Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to identify yourself. When you encounter someone
Speaker 1: you haven't seen in a while, or when you see
Speaker 1: someone in a different context than usual, say your name
Speaker 1: right away. That way, you can reconnect without the awkwardness
Speaker 1: of trying to remember who is who. I used to
Speaker 1: think some people were good at names and some were not,
Speaker 1: But my thinking on whether people are naturally good or
Speaker 1: bad at things has evolved over time. At some point
Speaker 1: I realized that our brains naturally focus on what we
Speaker 1: find most important. If I can remember the right form
Speaker 1: of your, and it's, and there, and how to use
Speaker 1: the word resonate properly in a sentence, then I can
Speaker 1: remember someone's name if I try. Of course, this is
Speaker 1: easier said than done. But I've noticed that some people
Speaker 1: do something absolutely wonderful, which I am trying to adopt
Speaker 1: as a habit too. When you run into someone you
Speaker 1: haven't seen in a while or in a different context
Speaker 1: than usual, say your name as soon as possible, as
Speaker 1: in hey, and then I would gesture to myself. Laura
Speaker 1: Vanderkam nice to see you again. You can do this
Speaker 1: even if you don't remember the other person's name or
Speaker 1: even where you know them from. This gives the other
Speaker 1: person a clue of who you are, but doesn't presume
Speaker 1: that they would naturally remember you. I mean, we all
Speaker 1: think everyone should automatically remember us, but sadly that might
Speaker 1: not be the case. And instead of automatically asking the
Speaker 1: other person his name, which is a giveaway that you
Speaker 1: don't remember them either, you just offer your own name.
Speaker 1: If you're not wearing a name tag, which we usually
Speaker 1: aren't in the grocery store, then why not. Now, if
Speaker 1: the person is remotely self aware, he or she will
Speaker 1: probably offer up their name. But if you have misjudged
Speaker 1: how well the person feels he or she knows you,
Speaker 1: you will still come across as a reasonably humble individual.
Speaker 1: As the person says, Laura, of course I remember you,
Speaker 1: he or she will probably introduce a topic of known
Speaker 1: shared interest, which gives you a better clue of where
Speaker 1: you know this person from. You can both operate under
Speaker 1: the polite assumption that, of course the reminders weren't necessary,
Speaker 1: but it doesn't hurt to provide them. If you think
Speaker 1: identifying yourself like this sounds awkward or contrived. Compare it
Speaker 1: to the awkwardness of not remembering their name. Everyone's hemming
Speaker 1: and haw ring for the first few minutes trying to
Speaker 1: establish where you know each other from. You waste time.
Speaker 1: You could have been connecting better to just say your name,
Speaker 1: So try identifying yourself. Soon it'll be second nature, and
Speaker 1: you'll probably find conversations a lot more relaxed then if
Speaker 1: you are half conversing with the person and half racking
Speaker 1: your brain to figure out if the person actually remembers
Speaker 1: you now more than ever after having seen each other
Speaker 1: less frequently in the last year and a half and
Speaker 1: when we were often wearing masks that cover up half
Speaker 1: of our faces. Identifying yourself as just smart, I mean
Speaker 1: maybe you're wearing sunglasses and a mask. I can't necessarily
Speaker 1: recognize myself in that get up. Best to say your
Speaker 1: name so you're incognito. Appearance doesn't keep you from reconnecting
Speaker 1: with someone who could become a friend. In the meantime.
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to
Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips your
Speaker 1: questions or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,
Speaker 1: Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's b E
Speaker 1: the number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can
Speaker 1: also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast. At
Speaker 1: i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled
Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look
Speaker 1: forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production
Speaker 1: of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio,
Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows. Yet