Topic 4: Associating Names and Faces - Tutorial 5
Having learned how to picture any person's name using Substitute Words and Phrases, the next step is to associate that picture with the person's face.
First of all, you need to look at the person's face and select one outstanding feature, such as a high forehead, large or small nose, spectacles, moustache, beard, narrow or wide-set eyes, large or small ears, thin or thick lips, thin or bushy eyebrows, dimples, freckles, warts - anything which is at all memorable.
First impressions are, more often than not, lasting impressions, and whatever seems outstanding to you now will usualy still seem outstanding when you next meet that person. What's more important is that by looking closely at a face, you are concentrating on it, and etching the details on your memory.
Having decided on the outstanding feature of a person's face, you then simply associate the
Substitute Word or Phrase you've invented for that person's name. If you make a strong enough
association, it will be almost like having the person's name written on his or her face !
For example, suppose you've just met Mr Ball, and want to be sure that you remember his name. The
name Ball might suggest to you a football, or a rugby ball, or perhaps a golf ball. Let's also
suppose you have decided that the outstanding feature of his face is his red, curly hair. Now,
you look at that hair and picture millions of golf balls springing out of it, and bouncing around
everywhere. Or, picture a football with Mr Ball's red curly hair growing out of it - the football
is on his shoulders in place of his head.
Remember the rules of association, and make your mental picture as ludicrous and exaggerated as possible. If you really see that image clearly in your mind's eye, you will know Mr. Ball's name the next time you meet him.
Imagine next you meet a Mr Carrington, who has large ears. Use the Substitute Phrase Carry Ton to help you picture the name, and associate that picture to those unusually large ears. Imagine him carrying a ton weight on his head. His head is being flattened by the weight, pushing his ears out at right angles to his head. This image is the sort of picture you might see in a 'Tom and Jerry' cartoon, and in fact the ridiculous pictures you see in children's cartoons are exactly the sort of zany images you need to create to make the pictures memorable.
Although these pictures take a little while to describe in text, they can actually be pictured in your mind in a fraction of a second. Many 'Memory Man' stage performers throughout the world use this system to remember the names of five hundred or more people in an audience, after hearing the names just once ! This is an extremely impressive stunt when seen on television or in a theatre, but is actually based solely on the simple system described above.
Of course, you will need some practice before you can memorise five hundred names in quick succession, but you can benefit from the system after a very small amount of practice.
Try it now, with ten example names. For the moment, as you're trying it without real people or faces, just see the features themselves, and the (ludicrous) associations.
First on the list is Mrs Lambert, who has a long, pointed nose. You might use lamb butt to help you picture the name Lambert. Picture a lamb jumping up and butting that long pointed nose. Not a pleasant picture, but you're sure to remember it.
Next is Mr Biggs, who has a bushy beard. Picture millions of big letter 'S's dropping out of the bushy beard onto the floor, or see that beard gradually uncurling into a big 'S' shape. Choose one of those pictures, or one of your own, and reallly see that image in your mind's eye.
Third on the list is Miss Fortescue, who has silver-white hair tied up in a bun. You might see a Fort Askew (lopsided) on top of that bun of white hair. Remember, the crazier the picure the better.
Fourth comes Mr Whitelaw, who has a noticeable gap in his front teeth. Associate Whitelaw (perhaps white law - a policeman covered from head to toe in white paint) to that gap in his teeth. You could picture a policeman covered in white paint trying to crawl out of Mr. Whitelaw's mouth through the gap in his front teeth. A ridiculous, illogical picture which is sure to remind you of the outstanding feature of Mr Whitelaw's face.
Next on the list is Mr Pontin, who has a high forehead. Picture that high forehead and see a hand, with one finger outstretched, shooting out of the forehead and pointing at you. Make you you see the picture clearly, just for a split second. Miss Webb comes next, and she has very long blond hair, right down to her waist. Picture that hair covered in masses of cobwebs, with spiders crawling all over it.
Seventh on our list of fictitious people is Mr Cleese, who has very bushy eyebrows. A good Substitute Word to help you picture Cleese might be cheese. Picture those bushy eyebrows covered in cheese, which is melting, and dripping everywhere.
Next we have Mrs Green, who has a mole on her right cheek. Picture that mole gradually turning green. It gets greener and greener, until it is really bright and luminous.
Ninth on the list is Mr Hetherington, who has long ginger sideburns. You might use heather in ton to help you picture this surname. Visualise tons of heather suddenly sprouting out of those sideburns, until it covers his face.
Finally comes Mr Price, whose outstanding facial feature is a large dimple in his chin. Picture that dimple with millions of price tags stuck to it. If you prefer to use a crazy picture of your own, then you will probably remember it even more clearly.