WEBVTT - Identify yourself

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to identify yourself. When you encounter someone

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<v Speaker 1>you haven't seen in a while, or when you see

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<v Speaker 1>someone in a different context than usual, say your name

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<v Speaker 1>right away. That way, you can reconnect without the awkwardness

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<v Speaker 1>of trying to remember who is who. I used to

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<v Speaker 1>think some people were good at names and some were not,

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<v Speaker 1>But my thinking on whether people are naturally good or

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<v Speaker 1>bad at things has evolved over time. At some point

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<v Speaker 1>I realized that our brains naturally focus on what we

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<v Speaker 1>find most important. If I can remember the right form

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<v Speaker 1>of your, and it's, and there, and how to use

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<v Speaker 1>the word resonate properly in a sentence, then I can

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<v Speaker 1>remember someone's name if I try. Of course, this is

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<v Speaker 1>easier said than done. But I've noticed that some people

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<v Speaker 1>do something absolutely wonderful, which I am trying to adopt

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<v Speaker 1>as a habit too. When you run into someone you

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<v Speaker 1>haven't seen in a while or in a different context

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<v Speaker 1>than usual, say your name as soon as possible, as

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<v Speaker 1>in hey, and then I would gesture to myself. Laura

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<v Speaker 1>Vanderkam nice to see you again. You can do this

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<v Speaker 1>even if you don't remember the other person's name or

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<v Speaker 1>even where you know them from. This gives the other

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<v Speaker 1>person a clue of who you are, but doesn't presume

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<v Speaker 1>that they would naturally remember you. I mean, we all

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<v Speaker 1>think everyone should automatically remember us, but sadly that might

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<v Speaker 1>not be the case. And instead of automatically asking the

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<v Speaker 1>other person his name, which is a giveaway that you

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<v Speaker 1>don't remember them either, you just offer your own name.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're not wearing a name tag, which we usually

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<v Speaker 1>aren't in the grocery store, then why not. Now, if

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<v Speaker 1>the person is remotely self aware, he or she will

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<v Speaker 1>probably offer up their name. But if you have misjudged

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<v Speaker 1>how well the person feels he or she knows you,

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<v Speaker 1>you will still come across as a reasonably humble individual.

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<v Speaker 1>As the person says, Laura, of course I remember you,

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<v Speaker 1>he or she will probably introduce a topic of known

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<v Speaker 1>shared interest, which gives you a better clue of where

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<v Speaker 1>you know this person from. You can both operate under

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<v Speaker 1>the polite assumption that, of course the reminders weren't necessary,

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<v Speaker 1>but it doesn't hurt to provide them. If you think

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<v Speaker 1>identifying yourself like this sounds awkward or contrived. Compare it

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<v Speaker 1>to the awkwardness of not remembering their name. Everyone's hemming

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<v Speaker 1>and haw ring for the first few minutes trying to

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<v Speaker 1>establish where you know each other from. You waste time.

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<v Speaker 1>You could have been connecting better to just say your name,

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<v Speaker 1>So try identifying yourself. Soon it'll be second nature, and

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<v Speaker 1>you'll probably find conversations a lot more relaxed then if

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<v Speaker 1>you are half conversing with the person and half racking

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<v Speaker 1>your brain to figure out if the person actually remembers

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<v Speaker 1>you now more than ever after having seen each other

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<v Speaker 1>less frequently in the last year and a half and

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<v Speaker 1>when we were often wearing masks that cover up half

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<v Speaker 1>of our faces. Identifying yourself as just smart, I mean

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<v Speaker 1>maybe you're wearing sunglasses and a mask. I can't necessarily

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<v Speaker 1>recognize myself in that get up. Best to say your

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<v Speaker 1>name so you're incognito. Appearance doesn't keep you from reconnecting

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<v Speaker 1>with someone who could become a friend. In the meantime.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can send me your tips your

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<v Speaker 1>questions or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,

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<v Speaker 1>Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's b E

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<v Speaker 1>the number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can

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<v Speaker 1>also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast. At

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<v Speaker 1>i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled

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<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look

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<v Speaker 1>forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production

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<v Speaker 1>of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio,

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