Names and dates are hard to remember. There is no shortage of strategies to help in this task. One of the most popular is, upon being introduced to a new person, linking the name with a defining characteristic, feature, or unusual piece of information. “Ted is tall…check!” “Sam sounds like ‘sum’ and he’s the mathematician, that’ll do!”
Publishers have been aware of this fact for a while. Take the “Dear Abby” requests for advice. One inquiry might be from “Stressed in Seattle,” and another “Visually Challenged.” I just ran across a letter about tension between a leader and subordinates in the workplace in Workforce magazine penned by “Personality Clash, executive trainer, HR services, Mercer Island, Washington” [1]Workforce July 2015, page 10 These characteristics, or brief summaries of situations, are infinitely more memorable for readers than a name alone. The reader would have to establish their own link between name and context, as described above. Someone browsing a magazine simply will not take the time to do this.
Good strategy for magazines as well as for you. Give it a try and see how much better your memory becomes!