In the previous issue, I said the first step is to really look at a person and choose a striking characteristic which you'll notice next time you see the person.

Step 2: Listen!

When someone tells me their name, I immediately convert it into AN IMAGE. I call it a 'Substitute Name Image' because it is the symbol or picture that reminds me of their name.

You see, most names can't be pictured. How do you picture a Jennifer or an Eva or a William? So, you need to imagine an object that will remind you of their name.

For example, if a woman introduces herself as Jennifer, then I imagine a General in the Army. But I need to 'see' some type of image, so I imagine the four stars on each shoulder to represent a General.

Of course, you could use whatever image reminds you of that name. Maybe you want to imagine a GENERATOR, or something else.

A common mistake is to try to think of a person you know with the same name.

DO NOT DO THAT.

Creating an image of the person's name is the second of three main steps. The third step is linking the person's face (or striking characteristic) to the name image. And if you're imagining someone else's face to help you remember their name, this will make linking more difficult.

Of course, there may be exceptions to this rule. For example, if the person that you meet looks like your friend Jennifer and is named Jennifer, then use your friend as the reminder. But generally speaking, you should always convert the person's name to an object that you can imagine.

One more thing: Always use the same object/image for the same name. There needs to be a one to one correlation between the object you imagine and the name that it represents.

This means two things:

1) Always use the same image for the same sounding name AND

2) Don't use the same image for different sounding names.Kristine and Christine sound the same. It doesn't matter that they're spelled differently. The substitute name image could be "Christmas Tree."

But, if you meet someone named "Chrissy", then you'll want to use either a different substitute name image (like "christening") or a modification of the same image. A modified image might be a "Christmas Tree with a large E on top instead of a star."

So, start a habit: Whenever someone says their name, Listen and then convert it into an image.

Sometimes, a good strategy to convert a name to an image is to say the name slowly in your mind. Say the name "Norm" very slowly. Does it sound like "no arm"? Now that's an image you could remember.

For me, it is fairly easy to convert someone's name into an image because I've been doing it for years. It may not be as easy for you.

But, as you practice, you'll begin to develop standard images for common names. You may even want to create a list of common names and substitute images for each name.

Of course, it will take a long time to develop a useful database of names. That is why I've included thousands of common first names on the Bonus download file that comes with my Memory Magic: Super-Memory Video course.

See the MemoryMagic.info website for more information about the video course and all of the free bonuses included.

Next week: The MAIN Method - Step 3: Link!"Get INFO about the MAGIC of MEMORY at MemoryMagic.info."