Page 122 - How to Develop A SUPER-POWER MEMORY

126 Names and Faces
Incidentally, if you make a habit of trying to spell the
name of every new person you meet, you'll soon become
accustomed to the spelling of most any kind of name.
You'll be surprised as to how many of them you'll spell
correctly. Eventually, you will be able to recognize how cer-
tain sounds are spelled for certain nationalities. You'll learn
that the Italian language has no letter, "]," so the j sound
in an Italian name is always spelled with a "g." The } or the
soft G sound, and sometimes, the "sh" sound in a Polish
name is usually spelled, "cz," while the sound, "eye," is
sometimes spelled with the letters, "aj." The ch or tz sound
in an Italian name is sometimes spelled with a double "c";
the sh sound in a German name, particularly at the begin-
ning of the name, is usually spelled, "sch," etc. Of course,
it doesn't always work—I recently came across a name that
sounded like, "Burke," but was spelled, "Bourque." How-
ever, many of the people who have seen my performance,
will vouch for the fact that I spell their names correctly
almost 85% of the time. Or, closely enough to impress
them, anyway. So, you see, it can be done. I mention this
because spelling a person's name correctly or almost cor-
rectly, will impress them almost as much as remembering it.
If after making sure of the spelling, you realize that the
name is the same or similar to that of a friend or relative
of yours, mention that fact. This all serves to impress the
name on your mind. If it is an odd name, one that you have
never heard before, say so. Don't feel shy, or as if you're
imposing when you do these things, because everybody is
flattered when you make a fuss over their names. Just as
they would be if you showed an interest in any of their
prized possessions, or in any of their particular interests.
This, I suppose, can be put down to human nature.
While talking to the person, repeat his name as often
as you can in the course of the conversation. Don't keep