What do you do when you can't remember where you know someone from?

[emer95]

My husband and I do different things in this situation and I'm wondering which one is "better?"

Not that we're overly forgetful people, but we know a lot of people. Does this ever happen to you? Let's say you're at a party (for example) and you see a face that you know you've seen before, and your mind starts scanning the places you know the person from. Is this person from... work? My kids' school? Church? College? The bank? One of my parents' friends?

So what I do is say, "I'm sorry, I know we've met before." and then the person will introduce him/herself. Yes, it can be a little embarrassing but what can you do? It happens. I'm a teacher so I run into former students' parents all the time from years ago, and it often takes me a second to place them.

My husband on the other hand will just make awkward small talk about the weather and sports until something in the conversation jogs his memory as to who the person is. When I asked him what if nothing happens to help him remember, he said, "So what? I'm pleasant and I move on."

So what do you do?

 

[phillmolly]

I'm with you, usally I will just ask the person where I know them from or where they work.

 

[erincon23]

OMG, This happens to me ALL the time. I once spent several hours with a woman who had just moved to this area and her kids at a play land, and when I saw her at the mother's group meeting two weeks later, I had NO idea who she was. Boy was that embarrassing. I'm more like your husband, I try to bluff my way through it and hope the name comes to me. It always does, but it's usually in the middle of the night, not when I need it. I need to be more like you -- I think that would be more honest and less stupid-looking.

Erin

 

[ilovejack02]

I am pretty good with names etc.. but sometimes I forget as we all do.

I usually just say.. Im sorry, I am so forgetful, but how do we know each other?

 

[Traveliz]

I think the best thing to do is do it fast, "Oh my gosh I am going blank here!" ..then make a small joke about getting older, blonder, grayer, kids using all your brain cells or something ... and ask outright. If I don't do it fast though then I am embarrassed to let the conversation go on as if I do know who I am talking to.

Liz

 

[tazdev3225]

This actually happened to me today. I saw a woman while I was shopping and thought she looked familiar. I apologized to her for staring and told her I thought I knew her from somewhere and she was actually thinking the same thing. It turned out she had taught both of my DD's years ago.

 

[Becky2005]

I'm notorious for this. I am good with faces but horrible with remembering names until I've hung out with you forever.

I think it depends on the situation which way I handle it. Grocery store & it's a 5-minute "Hi, how are you?" thing I usually try to bluff my way through and then leave going "who was that or how in the world do I know them????" Sometimes DD is with me and I ask her after we leave "who WAS that?" She sometimes knows better than I do (OR it's someone's mom that she knows).

If it's a longer social event, then I will usually do the direct route of apologizing that I'm horrible with names and I've forgotten theirs (and if it works I do blame it on age, kids, being a ditz, whatever excuse works). Usually that will tip me off as to how I know them.

 

[Disneylover79]

I smile politely and keep moving, but if I stop then I just keep talking to him/her and then if it keeps going I say "I am sorry but I have forgotten where I know you from"..and go from there

 

[krcit]

That reminds me of the King Of Queens episode when Doug can't remember Carrie's co-workers name so he fakes a heart attack

I do what it seems alot of you do. If it's a quick hello in the grocery store I'll just say hi, move on and then drive myself crazy for the resy of the day trying to remember where I know them from, lol. At a party or other social event I will say "I'm sorry, I know we've met before but I can't remember where."

 

[ndelaware]

I will ask them straight out what their name is. My wife is very bad with names, but works for a large company, so I am always put in social situations with people I see maybe once a year and I can't remember their names.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I just saw a dad of one of my DD's basketball teammates at the store. Instead of walking by I stopped and said "Hi, aren't our girls on the same Basketball team"? He filled in the blanks and I reminded him of my name.

He didn't seem to feel bad and neither did I. I'd rather be vulnerable then have someone think I'm being mean.

 

[mjkacmom]

I live in the town I was raised in, so this happens frequently. I totally fake it, and I'm lucky I married a man I graduated HS with, and he helps me out. Just a few weeks ago, I ran into this situation, and after giving DH details (I'll ask questions, like how many kids do you have, where are you living now, etc.), and he can usually figure it out.

 

[Stitchfans]

I'm with you, usally I will just ask the person where I know them from or where they work.

Me too. No harm in having to admit that you forgot something or someone if it has been a long time.

 

[Becky2005]

I didn't think about this but on the other end, if you are thinking the person is going to think bad of you because you forget their name, etc...

I know if I'm on the receiving end, I NEVER think badly about the person.

I either correct them (I get called my DD's name at church often! I think it's funny! ) or if they ask, just tell them OR knowing my luck, I have no clue how I know them either and we will both have to figure it out together.

 

[FireDancer]

I meet a lot of people in a lot of different settings and there is often some overlap so I can't remember exactly where I know them from. I usually allow them to introduce themselves and they respond with something like "Yeah, Mike, I know we met before and can't remember exactly where it was".

 

[kaytieeldr]

I usually allow them to introduce themselves and they respond with something like "Yeah, Mike, I know we met before and can't remember exactly where it was".

Or, "Yeah, Mike, I know who you are - we have the same parents, remember?"

 

[Disney Doll]

I will usually say "I know I know you but I can't remember from where" and make some sort of joke about being over 40 and getting forgetful. Most people seem to take it just fine...I've never had anyone yet who seemed mortally offended.

 

[NotUrsula]

I'm face-blind; there were occasions when I didn't recognize my own mother if I wasn't expecting to see her. It happens so often and with the same people that I tend to have a lot of conversations without knowing who the other person is -- 9 out of 10 times I'll just have done the re-introduction thing a few days before, and if I ask again they get insulted, so I've learned not to ask.

My usual method of last resort if I MUST discover the name because they are expecting a follow-up is to ask the person to write down his/her email address, because I don't want to get it wrong and get it bumped, or to write down a phone number -- most of the time when people do this they write their name, too.

 

[Pakey]

I had this happen to me once where I wish I had not asked. This woman came up to me at a store and began talking. I recognized the face but could not recall who or where I knew her. So I asked. It turns out it was someone I had fired 2 years before. So I went from being embarrassed at not recognizing her to being shocked that she would come up to me and start chatting.

 

[Sgt Mickey]

Akward small talk