I Forgot That Person's Name! - 3 Strategies to Subtly Ask for One's Name
I've been teaching for more than 20 years, which means I have met many people over that time. As much as I try, it's tough to remember people's names. I've tried memory tricks, such as associating the person with an object, another person, a city, and so on. I'm better at remembering names today than before, but I have plenty of room for improvement.
Learning names is both a skill and an art. I remember a trip to Hawaii where a tourist guide blew everyone away with his ability to remember all the guests' names – about 60 of us. On the early morning bus trip to the excursion, he went from the front of the bus to the back, asking for everyone's first name. Around 5 pm later that day, we boarded the bus to return to the hotel, with most of us sitting in different seats. After more than 8 hours, and even though we sat in different places, the tour guide navigated through the bus and called everyone by their first name. Impressive!
Situation #1: Walking Down the Hallway
You are walking down the hallway, and you see someone you know. You've met this person before, and you should know her name. It's hard to avoid eye contact, and she is waiting for you to take the lead. Woah!
Hi, I know we've met before. Do you remember me? My name is Mark.
By being proactive, you reduce the tension, and she will immediately respond with her name. Make sure to pay attention, and use her name in the conversation. By doing so, you are more likely to remember it in the future.
Situation #2: At the Company Training Session
You are seated next to a colleague that you met at a previous meeting. Today, you are both getting ready for a mandatory ethics training session. Unfortunately, the name tents are late in arriving, and you strike up a conversation. It's obvious you know each other, but the names escape both of you.
Hey! It's good to see you again. Another training session! They never seem to end. Forgive me … but can you remind me of your name?
By greeting the person, and discussing the training session, you change the dynamics. In essence, you are breaking the ice. You can even joke around that you were waiting for the name tents. The point here is to get beyond the name issue. Once you do that, you can have an excellent conversation.
Situation #3: Use the "Introduce a Friend" Trick – Company Party
We've all done it. You are at the company party, and waiting in line to select your drink. Sure enough … the person behind is someone familiar. Too familiar, perhaps! Your lifeline is your friend, who is waiting in line with you. Your tactic is to introduce your friend with the hope of learning the name of the familiar person. It worked!
Social events can be tough for us. We are often caught off-guard. However, the advantage here is that people are having a good time. You can try the following approach:
We know each other, right? What department?
[Pause]
Right! Got it! Based on the numbers, you guys are doing excellent work. Your name escapes me right now.
[Pause]
Jacquelyn! I should have remembered. How are you, Jacquelyn? It's great to see you again.
We will not remember the names of everyone we meet. The strategies mentioned will help you get back on track. If you are genuine in your approach, others will not mind that you asked them their name. In short, we can expect those we meet to be friendlier if we take the time to call them by name.
Questions and Answers
Article Tags:
career development
,leadership development
,success strategies
,customer service
,book of knowledge
,online learner
,online learning
I remember wanting to earn a doctorate back in the early 1990s. At that time, I was living in Houston, and I investigated the local universities to determine my options. Each of the brick-and-mortar universities in Houston required that I commit most of my time to the studies, which meant that I would need to leave my job. Given that I needed the money, the residency requirement was a showstopper.
Are you ready to make 2012 a terrific year for your career? What are you doing to prepare? Instead of limping into the New Year, it's best to take charge. You know that a status quo approach will fail to help you realize your goals. To be something different, you must do something different.
In 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote: In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. For the sake of time, let's skip death and taxes for now. From my standpoint, the conversation regarding mobile technologies is more appealing.
Change is inevitable. We either accept it, or we are swept away with the tide. The fact is that the choice is already made for us: we either do something to remain competitive in our field, or someone else will soon replace us. From that perspective, the decision is easy.
What happened to my day? It seems like we can't get to all the work that is assigned to us. Even critical work fails to get done. The deadline is Tuesday at 5 pm, and we still have hours ahead of us.
As a university student, I was assigned to give a presentation to the class. I was nervous. Perhaps, it was the setting of the class, where it seemed the students were too close to me.
There are periods in which a relationship is bound to be put on the test and start facing some serious issue. And as soon as those problems arise, it's almost guaranteed that one of the partners is going to suffer more than the other. Assuming that you're in this situation at the moment, it's more than likely a fact that the thought of losing her is nearly killing you and it's hard for you to cope with reality.
Are you a clock punching person? If so how is that working for you? Do you have an entrepreneurial vision? What this is exactly is your vision that you have for yourself, is it to have more time, have more security, perhaps to travel, or looking for a retirement plan?
Mind reader techniques are techniques used to determine the inner thinking of the second party. For instance, it can be applied in business to help one become aware of special needs of the customers. Again, it can help one handle each individual in the workplace, carefully. First, before dealing with people in the work place, it is vital for one to study their minds.
This article is an information about reading through reviews of San Diego heating and air conditioning systems.
The path to personal development has many obstacles and you may feel that you have no idea where to start. Once you begin to look around, you will discover that there is a wealth of information to sort through to find what you need. If you are looking for some simple but effective tips, take a look at the article below.
Are you ready to make 2012 a terrific year for your career? What are you doing to prepare? Instead of limping into the New Year, it's best to take charge. You know that a status quo approach will fail to help you realize your goals. To be something different, you must do something different.
How you handle your end of day can make a big difference in your overall performance. Unfortunately, many people start wrapping up their work activities about 30 minutes before quitting time. During that time, they are chatting with coworkers, surfing the web, or doing something else to creatively kill time.
When you're trying to become physically fit, it's important to focus on more than just your outward appearance. Being healthier has countless benefits, and liking what you see in the mirror is only one of them.
As we apply for different employment positions, we are asked for letters of recommendation. Interviewers and selection committees are particular about the validity and reliability of those references. Make sure you take the time to "coach" the letter writer about the job expectations.
Recently, I've begun to question the logic of my training. In the past I chose fast-paced, high intensity interval training-style workouts with a fair amount of success. I say fair because, although I burned a lot of calories and dropped weight quickly when I wanted to, I realized that I was burning to many calories during the week (when my workouts took place) without eating enough to compensate for the long, intense workouts I was doing. This made it nearly impossible to resist binge eating
Discuss this Article
