How to Remember Names in Group Settings: Improv-Inspired Tips for Facilitators and Teachers

A quick note: these tips are for remembering names in everyday group settings. I know that some people have memory challenges, like dementia, or other cognitive differences and this is shared with understanding and respect for everyone’s experience.

Remembering people’s names in group settings can make a huge difference. Whether you’re leading a workshop, teaching, or facilitating a team, using someone’s name helps them feel seen, valued, and connected.

I first realised how important this was when I used to teach drama to two- and three-year-olds. The openly sad look on their faces soon taught me the impact of getting their names wrong. In truth, I think adults feel exactly the same way, we’re just a little better at hiding it. And there’s plenty of research to back up the positive psychological effects of using and remembering someone’s name.

So, for about the last 20 years of facilitating groups, I’ve made remembering names a priority. These days, I can run a room of around 40 people and know most of their names by the end of a session. This always amazes people, but it’s simply something I’ve decided to work hard at. I might have a natural aptitude, but I also see it as a skill, and a seriously undervalued one.

I’ll share a few tools that help me with how to Remember Names in Group Settings, but here’s the spoiler: the top tip is decide to remember and do your best to make an effort.

Name Badges

I used to think name badges were stuffy and formal, but I’ve completely revised my opinion. They take away a lot of the stress people feel when they should remember someone’s name, and they have the added benefit of allowing people to add pronouns or any other info they’d like to share.

At some improv festivals, for example, they use a traffic light system for physical touch:

Green: go ahead and hug me
Yellow: it depends — please check in
Red: please don’t touch me

For networking events, adding someone’s role and company can be super helpful for introductions. Even in formal settings, adding a little extra detail can spark conversation — something like “I play piano” or “I know CPR.”

Getting people to make their own name badges can also be a great icebreaker. It gives them a chance to express themselves and keeps hands busy during those slightly awkward early moments of a group coming together.

Word of caution: don’t let name badges become a crutch. They’re an aide-mémoire, not a replacement for actually learning people’s names.

Pictures

If name tags aren’t possible, could you create a picture book before your event or arrange a photo wall?

At the residential festivals we used to run, we’d take a mini Polaroid as people arrived, write their name underneath, and display it in the lobby. Then, if you were chatting with someone later and couldn’t quite recall their name, you could sneak a look outside and check.

Similarly, I’ve sometimes started courses by asking participants to draw a small self-portrait and write their name next to it — simple but surprisingly effective.

Write It Down

From a facilitator’s perspective, I find it incredibly helpful to write names down as people arrive — even when I already have a printed list.

My process goes something like this: I greet each person, repeat their name back, and make a small connection — maybe a handshake or hug (if appropriate), or at least a moment of genuine eye contact. I’ll often say, “I’m just writing down your name to help me learn it,” and make a note about pronunciation if it’s a name that’s new to me or can be said a few different ways (like EVE-elyn vs EVV-elyn).

When there are lots of names to learn, I might also jot down a visual cue — something personal and memorable like funky glasses, amazing curly hair, or kind eyes. I avoid things like red jumper (what if they take it off?) or physical attributes like tall (I’m 5’1”, and it’s nice to be remembered for something else!).

Use It or Lose It

As someone running the room, I can help everyone else learn names by using them at every opportunity.

I know overusing someone’s name one-on-one can feel a bit salesy, but in a group, I think facilitators almost have a responsibility to use names frequently. It helps me learn, of course, but it also takes the pressure off others — especially if they’re already outside their comfort zone in a learning environment, where retaining new information can be harder.

Choose to Remember

I dedicate myself to learning your name. If I don’t know it, I’ll ask. If I don’t use it, I’ll forget — so I’ll say it enough for both of us to know I know it (and hopefully not tip into overuse… though it’s a risk I’ll take).

If you’re at the start of a longer course or project, name games can be a brilliant way to cement names. Here are a few of my favourites:

Alliteration

An oldie but a goodie.

Everyone does an action and an adjective with their name — e.g. Hopping Heather. We all say “Hopping Heather” and hop, then move around the circle, repeating everyone’s name and action in reverse order (like the “I went to the shop and I bought…” memory game). It’s cheesy as hell, but it works — and sometimes the nicknames stick!

My Name / Your Name

In the “use it or lose it” spirit, this one gets people moving. Everyone stands in a circle. One person points across the circle while saying their own name (“Heather!”). That person then points at someone else and says their own name.

When the facilitator shouts “Switch!”, the same pattern continues — but now you say the name of the person you’re pointing at. You can switch back and forth to encourage mistakes, and even add music or rhythm to make it fun.

To take the pressure off perfection, you can throw in a rule where people sometimes say an obviously wrong name (“Lady Hornsby!”) and then correct each other. It turns the learning into play.

Hey, Haven’t We Met?

I learned this one from Billy Soco, and I love it.

In a circle, one person leaves their spot and approaches someone across the room, starting a little improv dialogue like this:

Jeff: Oh hi, it’s so good to see you! We’ve met before, right?
Tamara: Yeah, great to see you again!
Jeff: Can you remind me of your name?
Tamara: I’m Tamara.
Jeff: Of course, Tamara — how could I forget? It’s me, Jeff.
Tamara: Of course, hi again Jeff.
Jeff: Tamara, do you mind if I take your spot?
Tamara: Go ahead!

Jeff takes Tamara’s spot, and the process repeats. You can do this one at a time so everyone hears every name, or have several happening at once to keep things lively.

To level it up, especially in creative sessions, you can add fictional details about how you “met” — “We met at the Oscars last year, we were both up for Best Supporting Actress,” etc.

Name Tag

If you’ve got the space and energy, try Name Tag! It’s like regular tag, except when you’re about to be caught, you can call out someone else’s name to make them “it.”

You don’t need to know everyone’s name — just a few to start. As you get better, you can be strategic (call out someone on the other side of the room) or just enjoy the chaos and cardio. Either way, it’s a fun way to practice shouting names out loud.

Improv Games

There are loads of improv games that involve using people’s names — like the Pattern Game, which creates a repeating name pattern around the circle, or Show Us How to Get Down, a call-and-response movement game. These are much easier to show than explain, so ask me (or your favourite local improv teacher) for some name-based games next time you see us.

Improv is fantastic for name learning because, first, we need to remember each other’s names — and second, we don’t fear mistakes. Lots of people tell me they stop using names once they think they “should” know them, and that’s exactly when they forget them. Don’t fall into that trap. Take the risk of getting it wrong and learning, rather than staying silent.

Remember — using someone’s name makes them feel good and valued. And that’s what improvisers love to do: make each other look good.

A Final Story

Unlike the case of my dad and his neighbour — my dad let himself be called “Phil” for years because he was too polite to correct it. When the neighbour eventually found out, about a decade later, they were completely baffled. Now my dad signs family cards as “Dad a.k.a. Phil.” This is classic my Dad.