Everyone knows the feeling: when you feel like you lost your stomach a mile back; when no color remains in your face; when your mind fills with a thousand different things, yet one thing remains just out of reach, so you try to strain for it. You try with all of your might, yet the thought continues to dance right out of your grasp. Next thing you know, you’re forsaken by your brain, left standing face-to-face with a person who can perfectly articulate your name, yet whose name is stuck on the tip of your tongue. But this isn’t O-Week anymore. Names matter, and being forgotten hurts, so what do you do? Ruin a person’s day? Destroy the potential of having what could be the most important relationship of your life? While that may seem a bit farfetched, forgetting someone’s name can be extremely awkward for both the forgetter and the forgettee, so how do you avoid finding yourself in a situation like this? Simply continue reading.
It’s best to start at the beginning (I hear it’s a very good place to start). The first thing you can do to prevent yourself from forgetting people is repeat names after introductions. Saying a name out loud can really help you to remember it more easily. If you talk to the person for more than a few minutes, continue using his or her name throughout the conversation (not obsessively, mind you. You don’t want to come off as a creep). By hearing the name and seeing the face together, your brain will (hopefully) make the connection—this isn’t UNC after all—and the next time you run into each other, you won’t have to worry about whether it’s Matthew, Michael, or Murray.
However, if you already have a past haunted by nameless faces, it’s not too late. There are little tricks to get around the awkward request for a reintroduction. Asking for the person to pronounce their name for you can be very effective, but that also puts you at some risk (what if it’s Jane Kate Smith?). There’s always asking for the forgettee’s full name, but that could lead to suspicion. No, the best way is to find a friend that doesn’t know this person, and get them to introduce themselves to each other. Of course, if none of these seem possible, you may need to resort to the truth (hey, maybe it will set you free). While it is awkward, it by no means is the end of the world. You win some, and you lose some.
That’s about all you can do when it comes to mastering the name game. Like everything else it takes some practice, so get off your computer and go meet people. Best of luck!