How To Strengthen Friendships at the Moment of Introduction
Establish deeper relationships with this empathetic strategy
A few weeks ago, author Peter Mukherjee wrote a brilliant article on remembering a person’s name if you have forgotten it. Peter is a dear friend, so when he shared this, I immediately thought, “What happens when I introduce someone?”
I am not really that great with names… or faces, for that matter — but if I do remember their names, I have developed an empathetic strategy to build immediate relationships between two people who don’t know each other. This strategy has also strengthened all my friendships.
Not only has it strengthened my personal friendships, but I have numerous examples of those two, whom I have introduced, going on to accomplish great things together. Sometimes, I get left in the dust later, but I rest in knowing that because of my introduction, it helped pave the way for their friendship and future opportunities.
Let me share how we often introduce people.
Suppose you are at a party, and you are talking to someone (whose name you remember), and someone else (whose name you remember) walks up and stands next to you.
Not wanting to be rude, you, of course, make the formal introduction. Let’s say I’m…