Its

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The HealthToaster
February 1, 2007 ? Volume 2 ?
Issue 5
Its SO worth it!
International Evaluation Contest Are you ready
for our club contests? Yes, prepare your
calendars for the club contests to happen over a
two week period. Most likely the two contests
will be held two of the first three weeks in
March. Start polishing that speech and honing
those evaluation skills today. Well also need
judges, timers, and the hole host of participants
for the contests. More to come
TELI February 16 800 AM 300 PM Come for the
sessions that interest you. DoubleTree Hotel,
St. Louis Park Register _at_ www.d6tm.org
Special Issue- Who Was That Masked Man? A club
leader asked me recently how to better remember
names. Just two days later, I ran across this
article. Hope it is helpful.
Four Steps to Memorize a Name By ROSS BONANDER,
STRESS MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST accessed on AOL
1/31/2008
C A L E N D A R FEB Officer Training round
2 FEB 16 TELI (Toastmasters Education
Leadership Institute) MAR 27 Area 1 Spring
Speech Contest International Speech
Evaluation Contest APR 17 Central Division
Spring Speech Contest MAY 16-18 Spring
Conference Contests
http//jobs.aol.com/article/_a/four-steps-to-memor
ize-a-name/20080123164009990001?ncidAOLCOMMjobsDY
NLprim0001 Our names are so important to us. Its
on all our official documents, we answer proudly
to it, we even learn to sign it with the flourish
we think it merits. Its flattering when someone
remembers it -- and a little offensive when
someone doesntThe ability to recall other
people's names is not only appreciated, it can
also be both personally and professionally
beneficial. Nonetheless, whether we meet 10
people or just one or two, we often have trouble
remembering names -- despite their cultural
importance. This occurs for a variety of
reasonsNames are exchanged at the beginning of
a conversation and not at the end, which is when
wed be more likely to recall them. Were not
paying a whole lot of attention, perhaps because
we think we have no reason or desire to remember
them. Because the names themselves typically
dont mean anything other than to signify that
particular person and to give them a
"title." (continued on page 2)
When I was younger I could remember anything,
whether it happened or not. Mark Twain
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This last reason may be the most significant. A
guy tells you his name is John because his
fathers name was John. Well, whos his father to
you? Nobody. But if a scrawny guy introduces
himself as Fatty and says his parents were big
Fatty Arbuckle fans, now were getting
somewhere.Normally you wont be so lucky, so
the best method for memorizing the names of
others lays in the following 4-step process,
alternating reinforcement with the use of
mnemonic devices and observational
connections. Step 1 Repeat the name in the
introduction This is a basic and even obvious
first step, but it demands inclusion. Doing so
serves as the memorys first reinforcement of the
name, and it also happens to be good
etiquette. Thus, whether it is following an
introduction by a third person or the
introduction is initiated by you or the other
person, repeat their name in a simple, direct
way, such as, Todd, is it? or Nice to meet
you, Mary. Don't over-annunciate the name or
make it obvious that you are repeating it for
memorization purposes. Just make sure that you
throw in the name at the beginning of the
introduction again, or pepper it throughout your
discussion at opportune moments to remind
yourself and keep your mind focused on the
name.Step 2 Apply a suitable device Your next
step is an internal one Apply a mnemonic device
to the name itself in a second effort at
reinforcement. Here there are a number of options
at your disposal. Which device you choose to use
is whatever works best for you. Such a device may
be most effective when it isnt the most obvious,
or when it asks your brain to operate in a manner
to which it isnt accustomed. Some options
includeMake a rhyme. Write it down. The simple
act of jotting it down can be all youll need to
memorize a name, although you may consider
writing it down with your weaker hand. It wont
look pretty, but itll take longer and will
demand more concentration. Spell the name
backwards in your head. Similar to the aspect of
a field sobriety test that asks you to recite the
alphabet backwards, doing this requires an
unconventional mental action and will have you
concentrating on the name fully. Step 3
Immediately put the name to work Use the name
the first time you address the person beyond the
introduction, such as, So, Todd, Alex tells me
or Mary, did you say you went to Penn
State?Here you run the risk of looking like a
moron if you repeatedly use the name -- weve all
met those people before -- so beyond some
necessity, cut it off here until you say goodbye,
and then employ the name one last time.This
type of repetition and reinforcement has merit
In the oral tradition of Homers Iliad, names are
repeated regularly and are sometimes assigned
descriptive epithets that help the listener
associate certain traits with certain
characters.Step 4 Make a physical connection
Finally, keep in mind that our visual memory is
strong after all, you hear I never forget a
face far more often than I never forget a
name. So, in the final step, give that visual
recollection the task of tagging the name
together with some conspicuous or prominent
aspect. A human face has yet to be born without
some hook or tweak on which to hang your
observational associations. For exampleEyes
(shape, color, expressiveness or emptiness,
shiftiness, intensity) eyebrows (uni-brow,
bushy, thin, arched) or a short forehead, a
shocking chin, a dramatic double curve of the
upper lip (called Cupids bow), or any
distinguishing feature at all that you can tie to
the name. Should the face fail you, seek out
other less ostensibly visual characteristics,
such as manner of speaking (accent, lisp, nasal,
good diction, loud, soft-spoken) or word choice
(pretentious terms, odd synonyms, slang, cursing,
using your name in excess).Forget me notIf
all else fails, refer back to a Native American
tradition used among the Lakota Sioux -- Sara
Sucks-her-lip, Neal So-much-nose-hair or
Diana Doe-eyes -- in which names were more like
descriptions or headings, not simply
designations. Names are harder to forget when
youve visually merged a distinct physical trait
to an otherwise forgettable name.
February 1, 2007 ? Volume 2 ? Issue 5 ?
HealthToaster ?
Page 2
Editor Randy Haukom