Forgetting names was named the main social weakness: how to get out of an awkward situation

A Harvard etiquette expert has tips for situations like these.

During the holidays, you often have to attend events where you need to meet a lot of people. But such parties reveal the main social “weakness” of this period: people have trouble remembering each other’s names and may find themselves in an unpleasant situation. Etiquette experts have revealed what to do to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings when the correct name inevitably doesn’t come to mind. The first thing you should never do if you’ve forgotten someone’s name, according to an etiquette expert, is show that you have.

People who often attend parties feel like they belong there. But it happens that due to absent-minded attention, you forget the name of your interlocutor. In such a situation, it is best to act according to etiquette.

“If you’ve dated someone a few times and still can’t remember their name, you should never show that you’ve forgotten it,” explains etiquette expert Sarah Jane Ho.

Instead, you should follow these tips. The specialist believes that the phone can help get out of an awkward situation. For example, you can casually say that “I recently bought a new phone, and all my contacts were deleted” and then ask to enter the number in the phone book, as a rule, at this moment people also write who they are.

At the same time, if this is a relatively new person, you don’t even need to come up with a story. You can simply ask him to enter a number to keep in touch in the future.

The strategy for helping your significant other is approved by etiquette professionals. This will not only help you get out of a social jam, but you will also be able to remember the face for an unexpected further meeting next time.

“If you’re at a party, just introduce the person with the forgotten name to someone else,” advises Sarah Jane Ho, “that way they’ll introduce themselves.”

She adds that in such situations she herself acts with the help of her boyfriend: “if he already knows the person whose name I forgot, I try to discreetly ask him or another friend for help: “Remind me what the name of that guy in the T-shirt is?”

Another etiquette expert, Diana Gottesman, emphasizes that you can work out a system with a partner.

“If you see someone across the room, you can ask someone to remind you of their name. If I have difficulties, I turn to the leader. You just have to prepare,” Gottesman notes.

If you’re hosting a party with a mixed group of people, the event planner can save themselves the hassle of having everyone wear name tags, Gottesman says, adding that it’s a great way to avoid awkward moments.

But if there is nothing that will help the situation, and such ploys as introducing a guy or handing over a phone number may seem insincere, like the classic “Hey, honey” or “Hey, you”, then you should just be honest and say “ I know we’ve crossed paths before, please remind me of your name.” The etiquette expert points out that this will look better than making false excuses.