I remember you
Why do you remember some people and completely forget others?
In February 2008 I ran some some sessions for a client at a site in Homebush in suburban Sydney. We were collecting examples from staff about engagement – examples about things that had motivated them or disengaged them. The examples were used to identify actions to improve engagement and also in the leadership development program we have been delivering for them.
We are collecting a new set of examples at the moment, exploring the most recent engagement survey results. I have run 17 sessions in various locations for the company in the last 7 days. This morning I was back at Homebush running a session. As the group gathered I shook hands with one of them and we recognised each other. He had been in the session in 2008.
I immediately recalled him – and the story he told about returning to work after his honeymoon and being abused by his boss in front of everyone else for being behind against his monthly target. He was amazed that I remembered him and even more amazed as I recounted the example he had given. To tell the truth, so was I, especially as I need to work very hard to remember names.
It really reinforced in me a quote by Terrence Gargiulo:
A story is the shortest distance between two people
So, if you want people to remember you, tell them a story.
About Mark Schenk
Mark works globally with senior leadership teams to improve their ability to communicate clearly and memorably. He has been a Director of Anecdote since 2004 and helped the company grow into one of the world’s leading business storytelling consultancies. Connect with Mark on:
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This made me smile this morning as I have had the same thing happen to me. Stories bring an energy to the connection and with my preference for the visual, the mental picture they create is stronger than the one I try to use for name recollection!
Very true for me, also being a visual person with poor recall for names- I always remember my coaching clients and recruitment candidates from their story or introduction