So I’ve developed some strategies for coping with the fact that I’m not able to pull up a person’s name right away. Of course, you can always just say politely, "I'm sorry, I don't recall your name," but if you'd rather try to disguise your forgetfulness a bit, give these a try:
1. The “I know your name, but I’m
blocked” dodge:
“I keep wanting to call you 'David,' but I know that’s not
right.”
2. The “Of course I know you -- in
fact, I want all your information” dodge:
“Hey, I’d love to get your card.”
3. The “The tip of my tongue” dodge:
“I know I know your name, but I’m blanking right now.”
4. The “You’re brilliant!”
dodge:
“Wow, you have a terrific memory. I can’t believe you remember my
name from that meeting six months ago. I can’t remember the names
of people I met yesterday! So of course I have to ask you your
name.”
5. The “Sure, I remember you” dodge:
“Remind me – what’s your last name?” If you ask a person for his
last name, he’s likely to repeat both names. “Doe, John Doe.”
6. The “One-sided introduction”
dodge:
“Hey,” you say to the person whose name you can’t remember, “let me
introduce you to Pat Smith.” You introduce the two and say the name
of the person whose name you remember. Almost always, the nameless
person will volunteer his or her name.
Also, remember that others might have trouble remembering your name. When you’re saying hello to someone, err on the side of re-introducing yourself. “Hi, John, it’s Gretchen Rubin.” Say your name slowly and clearly. And don’t get offended if someone doesn’t remember your name!
* Interested in starting your own happiness project? Learn
more at The Happiness
Project.
If you’d like to take a look at my personal Resolutions Chart, for inspiration, just email me at grubin, then the “at” sign, then gretchenrubin dot com. (Sorry about writing it in that roundabout way; I’m trying to thwart spammers.) Just write “Resolutions Chart” in the subject line.
