Is there anything worse than forgetting a name? Someone is walking towards you with a “Nice to see you again” look in their eye. You know you know them—or perhaps you are certain you should know them, but the name escapes your mind.
Options:
- “Hey……man!”
- “Hhhhiiiiiii…..?”
- “Sorry, I cannot for the life of me remember your name.”
None of those have any social appeal. Each is equally embarrassing.
Fortunately, you are saved: The mystery man (having obviously read this blog) extends a hand and introduces himself, which allows you to smile knowingly and lie through your teeth: “Of course! I know who you are,” thus ending one of the scariest business situations known to (sales) man.
Very, very few people remember names, especially of people you see infrequently. You don’t. I don’t. So, here’s what you need to practice on a regular basis…
In virtually every situation, simply introduce yourself. Assume that welcoming look in the other person’s eyes is terror, not anticipation.
Nine times out of ten, you will hear, “OMG of course I know who you are” and sometimes (rarely), they actually will. More often than not, you are saving someone a world of hurt. It will not help you to know their name (unless they reciprocate, of course), but it will take the awkwardness out of the situation instead of taking the air out of the room.
As for remembering that name past the moment you hear it, well, that’s a blog for another day….
