Memory problem

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I am changing jobs soon and I'm increasingly worried that I've screwed up.

My existing job is fairly specialised, which means that my eccentricities are ignored and I'm generally left alone to get on with things. There is some social interaction but nothing too stressful.

HOWEVER my company changed hands recently and the new owners don't treat their staff very well. Plus we've had to move offices and the new place is really inconvenient for me to get to. So, I went looking for a different job and have been successful, yay! The new post will involve more project-based work (which I prefer), lots of new things to learn, more pay, a shorter commute, and the possibility of working abroad. But there is a catch...

The old job was in a very secure environment. The new job involves similar technical skills but working for an agency, which means I'll be meeting new people all of the time, AND I'll be expected to "make a good impression". It will also be essential for me to understand, quickly, how different companies are structured and how they operate. The problem is that I get really nervous in such situations and my memory for names and faces is just useless.

Can anyone suggest any ways of improving my memory so that this will be less of a problem? I have just over a month until I start the new job, and I'm worried.

Type (ways to remember names) into Google. Hope it is of some help.

Have a look at this site-

http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin ... ;read=1434

I'm pretty bad at remembering names and faces as well. I tend to remember people by their description(for example;the ginger guy, the guy with the beard etc) works for me, or remembering the person by how or when you met them.

Thanks.

I've bought a couple of books by Tony Buzan who is meant to be really good, but I'm finding them hard work. Maybe half the reason I can't remember things is simply because I'm too lazy to bother? I've got to do something, though.

The 'remembering characteristics' route can help, but I really need to remember names. I don't think a client will be impressed if I tell them I've arranged a meeting with Fake Tan Man, the Bossy b***h and the Fat Sweaty One.

My trick is to remember a few names at a time. I just started a new job and the guy who I'm being trained by is my best asset. I always ask him the name of the person who just walked out of the office. After almost 2 months I probably know 20 people's names, which is good for me.

If I forget names, I just say "hi" and introduce myself formally (if its management) and they usually introduce themselves. Or I just say "hi" and leave out the name. If I get caught out, I tell them that "I'm really bad with names" and make a joke of it.

Another trick I use is to say the name of a person I just met over and over in my mind (only works if I'm not nervous).

One trick of remembering names is to create a mental picture associating with the
name in some way,eg. for Mr Buzan you could imagine him staggering about in a
drunken state ('on the booze') . For someone called Mr McDonald you could imagine him
eating a burger. Of course,you need to watch you don't call him Mr Burger by mistake !

When I meet people I have dificulty looking them in the eyes while I am talking and the concentration often causes me to not to be able to remember their names even if I repeat their names during the conversation. However, my memory is just fine if I'm not in direct conversation with them so I find out what their name is afrterwards and then I can memorize it. If you're going into a work environment I might suggest making a chart or list of people as or before you will meet them. Take the name remembering out of the stressful meeting moment.

to remember a persons name, you have to look them in the face, as painful as this might be it helps alot in remembering someones name. if you need to do a quick glance, its better than not looking at all. also when you meet the person for the first time and they say "hi my name is ______" immeadiatley you should say, "hi ______ it was nice to meet you" that way someof it sticks into your brain