The ability to remember faces varies from person to person. For many, you need to see a person several times in order to recognize him by appearance. Some people forget too easily a well-known face, although they have not seen it for some 2-3 years. On the other hand, many people recognize the faces of people they once met, and once the impression received, it seems, remains forever, undergoing frequent animations. This ability is especially strongly developed in policemen, detectives, innkeepers, and other people whose profession makes them meet many people and in whose interest it is to remember and recognize those with whom they meet. This is a valuable gift, because a new acquaintance will be very disposed towards you, since you will quickly recognize him. Conversely, the inability to recognize people can be perceived as an insult and even cause them to dislike you.

The lack of development of this faculty shows that the man has not made much use of that part of his mind which notices the appearance and appearance of the people with whom he has come into contact. Such a person can only look at others, but not see them. The faces he meets do not interest him, and he himself does not pay due attention to them. The rule that if interest is weak, then attention is weak, and if attention is weak, then memory is also weak, is fully applicable here. A person who wants to develop this ability must begin by studying faces, be interested in them and treat them with attention. Thus, all observation will be concentrated on the appearance and appearance of people, and great success will soon be noticeable. Such people could be offered the study of some elementary essay on physiognomy, which will increase their interest in the study of faces, contributing to the improvement of memory in this direction.

To develop observation of faces (of course, if you really need it), you should study the face of every person you meet, noting the general shape of his head and face, as well as his nose, mouth, chin, forehead, and at the same time constantly thinking: “ I will recognize you when I see you again." Such a thought will cause the will to acquire a clear and distinct impression.

The acquisition of interest in this, as well as the careful study of the human face, will reward everyone for the time and labor spent, all the more so because with the exercise of memory you will also gain knowledge in physiognomy, especially if you study the elementary manual on this subject.

There are few people who can quite clearly remember an absent friend, and their attempt to describe the appearance of an allegedly close acquaintance will be all the more amusing. Try it yourself and you will see how little you can really remember, even though you recognize him when you meet him. Describe from memory, if you can, the eyes, nose, mouth of your best friend.

Look at the first person you meet and notice whether his forehead is high or low, narrow or wide; what are his eyebrows, straight or arched, and what color; what kind of nose he has - aquiline, Roman, Greek, snub-nosed; whether his mouth is small or large; whether his teeth are good or bad, whether they are large or small; whether he has a beard or mustache, whether they are long or short, etc. Do this when you see every face, note the details, as if you had to write a report on him, and as if your career depended on the completeness and correctness of the report. A person's face studied in this way is not forgotten. A few of these exercises are very useful for developing the ability that everyone lacks. You will begin to distinguish facial features and, of course, perceive them, because you are interested in this. Aroused interest will also give a clear impression, and the latter will lead to an easier recollection.

Then practice conjuring up the faces of the people you meet by mentally drawing them. Once you have mastered the art of creating a mental image of the faces you meet, you will easily recognize a person even after a considerable period of time. The repeated revival of the mental image is tantamount to encounters with the given person. You have probably noticed how easy it is to remember and draw a mental image of a photograph or portrait, and how difficult it is to recall in your mind the same face as it really is.

However, it is all a matter of habit, and after a few exercises you will be able to recall a living face just as easily as its portrait. We heard about one artist who had the gift of a physiognomist; he sketched faces extremely quickly. His secret was that he divided into categories all kinds of noses, eyes, mouths, chins, eyebrows, face shape, etc., and marked each such category with a certain number. He quickly examined the face of the person posing to clarify for himself the expression and general appearance, soon noting in his mind the rank of each feature, such as: face shape - 1; eyes - 8; eyebrows - 2; nose - 3; mouth - 4; chin - 7, etc.

By studying faces, you will involuntarily and soon begin to divide them into categories, which will help you become a good physiognomist and increase interest and pleasure in the task being performed.

In sum, we will say that the ability to notice and remember faces can develop like any other ability, and that the secret of this development lies in this: be interested in faces, study them, attention will follow interest, and memory will follow attention.

Hello dear friends! With you again Yuri Okunev.

Today we will discuss how to memorize people's faces. There are not so many lucky people in the world who can boast that they have a photographic memory for faces. Nevertheless, every person who is seriously engaged in personal and career growth should have the ability to quickly memorize, because sometimes forgetfulness can lead to the failure to sign an important contract or the loss of a significant client.

In fact, you can learn to memorize quite quickly. From this article, you will learn techniques that will help you, when you first meet a person, to reliably capture his face in memory and then remember it without difficulty.

Probably, you found yourself in this situation: you meet a person at a party or at a party, some time passes, and you meet him on the street. You are called by name, and you, blushing and trying to maintain at least some conversation, painfully remember the name of your interlocutor and what circumstances you owe to a new acquaintance. Well, if this happens once or twice in a lifetime. What if it's constant?

Many people have difficulty remembering new faces. This can be explained by the following reasons:

• Poor visual memory;
• Inability to recognize small details (if we have a representative of another nation, then we first of all pay attention to skin color and do not pay attention to eye color and nose size at all);
• Indifference to the interlocutor (“What difference does it make who is in front of me? All people have the same face”);
• Deep immersion in oneself (typical for people in creative professions or in the presence of psychological trauma).

The Tony Buzan Method

Based on the foregoing, we can assume that all the troubles come from our worldly inattention and lack of interest in the object of acquaintance. The English psychologist Tony Buzan once studied this problem. As a result, he created his famous "method of social etiquette". In his opinion, in order to remember a new person on the face, you just need:

• To be polite;
• Show genuine interest in a new interlocutor.

How to quickly remember appearance

Compliance with these rules, arising from the Buzan method, allows you to very quickly remember the appearance and face of the person you meet:

1. First of all, believe in yourself and set yourself up that remembering appearance is not so difficult;
2. Make it a rule for yourself: any person with whom you communicate is a whole universe with its own characteristics and remarkables. Show interest in the interlocutor;
3. If possible, try to keep the person's eyes in sight. Not so, of course, to look point-blank and not blinking. Nobody likes a direct look. Disperse your attention: look at the forehead, hair, eyebrows, occasionally returning to the eyes. It is the look of a person that is sometimes remembered the most;
4. Use associations to remember the image of a person (I will tell you how to create them below);
5. When meeting, many of us feel awkward and tend to hush everything up and say goodbye as soon as possible. Don't be too quick to do so. Follow the example of the Queen of England. She certainly maintained a conversation with every person who was introduced to her, exchanged a few phrases with him;
6. Don't try to remember everyone present. It is human nature to remember no more than three people in one meeting. However, for the purpose of memory training, you can apply the plus one rule. That is, with each subsequent publication, remember one more person.

association method

If the name and surname of a person can be written down in a notebook, and then, after reading, remember. You can’t take a person’s appearance and face in a nutshell under a pencil. A more radical way of remembering is needed.

Psychologists note that we usually remember not the external appearance of a person, but his internal image, that is, the character traits of this person are superimposed on the appearance. To understand what distinguishes this person from others, you need to talk with him, note for yourself:

• The manner of his conversation;
• How does this person say your name?
• Sight;
• Body movements, gestures.

1. Try to single out for yourself the most significant feature of the character of the person standing in front of you, which immediately catches your eye: arrogance, swagger, or, conversely, shyness, your interlocutor is open and sincere, or something keeps silent and keeps silent, etc.
2. Now let's take a closer look at the face. Each has its own characteristics that stand out very brightly. Find the most catchy of them. Someone has a large nose, another has expressive eyes of an oriental type, the third comically pulls his lip when talking;
3. Let's say we noticed thick, fused eyebrows. Think about what it's like. Maybe on the wings of a large bird of prey? As a portrait artist, how would you portray this trait? Exaggerate, find the most incredible images - such images-pictures will enter your memory for a long time, which means that the person will be well remembered;
4. Associate the image with the character trait that was noted earlier. Try to compare your interlocutor with some animal or bird? What is it associated with?

In the future, the image you created will be the key to recalling this person in memory. Remembering the soaring bird, you immediately remember the eyebrows, and at the same time the character traits of their owner.

Conclusion

This way you can improve your memory for faces.
You can shake up your memory in more detail by reading the article, and seriously work out the skill by passing Intensive Stanislav Matveev "Supermemory" .

That's all for today. I look forward to your comments on what other ways you know to remember faces.

Subscribe to blog news.

Goodbye. Sincerely, Yuri Okunev.

For secretaries and office managers who work with a large flow of people, the task of remembering names and faces is very relevant. In our article, we will consider the most effective methods that help to retain the appearance and name of a person in memory, we will give techniques for remembering unusual and foreign names, and we will also offer you practical exercises.

For secretaries and office managers who work with a large flow of people, the task of remembering names and faces is very relevant. In our article, we will consider the most effective methods that help to retain the appearance and name of a person in memory, we will give techniques for remembering unusual and foreign names, and we will also offer you practical exercises.

Methods for remembering names

If you work for a large company or often meet new people, you have probably noticed that sometimes the name of the right person just slips out of your memory. Especially if you met a lot of people on the same day, for example, at a business event or a party.

This situation can put you in an extremely awkward position and offend your interlocutor. To prevent this from happening, consider simple methods for remembering names that will help keep even the most complex ones in memory.

1. Consonance with the subject.

To remember a name using this method, you need to pick up a noun that begins with the same letter.

For example: Gennady - accordion, Karina - crown, Yulia - spinning top, etc.

If it is difficult for you to remember consonant names and you often confuse Vitaly with Valery, and Vyacheslav with Vladislav and Stanislav, choose associations for them with the coincidence of several letters.

For example: Vyacheslav - knitting, Vladislav - moisture, Stanislav - machine.

Attention! Choose only those words that you can imagine figuratively.

So, for the name Vitaliy, “showcase” and “vitamins” are more suitable than “vitality” or “floridity”.

It’s good if the images are funny or unusual - that’s how they will be better remembered, for example: Alexey is a string bag, Tatyana is a basin.

When a consonant word is chosen, in your imagination connect its image and person.

Imagine that Marina is exploring Mars and Konstantin is milking a cow. The more vividly and colorfully you can visualize the image, the easier it will be to remember the name of the right person in the future.

In order for the image to be better fixed in memory, use emotions, humor. You can come up with a short story that will help you remember not only the name of the person, but also information about him (appearance, occupation, city, size of the discount provided, etc.).

You need to remember Oleg - the head of a small company from St. Petersburg. He is tall, thin and wears glasses.

We choose an object with the letter "o", which can be easily imagined and made part of the story. Let it be "donkey".

We present Oleg, who sits down on a donkey and rides on it for a long time from his native St. Petersburg to your city (you can mentally draw a line on the map corresponding to the route). Due to his high growth, Oleg is uncomfortable on a donkey, his legs touch the ground, his glasses come off his nose comically ... If Oleg were the boss in a large company, he would fly by plane, and since his own company is small, he has to shake on a donkey.

The next time you meet a new acquaintance, a well-thought-out image will pop into your mind and remind you of the name. If suddenly this did not happen, pull out at least one element of the association from memory, and then with its help - the missing parts of the picture.

Having met Oleg again, you didn’t immediately remember his name, and from the funny story, only one element remained in your memory: moving glasses. Do not rush to give up! Ask yourself why the glasses are not in place, what is the reason for this. This will help to remember the rest of the image: a lanky man riding a donkey. Donkey - association to the name Oleg. The name was remembered, now, if desired, you can continue to recall the details (about St. Petersburg and a small company).

This method is undesirable to use for names that have several initial letters the same (Aleksey and Alexander, Vladimir and Vladislav), and also if you have poorly developed figurative thinking. Or, on the contrary, it is so strong that you cannot help laughing, imagining Oleg riding a donkey. For such cases, other methods of memorization are better suited.

2. Association method with name value.

If you are fond of studying the origin of names, then this method is perfect for you. You just need to remember the meaning of the name and visually present it along with a specific person.

For example, Daria means "mistress". Imagine your new acquaintance in royal robes, giving orders to the courtiers.

Another example is the male name Yuri. From Greek it is translated as "farmer". You can imagine the man you met cultivating the land or just holding a shovel in his hand.

To later recall the name, use the technique described in the first method.

If you often have to contact new people, it makes sense to memorize the meanings of the most common names. Then during the conversation it will be possible to show your awareness and impress a new acquaintance. After all, according to psychologists, your own name is your favorite sounds for almost every person.

Even if you have not prepared in advance, sometimes it is appropriate to ask the interlocutor about the meaning of the name and come up with an association on the go. Naturally, this is permissible only when communicating on an equal footing.

When using this method, be guided by etiquette, corporate rules and, of course, common sense.

For example, it is hardly worth greeting Pavel, a key partner of your company, with the words: “Do you know that your name is translated from Latin as“ small ”?”.

Methods for memorizing faces

In most cases, remembering a person's face is fairly easy. If you immediately met a large number of people, then soon all the names and faces may mix up in your memory, and next time you may confuse new acquaintances. To prevent this from happening, we will analyze the most effective ways of remembering faces.

1. Remembering by the brightest trait.

Almost every person has a special trait that is unique to him. It may not be noticeable, but if you look closely, you can find it.

It can be a mole, an unusual shape of the nose or eyebrows, a bushy beard, a barely noticeable scar, and so on.

The main thing is to remember that this should be such a feature that is inherent in a person all the time. Jewelery, hairstyle, and clothing can change, and if you focus on them, you risk not recognizing the person when they change looks.

Focus on the found feature and try to remember it as best as possible, in all details. Mentally highlight this trait against the general background. When at the next meeting you see her, then it will not be difficult for you to remember who is in front of you.

You can learn more about the main conditions for effective memorization, the police method, the method of mnemotechnical associations, the method of association with familiar people, as well as get practical exercises for training, you can in No. 10 2014 of the magazine.

The main rule for the successful application of these methods is regular practice. The more you practice, the more you will have your own experiences to remember. Over time, this will cease to be a problem for you, and you can easily remember a large number of names and faces.

Tatyana Badya, expert on effective information management

(remember faces)

"The most important word is a person's name. He reacts to no other word as sensitively as to his own name. Awareness of this is very important when dealing with people. The basis of your success is FRIENDLY, HARMONY and TRUST. The ability to create a pleasant, trusting atmosphere begins with the ability to correctly address the interlocutor. That is why the memory of names is so incredibly important ... It will be a mortal sin if you forget the name of a person you have already met. On this basis, a person immediately unconsciously notes that interest in his person is not too great "Everyone painfully perceives if his name is forgotten. Memory for names is very important. It can be trained. Pronouncing the name of a person correctly, we touch the innermost strings of his soul. Therefore, be attentive to the names of other people." (Enkelman)

Let's talk about techniques that will help you remember and correctly pronounce your last name, first name, patronymic or the person you meet, communicate with and try to establish long-term, trusting relationships.

If you want to be remembered

In addition to traditional business cards and greetings, be sure to play with the name, make it unusual to present it. Draw an analogy or link to an image. You, your name, your speech, the proposal will be remembered most firmly if there is something non-standard in it. >For example, in my seminars, I proudly play with my name and help participants remember it. I introduce myself: SUBBOTINA MARINA VLADIMIROVNA. If we combine the beginning of the surname and add the name, we get SUBMARINA. I draw something like a submarine on the board. As a result, figurative and visual memory is activated, supported by association. Participants are happy to ask questions about my name and its origin, and I am happy to answer. I'm sure you remember the first and last name. It remains to remember the patronymic Vladimirovna. Further, I announce that in our seminars we will learn together to OWN THE WORLD of business, which can be compared to a huge ocean: with undercurrents, stones and dangers, for example, in the form of sharks. Again, to the best of my artistic ability, I draw the underwater world with stones, caves and a couple of fish and comment that only those who have information about all the difficulties, opportunities, nuances and who will reach the heights of mastery in managing their submarine, bypassing all obstacles. Each of the participants has the opportunity to try to demonstrate their name.

If you want to learn how to remember other people's names

It often happens that during the presentation we are not attentive enough, immersed in ourselves, or impatiently waiting for the turn to speak. We heard the name called to us, but it did not have time to be imprinted in our memory. The situation is getting unpleasant. You are talking to a person whose name you do not remember. Even worse, when one of your old acquaintances joins your conversation and looks at you inquiringly, expecting you to introduce him to your interlocutor. And you just can't do that! By the way, understanding the consequences of not remembering any facts or information can also be a good incentive to force our memory to arbitrarily fix and consolidate the information received. In addition, we can quite easily capture the name of the interlocutor in the following way. As soon as you hear > the name, immediately mentally repeat it. Then look into the face of a new acquaintance and fix it in your mind by repeating the name out loud with an interrogative intonation. "Svetlana Yurievna Belova?" The immediate answer is "Yes". And then add a couple more words: "Svetlana Yuryevna, I'm glad to meet you." Thus, you can hear the interlocutor's last name twice and his first name three times in just a few seconds. And if at the same time you are attentive, you can find something special, notice some dash or detail of clothing, and it is desirable that it begins with the same letter as the name of the person represented. For example, Slender Stylish Modern Svetlana Yurievna. Then, while continuing the conversation or asking a question, call the person by name a few more times. This guarantees you his attention, he will definitely listen to your words. It has been noticed that even in a crowded room, in the general uproar and hum of conversations, we will always hear our own name. The so-called "large acceptance syndrome" will work. It is natural for a person to react to the sound of his name, even in a crowded hall, much faster than to other sounds.

Or here is another exercise to train memory for faces and names. Take 10 unfamiliar photos with names and surnames (they can be cut out from newspapers, magazines). Half a minute is given for memorization. After that, the same photographs, but in a different order, are again offered to the subject, he must identify them. Memorization efficiency is obtained by multiplying the number of correct answers by 10.

Exercise: try to find one or more ways to accurately and firmly remember the names Uskurupkin Vitaly Leonidovich, Polupshenny Nikolai Georgievich.

Recall the possible methods of memorization: associations, analogies, comparisons, figurative reproduction of an acquaintance picture, schematization, grouping, splitting, etc. We recommend subscribing to the "Effective Management Practice" mailing list!

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