This happens to me all the time. I meet someone at a conference or party and 15 seconds later I can’t remember his or her name. The more time goes on, the more awkward it gets, especially if they keep saying my name as I talk to them.
So here are my surefire tips to get yourself out of this sticky situation:
- Ask for a business card. (Not well suited for college parties).
- Ask for the email address. This doesn’t work if their email address is bigboy79@hotmail.com. But if that’s really their email address, are you sure you still want to talk to them?
- Introduce them to a friend. Use the friend ploy where you introduce them to someone you know by saying, “Hey, have you met my friend Walter? This is Walter Solbcheck … (spacey pause)… This is where they start saying their name, a split second after which you repeat the name like you were going to say it all along.
- Be upfront. “I’m sorry I forgot your name”. You can also follow this up with “I can never remember names.” Often the other person will say the same thing.
- Ask them to spell their name. “How do you spell your name.” This one works well when you’re trying to enter their phone number into your blackberry or cellphone.
- Ask “Is there an I in your name?” If it turns out to be something like “Bob”, spontaneously develop an accent and follow up with “Aye, ye Americans and yer whacky spellin.”
- Pickpocket him or her and look at the drivers license. Slip the wallet back (optional).
- Call them by an obviously wrong name like “Jesus”, “Gingerbob”, or “Flo”. They will inevitably have to correct you at some point. If they don’t, congratulations – you’re talking to someone who’s really cool.
- Denigrate yourself the Chris Farley way, keep calling yourself an idiot until they feel so bad about your self-loathing that they ignore the fact that you forgot their name.
REMEMBER:
If you end up on the flip side of this and you remember their name, but they can’t remember yours (and especially if they’re obviously trying any of the tricks above) mentally torture the hell out of them for as long as possible. Also, be sure to use their name every few sentences.
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Here’s another tip. Ask them their name and when they look disappointed and say “it’s Bob”, reply with “I know you’re Bob, it’s your surname I can’t remember”.
Absolutely hilarious! You should seriously consider being funny for a living, your very good at it! lol.
-Anna Livesey x
(a completely random person from your point of view)
Or you could look at them like, erm erm, they’ll say their name and you go … i know that, I was trying to remember your surname.
ANd if you ask them to spell their name and the say J-o-h-n S-m-i-t-h you might feel pretty stupid.
No the absolute best way is to go “oh hey im sorry i forgot your name” when they tell you their name it will be their first or last then you say oh no no no i ment your first/last name depending on which they told you
The easiest one is simply to say: “I’m sorry I’can’t remember your other name.”
Then you get at least one name and you can ask someone else later, or if you feel cocky, “No. I know that one. Your other name.”
Hey, Snotty? What’s your real name? Wa.. you didn’t know people call you Snotty? Ooops, Brian. Sorry!
Ha Ha, I wish i had this a week ago, when i was chatting up a twin in a club, i asked her to put her number in my mobile phone, thne asked here to put her name, which she replied ‘is that because you dont know which twin I am?’ priceless lol
Ask if they are an organ donor. Then no matter what their response, pretend like you don’t believe them and ask to see their license. This will also assist in avoiding chris hansen spontaneously appearing out of no where (ie check their birthdate)
Why not just be honest and say ‘ hey, look, sorry, I’ve forgotten your name can you tell me once again because I’d really like to remember and hook up (or whatever!) again.’?
I’m sure the other person will be flattered that you want to meet again and that they have made an impression (even if they didn’t first time!). They may also be relieved because I daresay they too will have forgotten someone’s name before!
I like that approach, Doug – good idea.
If all else fails, tell them, that you have just returned from being abducted by a flying saucer where you were taken to Metaluna where the Monitor(the leader of the Metalunans) ordered you taken to a thought transference chamber and all your memory capacity was transfered to a mutant before you were returned to Earth
how about just wearing a Name Necklace so you don’t have to find your self in an awkward situation,
I bought mine at MyNameNecklace.com :)