How to Remember People You Meet at Networking Events
You go to networking events to meet people, but how do you remember them after heading home after a few glasses of wine? By itself, memorizing names can be difficult. When you meet a lot of people at the same time, this problem only gets worse. However, there are a few things you can do to remember everyone you meet so that all that small talk and handshakes don’t go to waste.
Repeat someone’s name in conversation
When you introduce yourself to someone, try repeating their name several times in the conversation. “It’s really impressive, Sally.” or “Bob, it was great to meet you!” Repeating a person’s name in conversation will help cement their name in your memory.
Ask for a business card
After you finish chatting with someone, ask if they have a card. Their business card will show their name (in case you’ve forgotten it already), as well as what they do (in case you forgot that part too).
Make sure you go to the event with your pocket full of cards. Even if you’re between work, you need to have your contact cards handy to hand out to the people you meet. You never know when you will meet someone who could lead to your next great success.
Take notes for the future
Did you and Bob have an interesting conversation about Game of Thrones? Did Sally have a great suggestion on how to train a problem puppy? Try writing a short note about each person you meet on their business card. It’s usually best to do this after you’ve left, but I definitely wrote things down on cards in front of people, acting it out by joking that it’s a tidbit that I definitely want to remember (although that’s why I’m doing it). A quick note of what you talked about can be a great way to tell the difference between the three guys named John that you met when you came home with a stack of 100 cards at the end of the night.
Forgot someone’s name already?
If you are still attending the event and have already forgotten someone’s name, try introducing them to someone else. There are tons of different ways to do this without letting you forget the first person’s name. When you introduce a mysterious person to someone else, they will most likely give that person his name, which will give you another chance to remember him.
“Have you met Sarah?” or “You two must meet” are simple enough statements that end with a much-needed repetition of the name. Even if they know each other, chances are good that they will say something like “Oh, [the man with the mysterious name] and I have known each other for many years!”
Send the next day by email
Someone suggested this to me years ago and I was embarrassed that I hadn’t thought of doing it sooner. The day after the event, write an email to everyone you meet that you think you might be able to contact again and just tell them that it was a pleasure to meet them. If you’ve recorded your conversation, now is a good time to pick it up. Keep things as short and cute as possible. A good format for this is:
Sally,
It was a pleasure to meet you last night at the Young Professionals event. I loved hearing about your work at Netflix and I hope we’ll be back on track with you soon. Enjoy your trip to Ireland!
Emily
An email can serve not only a cool professional move, but several purposes:
1. Now the recipient also remembers the meeting with you. They probably met 100 people last night, and now you stand out from the crowd.
2. You now have an open line of communication with this person where you can continue any conversations you had the night before.
3. Six months later, when you think, “Who was that woman I met who works at Netflix?” You can search for “Netflix” in your inbox and find not only her name but how you know her. Now, when you send her an email, it won’t feel completely unexpected, and you can remind her where you met and provide a personal detail. For example, you can ask Sally how her trip to Ireland went.
Any tips for remembering new people? Share your tips in the comments!