Laugh Lines

Special Skills

I sometimes wonder what comes over me! I was recently at a women's leadership training event, and enjoyed a great morning designed to help us develop better leadership skills. The key concepts and the PowerPoint notes were excellent. The women from many different churches all enjoyed participating in the activities designed to help us understand and apply the principles being presented. It was a great session, presented by a wonderful friend in leadership.

As the morning progressed, I was introduced as a missionary and took advantage of the opportunities to get to know pastors’ wives and women leaders. It was a good time for these women—who often encourage their husbands to invite me for a missions service in their churches—to get to know me. One skill I struggle with is remembering names, so I listened carefully for names and even jotted them on the side of my notes. But as hard as I tried, I still managed to call several women by the wrong name.

At the end of the event, I was helping the women from my home church with the cleanup process. As I helped remove the plastic tablecloths from the rows of tables, I came to one table that was covered with purses, Bibles, notebooks and coffee cups. I instantly got the idea of pulling the tablecloth quickly off the table without disturbing the items. I gripped the tablecloth and a large crowd saw what I had in mind—though most of them didn't really believe I was going to attempt it. I grasped the tablecloth carefully, and with one huge swish I was holding the cloth and everything was sitting neatly unmoved on the tabletop.

Even I was shocked! Everyone cheered and I ate up the appreciation of this special skill. There was one table left to clear. At the front of the room sat the leader's table with all her notes, pens, handouts, and schedule laid out on the tablecloth. You know what was running through my mind. A large group of women began to cheer me on to "do it again." My wonderful friend got a very nervous look on her face. Since I believed I had such a special skill, I grabbed the edge of the tablecloth and held my breath. With another huge swish, I whipped the tablecloth and all her belongings into a giant spray of paper that flew across the room. For one quick moment, I froze the entire terrible picture in my mind—and wondered what in the world I had been thinking. My friend doubled up in laughter and forgave me as I retrieved her Bible and notes. I think I better develop other special skills.

Pam and Kathy’s 7 Tips for Remembering Names

Ask people their names and try to repeat them as soon as possible.
Write each name down as soon as you can with a note about that person.
Connect the name with a characteristic, place, or someone else with the same name.
If you are in charge of the event, help everyone by using name tags.
Get to know something unique or interesting about the person you are meeting which will help you connect her name to her face.
Try to connect at least one more time with your new friend before leaving the event, and use her name in the farewell.
Don't avoid people because you can't remember their name; just admit it and try again next time.