All my life I have struggled with remembering peoples' names when first introduced. I would hear the name, but not retain it. Then, knowing that I had "known" the name, I'd be embarrassed to ask for it again.
Teaching yoga has put me in contact with new faces and names on a regular basis, and I want to remember the names, because I understand how important it is to people. At first, with my mind occupied thinking about the class to come, what I was planning to teach and concerned whether I would remember it, I had a few classes where the names failed to stick.
Gradually, though, I refined my methods. The most useful thing is for me to repeat the name in my mind a few times, associating it with the image of the person. Writing the names down helps too. I'm getting better and better at it, and my new expectation that I will remember the names seems to help as well.
I taught two classes tonight - one my regular Wednesday class, the other as a sub for a teacher who wasn't feeling well - and I remembered all the names. I was also able to greet several people who had come for the first time last week by name this week, which surprised some of them, and I think goes a long way toward establishing that I care who they are and value their participation in the class.
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