By Suzanne Miltich, Ph.D. / LearningRx Centers / Northwest Arkansas

Do you suffer from the ‘Quick Who Is S/He Syndrome?' You see someone coming toward you that you recognize but can't remember their name? Or when your caught in an introduction and can't remember someone’s name.

That’s the ‘Quick Who Is She Syndrome,' the name of which was coined by Cathryn Jakobson Ramin in her book, “Carved in Sand:  When Attention Fails and Memory Fades in Midlife.” 

It happens to us all, especially as we age.  ‘Senior moments’ we call them. As we joke about it, we also know it isn’t a laughing matter if it happens frequently. It's embarrassing. And it may be affecting your business.

Names are the most difficult thing to remember, whether it’s the name of a person, place, movie or book title.  That’s because the name refers to only a particular person, place, or event that you may not encounter very often or recently.

In their book, “Brain Fit:  10 Minutes a Day for a Sharper Mind and Memory,” Corinne L. Gediman and Dr. Francis M. Crinella write about the 3 R's to better retrieval of names from memory: Relax, Relate, Research. 

Relax—The more upset you get about recalling a name, the less likely you are to remember it.  Realize that a business acquaintance you see at a networking event may not remember your name either. 

Instead of freezing up, you can always tell them your name as you shake hands and ask them to ‘remind you of their name.’  It's okay to do that. You’ll lessen their embarrassment, too. In conversation when you don’t recall someone or something, say ‘I’m not remembering that right now,’ and usually you’ll recall it later in the conversation.  That’s how relaxing about it, rather than being upset about it, works.

Relate—We’ve all done it.  We don’t remember the name of a movie, book, or person/author/actor/actress, and we relate it to what we do remember – scenes from the movie, where you met the person, and so forth.  This does work, though not always as quickly as you’d like—cognitive processing speed slows as we age. 

Another way of relating is to follow a mental alphabet search to find the letter or sound that jog our memory. Or search for rhyming words when you know what it sounds like.

Research—Do your homework.  Before a business meeting, review the names of those who will be there, as well as information about the topic of the meeting. 

Before a family reunion, look at photo albums to remind yourself of names of distant relatives. Before a dinner party, review current events or whatever is likely to be the topic of conversation.

These simple suggestions can go a long way in reducing the ‘Quick Who Is S/He Syndrome’ in many situations.

Dr. Suzanne Miltich writes our Building a Better Business Brain articles that focus on aspects of memory and the attention difficulties that underlie the memory decline experienced in midlife. She is the Director of the LearningRx Centers in Fayetteville and Bentonville. LearningRx is a nationwide network of brain training centers to help kids and adults learn and perform faster, better, and more easily. Email your comments to Dr. Miltich at smiltich@learningrx.net.