What's in a Name?

People often ask me how to remember names in business settings. Making your name memorable for others is a way to help other people remember your name. My friend of many years, Anne Baber, says, "That's Anne with an E and Babe with an R." Clever of her to have such a fortunate name!

My name, Karen Lynne Anderson, means "Pure Waterfall Son of Andrew." Somehow it does not tickle the memory, and people often say, "What was your name again?" as if I changed it during the few moments of awkward conversation we just had. I have discovered that exchanging names best works for all parties after a brief dialog has revealed some character hook on which to hang the name in memory. For instance, "Karen is a caring person," and "Karen And-er-son own a construction company."

Lots of research regarding names is available on the Internet. One study that's emblazened on my mind stated that people with typical, common first names are more likely to be liked by teachers, so these students do well in school. In contrast, unusual names grab attention and lead to leadership opportunities, according to the same study. An interesting observation in another study determined Wayne is the most common name, either first or middle name, for people convicted of crimes, especially serial killers. Ouch!

During learning events, people like their names spoken and evaluate their presenters with high scores for pronouncing people's names correctly and for using them appropriately. in writing research, a correct and specific salutation is more likely rewarded with a reader taking time to read the message than an unpreferred name or title. In other words, "Dear Karen" works better than "Dear Valued Customer" or "Hi, Mr. Karen Anderson."

Another note on the courtesy title: be aware that "Mrs." means "married to," so the name that follows is traditionally the man's name: Mrs. Charles R. Anderson rather than Mrs. Betty L. Anderson. If a woman's last name is different from her husband's, she can be addressed as "Ms. Anderson" (her family name) instead of "Mrs. Langhofer" (his family name).

Finally, a point regarding proper introductions: The person with the higher status, such as a boss, is introduced to the person with the lower status, such as a new employee. For example, "Lee, I'd like you to meet Dr. Howard, the chair of our board of directors." If both parties are peers and one is female, the woman is introduced to the man as a matter of custom. "John, please meet Vicki Smith."

Name recognition and identity theft are topics of discussion at many networking events--and no wonder: names are pivot points in sales, arguments, and influence.