Names without faces are all too common. In large companies, bosses will never remember names and faces of the people who do the work; it's too hard. It's only natural that bosses at some point no longer know every employee. Names without faces and faces without names are here to stay. However, we can do better and improve our memories. Use contextual comparisons of names with some other distinctive feature, like occupation, nicknames, or something else that helps to distinguish one person from another.
How can we increase name recognition – and connect them with faces?
One method outlined in many research articles is to associate names with something else, like occupations. An occupation creates an association of the name with something recognizable, like an accountant or teacher. Jobs can really help to make a person's name stick in our minds. Try to use names and jobs in association with the person. Now we know that some sort of categorization is necessary to increase name recognition.
Look for something different about the person
There was a college professor who taught an introductory psychology course and who was able to memorize the names of 80 students each time. Another person mentioned in an article on the management-issues.com website who is successful at remembering names uses this method: each name is combined with something significant that is somehow extraordinary about that person. It may be about their abilities or something completely different. It should be something that sets the person apart from others. Nicknames are often coined using the same principle.
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