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It’s a situation we’ve all found ourselves in: you meet someone through a friend, then run into them again at an event, but their name completely escapes you. That awkward wave of panic starts to rise as you draw a total blank. So, how do you politely ask for their name without making things even more uncomfortable?
During a recent interview with Time writer Angela Haupt published May 21, etiquette expert Thomas Farley explained that it’s perfectly normal to forget someone’s name—so don’t let embarrassment consume you. Give yourself some grace.
“When we’re meeting someone, there are so many things going through our minds,” Farley told Haupt. “We’re trying to remember, ‘Have I met this person before? Who do they remind me of? Oh, I love that necklace they’re wearing. That’s a great haircut. I wonder where she got that purse.’ At the moment when someone is giving us their name, we’re flooded with so many other things we’re thinking about and processing at the same time.”
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