Sorry, What’s Your Name Again?

Three tricks for becoming less terrible with names

His eyes caught mine.

I tried to duck away. It was too late.

“Oh, hi Nathan!”

“Oh, hi… mate!”

Busted. I had completely forgotten his name.

He seemed like a likeable, successful person, and someone I wouldn’t otherwise go out of my way to avoid. On this occasion though, my inability to remember his name just made the whole encounter seem… weird.

And, the longer the conversation went on, the longer I realised I should have just come clean.

Mate. I’m sorry. Your name wasn’t important enough for me to commit to memory.

Of course, I’d never actually say that. It’s kind of true, though.

What is it with names? Why are we so bad at remembering them, when they clearly hold the key to deeper, more meaningful interactions?

Well, I think the best answer is one that we don’t particularly want to admit. But…