Relationships are key to business, and remembering your Security Officer names is key to building relationships. When your Security Officer hears their own name, they naturally perk up and pay attention because their neurons actually fire up. And when someone remembers our name, we feel special and remembered—which everyone likes.
The Importance of Remembering your Security Officer Name!
Remembering your Security Officer names is really important, but most of us find it to be surprisingly difficult. This is because when we first meet someone, we have a lot to take in and think about. First we think about how we are presenting ourselves, the mental process of evaluating who they are, surrounding distractions. Before we know it, that name we just heard has slipped right out of our heads. But remembering names is a skill, one that you can improve if you consciously work on it.
So, what can you do to build your name remembering skills?
First, when someone first tells you their name, mentally “look” at that person’s name by visualizing it and really focusing on it as you look at the person’s face. As you do this, take a mental snapshot of the person’s face. Learn to ignore distractions and instead fully engage with your effort to get to know the person you are talking to.Focus on that moment as important and activate your own curiosity about who the person is. Listen actively to what they are saying and think about what you know about them in that moment and what you would like to know.
Repetition is the key to learning, so repeat the person’s name when you hear it and then use it again in conversation. Look at their face, quiz yourself on their name, and mentally repeat the name three times. Use their name again at the end of the conversation. If possible, repeat the person’s name to another person after the conversation. For example, “I was just talking to David from _______ about time-tracking software.” If you meet someone with an unusual name, it helps to make sure you are pronouncing it correctly and to ask how to spell it. If you ask how to spell a name mentally imagine yourself writing it down. Or better yet, write it down. When we write something down, we are more likely to remember.
Don’t Feel Guilt. Continue to build your Name Remembering Skills
You can also try using a mnemonic device. For example, try to think of a way to link the sound of the person’s name with something that describes them or their job, or even something interesting you learned about them. “Timothy works in IT.” “Gayle likes to sail.” “Sharon with the good shoes.” You can also try associating their first name with someone you know or a famous person they resemble or with whom they have something in common. “Charlie the accountant, like my cousin Charlie, who’s also an accountant.” Another technique that works surprisingly well is to come up with an image using the person’s name. For example, if you meet someone named Blake Fischer, you might look at their face and imagine someone fishing in a lake shaped like the letter B. If you meet someone named Jeff Barrington, you might picture a giraffe bearing a ton of something. The more absurd the image the better because it will be more memorable.
As with any skill, the more you practice the better you will get at it an the more naturally it will come to you. When you’re able to remember people’s names right away, you’ll instantly be more confident and come off as more friendly and interested in the person, which is the first step to building a solid business relationship.
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By Courtney Sparkman
OfficerReports.com is a software company that provides security guard companies with an easy way to monitor their officers, better manage their operations, and win new business. Take a tour of our software to see how we combine Electronic Reporting, Real-Time GPS based Tour Tracking, and GPS based Clock In and Out into one easy to use platform.
