Tips from The Happiness Project.
• Try the “I know your name, but I’m blocked” dodge: “I keep wanting to call you “David,” but I know that’s not right.”
• Then there’s the “Of course I know you — in fact, I want all your information” dodge: “Hey, I’d love to get your card.”
• Or the “The tip of my tongue” dodge: “I know I know your name, but I’m blanking right now.”
• Try 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.”
• 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.”
• 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.