On Friday, one of the group I was working with in Oxford asked me what “the trick” was for remembering names. I often get asked this. There isn’t a trick. And that’s the trick. I had spent most of the day sitting in a lecture theatre listening. Everyone was sitting in named places and I had all day til my session began at 330pm. The “trick” is simply to regard it as worth making the effort.
Most people, including my questioner on Friday, say “I am no good at names”. Which is true but useless. I don’t think anyone is naturally good at learning names, it always takes effort and concentration, but that’s all it takes.
I wonder how many other things we prevent from happening, simply by telling ourselves that we don’t know what ‘the trick’ is?
