“It’s so nice to see you again,” I said.

“Oh, goodness, yes! Remind me where we met?” she asked.

Truth? I have no idea.

Her face looks vaguely familiar - but that could be because it appears in my social feed periodically. The world is small here in Chicago, so it’s also likely we have many common connections.

We probably did meet - but I couldn’t tell you where.

Have you ever been here?

In conversation with a friend this weekend, he confessed to being terrible at remembering names - and asked how I’ve become so good at it.

Clearly I have him fooled!

Name tags are an obvious gift at an event or gathering where strangers and acquaintances will connect - or reconnect.

In the absence of a name tag, though, I will offer up my name to most anyone I’ve met just once or twice - even if I know we’ve met before. Doing this deflects any stress or shame that she may be feeling for not remembering my name, and also gives her an opportunity to do the same for me.

“Hi! It’s Meg, so nice to see you again!” I say as I smile warmly.

“Meg! Great to see you! Viv, we met at the rooftop event last fall,” she replies.

And we’re off!

What techniques do you have for recalling someone’s name? Thanks for sharing in the comments below.