The Easiest Way to Deal With Forgetting Someone’s Name
Have you ever met a friend you met several times before and realized that you forgot his name? You stand and discuss your life, family, or office gossip while secretly trying to remember if his name is Steve or Paul (or maybe Dave?), And you hope that he will hint in some way.
This happens a lot to me, usually during interviews, when the combination of adrenaline and nervousness interferes with my ability to remember key details, such as the name of the person I’m talking to.
In some cases, honesty is probably the simplest answer. Telling someone that you are bad at names and asking them point-blank is not a bad idea if you’ve only met once or twice before; a simple “sorry, I’m not very good at names.” What’s yours? ” will be sufficient. On other occasions, such as in a job interview or you’ve met them multiple times, dined and even celebrated birthdays together, it probably won’t be good to ask their name at this stage.
On a recent Reddit thread, users offered tips on how to find out someone’s name without complicating matters. U / GrahamCr5ck3r offered a good suggestion: give them your phone and ask for their contact information – hopefully they will give their full name. I would preface this request by suggesting that we get together for coffee or lunch, just so that the question does not seem random. If this happens in a job interview or other professional setting, ask for his email address instead, which should hopefully contain at least part of their name (or ask for a business card).
If you may have exchanged contact information before, u / lurkerspeaks used a different strategy when he met an acquaintance. “Told him to send me a text message because I got a new phone and lost my contacts (I didn’t),” he wrote. “His name appeared on my phone screen. I felt like James Bond. “
And if that fails and you’re in a social setting, introduce this person to someone you know, as our social media editor Tim recommends. In his experience, chances are good that this person will introduce themselves to your friend, saving you the discomfort when you ask his name. (Tim, my name is Josh. We’ve been working together for at least a year.)
If you’ve come this far and still don’t know their name, ask them to add you to Facebook (or even LinkedIn) right now, or do the opposite and transfer your phone so they can add themselves; even if you are already friends, at least they will identify their profile so you can get rid of the awkwardness when asked for their name.