yourself."
If you do that, they're going to know you just went to the Dale Carnegie course or something.
And they're like, "Dude, you want to say my name one more time?" Come on. It's obvious. So
repeating the name does help, but don't overdo it. And I don't even think that's the biggest key.
So they had some good tips here, but my tips are this. When you meet a person, look at their face,
pick out something distinctive. They've got a beard. They say their name is Brian. Well,
then you imagine a brain in their beard for Brian. Or you meet a guy and he has really big ears,
and he says his name is Steve. So you imagine you're cooking his ears in the stove. So when
you meet somebody, pick out a distinctive feature and then imagine their name is a
picture on their face. That is going to do you more for remembering names than anything.
As you're driving home that day, ask yourself, "Oh, what was it about that person? Oh, it was his
beard. What was on his beard? A brain was in his beard. Brian." Maybe when you even get home, get a
journal out and write in that journal everybody that you met that week and their distinctive
feature and the crazy images about the story that you created. And then go back and review. If you
don't review, if you don't review, if you don't think about the person that you met two weeks ago,
you're not going to remember their name long term. Review is an underlooked, an underestimated
factor in remembering names. Use buildings as landmarks. Every time you drive by a building,
ask yourself, "Who did I meet in that building that last time I was there? Who did I meet at
that restaurant the last time I was there?" Review is an overlooked factor in all this.
TIME Magazine got a lot right, but I have some few tips that I wanted to add to it, because I think
they overlooked some points. If you want to get my full memory course, go to blackbeltmemory.com. I
have a link down below in the description. Click on that link, get my free gift and then get my
memory course. I really think you're going to love it in improving your memory. By the way,
comment below with your name and maybe I'll give you my picture for your name
or comment below with what you thought of this and I'll see you on the next video.