Communication:

A Good Memory Impresses People

At one point in my life I was a member of a 50 person Board of Directors for the American Heart Association. The president-elect was Dr. Miller and at his first meeting went around the table and introduced each person and gave a brief synopsis of the persons accomplishments-- all from memory. Was I impressed!. Not only had he done a lot of homework to know so much about so many, but also he had been able to recall and communicate the information. His ability left an indelible impression on all of us.

When I am with a group that is new to me, I engage in the necessary small talk that lubricates a conversation to get it going, and often the conversation seldom gets beyond that level. I find at the end of the evening the people are largely faceless to me and quickly forgotten. If I give myself the assignment to mentally make a 5 minute introduction of each person, (as suggested in a previous chapter), the difference is remarkable. First I become a really good active listener and I gently probe into areas of interest to the person,
including their history. (A good listener is ALWAYS appreciated). I concentrate on what is being said so I can remember it. In the end, I find that what people had to say wasn't so boring after all, and I am considered to be an interesting person, even though I said very little. Also I remember a great deal about each person.

To help in remembering a large amount of data, I recommend "The Memory Game", by Harry Lorraine and Jerry Lucas. The book covers very helpful techniques to remember names and other facts.

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