Remembering Names
I've always been awful at this. Like, really bad. I had a friend in middle school whose name I didn't catch when I first got introduced, and it was a few months before I worked out what her name was. Unfortunately, this isn't a trick I've grown out of. And unfortunately, I'm now in charge of an orchestra.

This means meeting the new people, making them feel comfortable, sending them emails, making sure they have music and so on. Strangely enough, my memory for names isn't reflected in anything else. Last year we had 40 new people and I could remember their instruments, their desks and even most of their emails and phone numbers. But not their feckin' names.

This is fine in a practice environment, because you can call someone by their instrument. (as in, "Oi, second violins, you're playing flat!") It gets horribly, horribly embarrassing when you're at the pub afterwards and you're trying to thank Third Desk Cello for buying you a pint.

Anyone got any tips for remembering names? I generally just apologise in advance now.

EDIT: I really need to stop talking about musicians in all my QOTW answers, it's getting monotonous. I should get a kitten.
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 0:33, 25 replies)

but if you get a kitten
you'll have to remember its name
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 0:44, closed)

True
But if I taught it to play the banjo, I could just call it Banjo. It'd be less confusing. :-)
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 0:46, closed)

last time i had a cat
i called it catface
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 1:02, closed)

Reminds me of Breakfast At Tiffany's
with the cat called "Cat" ^_^
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 1:04, closed)

naming after species...
I had a rat named Dog (it was albino, with the red eyes, and we were wracking our brains to think of the name of the hellhound from Good Omens. When we finally remembered, the decision to name it after said hound had already been made).

And I currently have a dog called Flea.
( Happy Phantom has been to Hastings, Brighton, and Eastbourne too, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 1:13, closed)

love good omens
haven't read it in years
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 1:21, closed)

I'm the same
In my head they are
'the red headed woman with the mole her cheek'
'the woman who works in x shop'
'the bloke from the allotments'
'the guy who busks outside the co-op ...badly'
etc
They have told me their names, I just dont remember

God forbid if we ever meet out of context, I havnt got a flipping clue who they are
(insomniac-surfer oh go on then, just this once, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 0:50, closed)

Argh, and you get that moment
when you see someone on the street, and you know them, but you don't know the context... so you don't know whether to smile or nod or say hello... or run...
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 0:54, closed)

Absolutely
And then theres the ones you recognise but not where from, smile a polite hello, maybe with a friendly wave so as not to offend by not remembering where you know them from.
And realise later on they are an actor off TV who doesnt know you from Adam.
Pfft I guess they are used to that anyway
(insomniac-surfer oh go on then, just this once, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 1:03, closed)

Maybe they feel exactly the same way.
So they're walking past thinking, "Do I know that person?" rather than "Oh god, another fan..."

Unless they're an utter prick, of course. You get the impression with some actors that if their mother stopped them on the street, they'd give 'em an autograph.
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 1:06, closed)

LOL
Yep met a few of those.

But also some very nice ones
I once had a very odd converation with someone i thought i knew about buying knickers.
( too long a story to relate here)
Afterwards someone said 'why were you talking knickers with him?'
erm why not?
Cos he's on (insert some famous soap opera)

oh, oops I thought he was someone I knew
(insomniac-surfer oh go on then, just this once, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 1:15, closed)

If you can remember emails you should be fine
or is it 1999 and emails like [email protected] are back in?
(tubeman trousers, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 0:54, closed)

best one is something like
Ilostmysanitytwice@ (provider)

The ones that are one letter and a surname that all the students get are kinda helpful. Start strong with the first letter, and them just mumble the rest...
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 0:57, closed)

I forgot that musicians tend to be creative types
.
(tubeman trousers, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 1:18, closed)

If you can remember what instrument they play
just call them by that the rest of the time too. But make sure you do it with everyone, not just a few people, and eventually you'll be known for your eccentricity and people won't mind :)
(xanthine, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 6:46, closed)

I was really bad at remembering names
That is, until I met Dennis Sobey (a sales trainer). When you meet someone new just imagine writing their name on their forehead with a permanent marker.
Works for me.
(Captain Placid 24/7 ball gags, brownie mix and clown porn, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 9:14, closed)

Don't you mean
Donald Sobey?
(salvadorevincent, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 10:27, closed)

Nope
Definately Dennis! DBS associates if you want to google it.
(Captain Placid 24/7 ball gags, brownie mix and clown porn, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 11:36, closed)

One of us
is doing this joke wrong.
(salvadorevincent, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 17:28, closed)

I laughed!

(Tighthead, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 22:07, closed)

For the past two years
a woman at work whom I pass regularly says "Hello James". I don't know who she is and I have no idea who the hell James is.
(Sadarse works like Mist condensing mud flaps, Sat 17 Jul 2010, 18:02, closed)

Get a Glaswegian accent.
Call EVERYONE male Pal, James, Yermanthere or Bawbag.
Call EVERYONE female Hen or darlin.
:D
( stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Sun 18 Jul 2010, 6:02, closed)

Images are much easier to remember than the artificial construct of often alternatively (very) spelled names so try and convert their names into visual images. Some people I know are jill (imagined her behind bars - jail) ellie (imagined her with a grey face and a long nose although that's more nelly 'the elephant') matt (imagine him not being glossy) jamie (think of him going through a hole in his bedroom using a magic torch) and so on. Try not to reveal the more obscene ones by opening your mouth and making words at inappropriate moments.
(Benzyl, Sun 18 Jul 2010, 21:48, closed)

I impressed myself last week..
...by remembering the names of four men I'd just met at a job interview, to the point where I shook their hands as I was leaving and still got their names right. This has never happened to me before - usually, if I get introduced to someone new, it takes me at least two further meetings to hae a chance of remembering their name.

I probably won't get the job though, so it won't do me any good.
( shinyshinyscalp less a man, more a way of life, Tue 20 Jul 2010, 13:03, closed)

Songs...
Are the only way i can remember anything!
( jakedamusss I understand, and dont care., Wed 21 Jul 2010, 5:06, closed)