Topic 4: Remembering Names and Faces - Tutorial 4

Visualizing Any Name

Some names can be easily pictured because they have meanings. For example, the surnames Wood, Bell, Fox, Bush and Green immediately create an image in your mind.

But what about names which have no meaning, such as Forbes, Harrison, or Pensford? Using the Substitute Word system which you learned in section 3, any name can be pictured.

Simple Name Examples

Forbes

"Four Bees"

Picture four buzzing bees flying in formation

Harrison

"Hairy Sun"

Imagine the sun with long, hairy rays reaching out

Pensford

"Pen + Ford"

Someone writing with a gigantic pen all over a Ford car

Complex Name Breakdown

The Substitute Word System works beautifully for remembering names. Just applying the system will force you to concentrate on the name - to be Initially Aware of it. And, no matter how long or strange-sounding a name is, there is always a Substitute Word or Phrase you can use to help you picture the name.

Rubenstein

Ruben → Rub in → Stein

Someone vigorously rubbing a stein (beer mug)

Polanski

Pola → Pole → Ski

Someone holding a huge, striped barber's pole in his teeth while trying to ski

Poppadopalis

Poppadum → Police

A policeman wrestling with a gigantic poppadum

Personalized Associations

The Substitute words and phrases you create can be anything, as long as they remind you of the name you want to remember. For MacDonald, you could picture Donald Duck wearing a kilt. Other people might prefer to picture "Mac don old" - an old don (professor) wearing a mac (macintosh). Remember that the first Substitute Word you think of is usually best for you to use.

Short Names & Rhyming

For short names, you can often use a Substitute Word which rhymes, or is similar sounding.

West

Whist

Vest

Waist

Waste

Any word (or phrase) which can be pictured will do the job!