How can I use names to my advantage? How do we communicate properly?

We want to help you enhance your happiness, and for that, it means teaching you how to communicate and persuade successfully. By reading this article on “How can I use names to my advantage?” and “How can we communicate effectively?” you’ll develop authentic leadership skills.

Beyond turning this into a set of rules to follow, these are recommendations that, in most cases, will help you communicate better with others and even with yourself.

These recommendations are mostly backed by science, supported by serious studies and conclusions that continue to surprise us day by day.

Why do we find it valuable to teach these topics?
To help people become prosperous, successful, and happy.

The fields of study in Neuro-sales, Neuroscience, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) help us with rigorous brain and human studies, offering tools to better understand and know exactly what’s happening in the mind.

Millions of years of evolution are embedded in our brains, and because of this, we must understand that there are many more ways than we think to communicate better with others or living beings.

We can communicate through body language, spoken language, written language in any dialect, sign language, facial expressions, iconic language, tactile language, proxemic language, or even natural and artificial language. The options are endless.

All these scientific studies on different types of languages and brain research focused on marketing are called Neuro-Marketing. It’s a relatively new branch of science that’s worth implementing in our projects because it brings surprising results.

With that in mind, we want to offer several tips and suggestions from experts in the previous fields that you could start using in your business, company, institution, and personally, to communicate better with your family, friends, and strangers. The key here is to start from the premise: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Now, how can we communicate and persuade to be successful? Let’s begin…

Calling people by their name

This has a significant impact, both on the people who hear their name and on those who say it. If you’re one of those people who calls others by their name, congratulations, keep it up.

Learning people’s names may seem like an impossible challenge, but you can be sure it’s worth facing, as the positive results are many.

Say Their Name 3 Times

One key to remembering names is to try to say it three times when someone introduces themselves to you. For example, if someone says, “Hi, I’m Guillermo,” you can respond, “Guillermo? Did you say Guillermo?” (as if you didn’t hear it clearly) and then continue, “Hi, Guillermo! How are you?”

Associate the Name with Something

This is one of the best ways to remember! When the person says their name, quickly try to associate it with a word, object, or memory that sounds similar or has some connection to their name.

When you greet someone by their name, you’re recognizing and valuing them. That person goes from standing in the background to shining on center stage.

Do You Know What the Second Most Loved Sound Is?

Imagine trying to withdraw money from an ATM, feeling tense and hoping your balance is enough. Then, you hear the sound of the machine counting out cash—that’s a divine sound, music to your ears.

Now, guess what the most beloved sound is? It’s the sound of your own name.

Your name identifies you; it’s yours, and no one can take it away. It makes you somebody, turning you from “just anyone” into “someone.”

And this is why it’s so important to remember the names of everyone around you—the security guard, your neighbor, a client, a coworker, your boss, the cleaning staff, the cook, the waiter—everyone. Even if you don’t remember anything else, make sure you know and say their name. Aim to use it a couple of times in the conversation.

Don’t Overdo It—Use Common Sense. Everything’s a balance! You can’t always call someone the same way. For example, if you usually greet someone with “Hey, buddy” or “Hi, friend,” mix it up now and then. Sometimes use their name, other times say “buddy,” “bro,” “friend,” etc., but make sure their name is part of your rotation of ways to address them.

Another Good Tactic for Using Names in Communication

A handy trick to remember names is to jot them down in your phone. Write their name with a little reference to remind you who they are, like “Marcela (Dr. Martinez’s secretary).” This way, you can always pull out your phone to keep track of names.

However you do it, saying someone’s name correctly will always benefit you in terms of communication. People will be more willing to help you, you’ll see more smiles and gratitude, and you’ll strengthen your leadership skills. They’ll like and respect you a lot more.

Follow these steps, and you’ll score major points in communication.

You may have already heard about the importance and positive impact of calling people by their name, especially when others are around.

Avoid making silly or negative jokes about someone’s name or anyone else’s. Don’t mess with something so personal. Quite the opposite—if you can make them feel proud of their name, it’s even better. Always be genuine, though. Don’t compliment just for the sake of it, but make it a point to acknowledge people when they’re doing well. Congratulate them by saying their name out loud in front of others—that’s what a good leader does.

Make the Name a Topic

It’s easy to start a conversation by asking where their name or last name originates. Do they know about ancestors with the same name? You could even ask them to spell it for you.

Names are arbitrary—how someone behaves isn’t determined by their name. So don’t judge people based on it.

The best trick? Really listen, focus on understanding the person, see them, and respect them for who they are. Feel empathy; recognize them as someone with dreams, fears, goals, projects, and their own unique life.

Having a system to remember people’s names will always be a plus for your communication.

From a business perspective, it’s brilliant to use a name-based approach for a store, program, app, contest, etc. Think about it—why do you think Starbucks asks for your name? Their customer service system is specifically designed to call and elevate the person by name.

I invite you to bring more harmony into your daily life. So if you can call people by their name, do it. It’s rewarding for everyone involved.

If you want to see more of our work, feel free to check out our website at www.eurekacreativa.es.